This September marked a proud milestone for us at Symology as we hosted the very first Symology Awards, a celebration of our customers and the incredible outcomes we achieve together. These awards were created to spotlight the innovation, collaboration, and impact that define our partnerships.
To kick off this inaugural year, we invited teams from across the business to nominate standout customers and projects in five distinct categories:
- Aurora Spark Award – For small but impactful projects
- Aurora Zenith Award – For our efficiency champion
- Aurora Nova Award – For creativity and innovation
- Aurora First Light Award – For success with early adoption
- Symology Stellar Award – For special recognition
In the article that follows, you’ll find more detail about the winners and the inspiring work that earned them recognition. These stories showcase not only technical excellence but also the spirit of partnership that drives us forward.
Mike Bartlett, Managing Director, SymologyThe Aurora Spark Award – Small Project, Big Impact
Waltham Forest and JB Riney initially planned to retain their existing works management system, which required complex integration. By switching to Aurora’s Contractor Works Management solution, both parties achieved faster, simpler implementation with immediate benefits.
Aurora’s mobile and desktop tools now support the full lifecycle of Street Lighting and Reactive Maintenance—from defect inspection to completion and claim. Real-time updates via the mobile app enable best practice workflows.
The project succeeded thanks to acceptance of Aurora’s out-of-the-box setup, making it lighter and more efficient. Dashboards and reporting have significantly improved, replacing manual spreadsheets.
Next steps include integrating Customer Services API and expanding asset coverage beyond streets and lighting.
The Aurora Zenith Award – Efficiency Champion
Cardiff Council urgently needed a solution and became the first Welsh authority to use Aurora for EToN-based Street Works coordination. Despite tight timelines, both teams collaborated effectively to deliver.
Building on this, we launched a bilingual, automated Apply For It web portal for road and highway licences, streamlining customer service and saving time.
Cardiff sought a collaborative supplier, and working with them has been key to the project’s success.
The Aurora Nova Award – Creativity & Innovation
SP Electricity North West asked for alerts on activity within 10 metres of high-risk cables. Aurora delivered a custom solution using Street Manager OpenData, with updates every 30 minutes and daily reports.
Though not a standard feature, this showcases Aurora’s flexibility and power in solving unique challenges.
The Aurora First Light Award – Seamless Delivery
Cheshire West & Chester embraced Aurora’s D-TRO solution, leveraging national changes and native integration. The project was delivered smoothly, working straight out of the box with no setup issues.
Clear feedback ensured the solution met expectations, simple, effective, and ready to go.
The Symology Stellar Award – Lifetime Partnership Recognition
Bob Wood, Darlington Borough Council
A customer for over 28 years, Darlington has journeyed with us from Highway One to Aurora, embracing innovation at every stage. Bob Wood has been key to this success, championing collaboration, supporting the Symology community, and acting as a reference across areas like Structures, Lighting, Gazetteer Maintenance, and more.
Darlington was among the first to adopt Aurora for England Street Works and the D-TRO solution, thanks to Bob’s continued leadership and commitment.
The Symology Stellar Award – Project Champion Recognition
Annette Shepherd, North Yorkshire Council
Annette exemplifies what it means to be a Project Champion. Her leadership helped deliver a feature-rich Aurora Enterprise Asset Management solution, going live in April 2024 after a comprehensive implementation.
She tackled challenges from training to data migration with a strong partnership mindset, ensuring lasting benefits for the council. North Yorkshire continues to share ideas and serve as a committed reference partner for others.
The very first Symology Awards mark a special milestone, not just for us, but for our incredible customers who’ve worked with us to unlock Aurora’s true potential. These awards celebrate what’s possible when we partner with purpose: the innovations, the efficiencies, the savings, the success. Huge congratulations to all our amazing inaugural winners, and a heartfelt thank you to everyone who took part, shared their stories, and helped make this celebration so memorable.
Stuart Marshall, Director of Growth, Symology
