The American Cement Association has introduced the ACA Blended Cement Awards, a new program designed to recognize construction projects that showcase excellence in performance, innovation and sustainability through the use of blended cement.

The awards come as blended cement continues its rapid growth across the U.S. construction industry. In 2025, approximately 65 million metric tons of blended cement were consumed nationwide, compared to 35 million metric tons of traditional portland cement. Blended cement's market share has expanded dramatically, rising from about 5 percent of the U.S. cement market in 2021 to becoming the dominant cement type used today.

"Blended cements have surged in use in recent years for good reason," said Diane Tomb, ACA president and CEO. "They have consistently demonstrated their ability to produce strong, durable concrete structures while helping reduce the overall carbon footprint of construction projects. By recognizing these outstanding projects, we are highlighting the innovation, leadership and collaboration that are driving more sustainable building practices."

Project teams that used blended cement in structures completed during 2024, 2025 or 2026 are encouraged to submit entries. Projects will be evaluated on concrete mixture optimization, project execution, sustainability achievements and overall contributions to the industry.

A panel of five judges with expertise across the cement and concrete sectors will select winners in four categories:

• Portland-limestone cement (Type IL)
• Portland-slag cement (Type IS)
• Portland-pozzolan cement (Type IP)
• Ternary cement (Type IT)

To be eligible, the blended cement used on the project must have been supplied by an ACA member company.

Entries will be accepted online through Aug. 7, 2026. The number of finalists and award recipients will depend on the total number of submissions received.