Matthew Gibson Awarded the BTS 2026 Harding Prize

The British Tunnelling Society (BTS) is delighted to announce that Matthew Gibson of Morgan Sindall Infrastructure has been awarded the Harding Prize Competition 2026, following the final presentations and judging held at the Institution of Civil Engineers on 19 March 2026. Matthew received the prestigious award for his paper titled “Construction of the Shaft Slipform Secondary Lining at Thames Tideway West” After careful deliberation, the judging panel selected Matthew as this year’s winner in recognition of the exceptional quality of his presentation and his excellent performance during the Q&A session. The judges commended all 11 entrants who participated in the Harding Prize Evening Presentation, noting the impressive breadth of both design and construction topics covered. The overall standard was exceptionally high, making the shortlisting of just four finalists a significant challenge. All four finalists — Alasdair Fraser-Sinclair, Ramnath Arumugam and Ross White alongside Matthew Gibson — delivered outstanding presentations. The judges emphasised that scores were extremely close across the board, reflecting the remarkable quality and professionalism demonstrated by each finalist. In their official comments, the judges stated: “The standard was exceptionally high, making it very difficult to shortlist just four finalists. All four finalists delivered outstanding presentations, and selecting a winner was extremely challenging. Matthew Gibson is awarded this year’s Harding Prize in recognition of the quality of his presentation and his excellent performance during the Q&A session. Congratulations to all four finalists for their fantastic work and achievements. The British Tunnelling Society looks forward to supporting them in showcasing their work through other platforms, webinars, and both UK and overseas conferences.” The recording of the presentations is available to watch on the BTS’ YouTube channel; whilst Matthew’s winning paper will be published in Tunnels & Tunnelling International in the coming months, and will be available to download off the BTS website. The BTS would once again like to thank all the applicants for their submissions, as well as their employers and clients for their support. The BTS also extends its sincere thanks to the judging panel for volunteering their invaluable time and expertise. The 2026 panel comprised: - Ken Kwok (BTS Awards Sub-Committee Chair; Bouygues Travaux Publics UK) - Alastair Smith (BTS Vice-Chair & Treasurer; Jacobs) - Bethan Haig (BTS Technical Sub-Committee Chair; Dr. Sauer & Partners) - Asil Zaidi (BTS Young Members Chair; London Bridge Associates Ltd.) Comments: