40 Under 40: Frequently Asked Questions

Who can be nominated?
Beginning Dec. 1, 2023, Consulting-Specifying Engineer’s 2024 40 Under 40 competition is open to engineering and building professionals from around the world who are 40 years old or younger as of May 1, 2024 (your birthday must be on or after May 1, 1983). Nominees may come from the following nonresidential building fields:

  • Academia
  • Applications engineers for manufacturers
  • Architecture
  • Building/engineering product inventor/developer
  • Building/engineering product manufacturing
  • Commissioning agents
  • Construction
  • Construction management
  • Design/build
  • Engineering (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, lighting, acoustic, etc.)
  • Facility management
  • Finance (related to construction)
  • Government (federal, state, local)
  • NGOs, membership, or trade association in the engineering field
  • Nonprofit environmental or development organizations
  • Project management
  • Researchers (in building/engineering field only).

Note: Individuals whose work is related exclusively to single-family housing, structural engineering, or civil engineering are NOT eligible. They will be disqualified from the program. 

Does the nominee have to have an engineering degree or PE license?
No, the nominee does not have to have an engineering degree or be a licensed engineer. The person does, however, need to be professionally involved with the engineering community supporting the building industry.

Can I be nominated twice?
Yes, but you may not be named to Consulting-Specifying Engineer’s 40 Under 40 list more than once. If you are named in 2024, you may not be named again in 2025. If, however, you were not selected in a previous year, you may be considered again in 2024.

Can I nominate myself?
No. You must be nominated by someone who knows your career abilities well. You may be nominated by:

  • Academic adviser
  • Mentor
  • Peer/colleague
  • Project leader
  • Public relations professional
  • Supervisor
  • Other.

You can, however, put together and upload the supporting materials yourself.

Can I nominate more than one person?
Yes. If you feel there are several individuals within your company or organization who truly deserve consideration, please submit all of their nominations. There is no limit to the number of submissions you can make, but please note that you’ll need to upload supporting materials for all nominated individuals.

Does the nominee know that he or she has been nominated?
Yes. The nominee will receive an email notifying him/her that a nomination has been submitted. The nominee also will receive reminders to submit supporting materials. The nominee typically submits these supporting materials, as the required information is very detailed and specific. Nominations aren’t complete until supporting materials have been received.

How can I nominate more than one person when Consulting-Specifying Engineer’s nomination form does not seem to allow that?
Multiple nominations are welcome, but once an initial nomination is submitted, you’ll need to clear your computer’s history/cookies/cache in order to reset the 40 Under 40 nomination form.

Will multiple nominations enhance the possibility of being named to the 40 Under 40 list?
No. Multiple nominations (from different people) will not boost your chances of being named to our list. If we receive more than one nomination for the same person, we will accept and review only the first nomination (based on time/date the nomination was submitted).

Is there a fee for making a nomination?
No. There is no fee associated with the 40 Under 40 recognition program.

Why should I nominate someone? What’s in it for me and my company?
The editors of Consulting-Specifying Engineer realize we’re asking for a lot of information from you. So we want to give a lot back. By recognizing a young engineer from your company you will:

  • Highlight top company projects the young engineer has worked on.
  • Improve your company’s recruitment efforts by showcasing young employees.
  • Showcase the mentoring program at your company or organization.
  • Push the young engineer just one more rung up the ladder.
  • Offer the winner an “insiders” link to the Consulting-Specifying Engineer team.
  • Give him or her the opportunity to join an exclusive LinkedIn group.
  • Offer your young engineer additional networking and recognition opportunities.
  • Be invited to our recognition and networking event (to be determined in the fall).
  • Feel good about helping your fellow engineer.

How do I know if my online nomination form went through? Will I receive a confirmation?
After submitting your nomination(s), you should see a message thanking you for your nomination. The nominee, nominator, and marketing/communications person will receive an email confirming the nomination. If you have concerns that your electronic nomination did not go through, please email Amanda McLeman at amcleman@cfemedia.com.

Your supporting nomination materials also are submitted online. If you want one, you will receive a confirmation of the completed submission for all 10 portions of the supporting materials.

Why am I having trouble entering my nominee’s birth date?
Our system accepts dates in the following format: month-day-year (mm-dd-yyyy). Please note that if you’ve entered 03-06-1999, our records will indicate that the nominee was born on March 6, 1999.

Will I be notified if the person I nominate is selected?
Yes. Consulting-Specifying Engineer will contact all 40 individuals we select for 40 Under 40 recognition, as well as the individual who submitted their nomination.

When are nominations and the supporting materials due?
Nominations are due Jan. 26, 2024. Supporting materials are due at 5 p.m. (Central) on Feb. 2, 2024 (GMT -6:00). Sorry, no extensions. Meeting a deadline is part of entering this competition. If you are having difficulty uploading materials, please request help well before the deadline on Feb. 2, as several nominees will be uploading on this same date.

What is the criteria for selecting a 40 Under 40 winner and how does the selection process work?
Nominations will be judged by the editors of Consulting-Specifying Engineer and anonymous industry experts (many of whom are past 40 Under 40 winners), who will be looking for successful and well-rounded individuals 40 years old or younger (as of May 1, 2024). Some of the qualities and characteristics the judges will be looking for (in no particular order):

  • Academic training (degrees earned, license, etc.)
  • Client relations
  • Community service
  • Dedication
  • Innovation
  • Inventiveness
  • Leadership skills
  • “People” skills/mentoring ability
  • Personal integrity
  • Professional service (with professional societies, organizations, educational events, etc.)
  • Public speaking/presentation skills
  • Sustained career progress
  • Technical skills
  • Work/life balance.

If I’m selected, what do I need to do?
Once you’ve been notified by a Consulting-Specifying Engineer editor, we request that you promptly review and approve the profile written about you, which is based on the supporting materials and nomination form.

If the Consulting-Specifying Engineer editor or art director do not feel your photos meet the needs of the publication, you may be asked for another high-resolution photo. Note that our art team has very specific requirements, so if you’re selected, we’ll ask you to send additional photos. No “mug shots” for our 40 Under 40 winners — these must be professional photos that show off your personality.

We will also ask you to join Consulting-Specifying Engineer in the fall in Chicago at the congratulatory networking dinner. This event will give you the chance to meet other 40 Under 40 winners like yourself, plus network with key engineering companies.

When will the 40 Under 40 feature be published?
The 40 Under 40 feature is scheduled for publication in May 2024.

Those named to the list also will be highlighted in a nationally published press release that will be sent out the same day the print and digital magazine publishes.

A package of congratulatory materials also will be sent to the 40 Under 40 award recipient.

Will personal information about nominees be released to the public?
Personal information about each nominee will remain the property of Consulting-Specifying Engineer and its parent company CFE Media and Technology LLC, and will be shared with the sponsor of the program. We may use your name or information to contact you about Consulting-Specifying Engineer’s events or content, and your name or contact information will be the property of CFE Media and Technology LLC (our parent company) and be shared with the sponsor of the program.

If you’re listed as one of our 40 Under 40, your name, the company/organization you work for, identifying details (degree, job title, company location), and likeness will appear in the magazine, but contact information (phone, email, etc.) will not. Because we’ll be associating you with your company or organization, however, it won’t be hard for people to find you.

For additional questions about the 40 Under 40 program, please contact Amara Rozgus or Amanda McLeman.