Construction Executive has been named a national Silver and regional Gold Azbee Award winner in the “best social media campaign” category for the magazine’s first annual CE Photo Contest. The American Society of Business Publication Editors’ annual Azbee Awards of Excellence celebrate the highest quality reporting, editing and design in business-to-business, trade, association and professional publications. The awards honor print publications, enewsletters, B2B websites and digital media.

The campaign was judged on general excellence and efficacy of use across multiple social media channels.

With jobsites looking and functioning far differently than in the past, Construction Executive asked its social media followers to show what it’s like to work in today’s building sector. As construction company recruiters are all too aware, industry perceptions don’t necessarily align with reality.

A recent BigRentz poll of 3,000 18- to 24-year-olds revealed only 11% think trade schools lead to high-paying jobs. Yet 84% of the nearly 500 nonresidential construction professionals surveyed for FireStarter Speaker and Consulting’s 2019 People in Construction Report said they would recommend working at their company to a friend, and 83% said they would reapply for their current job.

To help move the needle, CE’s readers submitted nearly 200 photos of the interesting tools, equipment, technology, places and people they get to interact with every day. From working at height with stunning mountains as a backdrop to donning a virtual reality headset and watching an obsolete building come down, these images are a great representation of the variety of opportunities afforded by a career in the construction industry. The winning entries were featured in the magazine’s June 2019 issue and the first-place image is featured in the magazine’s 2020 Media Kit.

“We are excited to have been recognized by ASBPE in this highly competitive contest as a standout publication for our use of social media,” said Editor-in-Chief Lauren Pinch. “Our magazine will continue to promote positive perceptions of the construction industry by showcasing career opportunities and business success stories in every issue.”