We have updated the way we select candidates for the Silver Shovel Award to recognize ALL excavators, large and small. To be considered for the award, an excavator must meet the criteria below.
1. Ticket Volume & Ineligibility
An excavator must have called in more than 50 tickets during the 2024 calendar year. Utility owner-operators and government entities are excluded from consideration.
2. Divisions Assigned (Based on Ticket Volume)
Excavators are categorized into divisions before damage screening or scoring.
Division A: Top 1/3rd of contractors with the highest ticket volume.
Division B: Middle 1/3rd of contractors based on ticket volume.
Division C: Bottom 1/3rd of contractors (above the 50-ticket threshold).
3. Zero At-Fault Damages
Utility operators “scrub” the list, keeping only those excavators with no at-fault damages to underground utilities in 2024. Damage-free excavators from each division are notified and invited to fill out a questionnaire to be considered for the Silver Shovel. They are also listed on the NRCGA’s Zero At-Fault Damages web page.
4. Submissions Reviewed by Silver Shovel Award Committee
All submissions are reviewed and scored by the Silver Shovel Award Committee. Company names are omitted to preserve the integrity of the process. The excavator with the highest score from each division moves on to in-person interviews with the Board of Directors.
5. In-Person Interview with Board of Directors
The NRCGA’s Board of Directors conduct in-person interviews with the top excavator from each division. Directors rate the candidates responses. The candidate with the highest score wins the Silver Shovel.
6. Silver Shovel Ceremony
The winning candidate is kept top secret and announced at the Silver Shovel Award ceremony.
