2024 Entry Deadline November 8, 2024
- Awards Offered
- Awards Entry Categories
- Eligibility
- Judging Panel
- Judging Criteria
- Entry Guidelines
- Entry Procedures
- 5 Reasons Why You Should Enter
The Washington Association of Landscape Professionals is pleased to announce its Annual Landscape Awards Program – recognizing Association Members who have joined in producing landscapes of notable merit.
The purpose of the program is to recognize outstanding performance by Washington Association of Landscape Professionals (WALP) members; foster personal and company pride in superior workmanship; publicize the Association and the Industry and encourage future business for WALP members.
To submit your Award Entries, please create a folder with the project name. Within the folder please include your entry forms. Please include all high resolution photos as jpeg files larger than 1.5 MB, 300 dpi within the same folder. If you have any plans or designs, please make them pdf files. All items need to be in one project folder and sent via DROPBOX. The button above will take you to the DROPBOX link. Once you create your project folder, then share the folder with WALP at [email protected]
Award of Merit
Award of Distinction
Grand Award
Judge’s Award
Criteria
Meets Industry Standards
Exceeds Industry Standards
There is Little or No Room for Improvement
Awarded at the Discretion of the Judges
◆ Design/Build
Construction and design by the same firm
Include a basic design plan or a sketch if available
◆ Lighting
◆ Owner’s Project
Usually entrant’s office or residence
◆ Color in the Landscape
◆ Commercial Landscape Construction (Includes Interiorscapes and Renovation)
Please indicate which dollar amount the project is entered in
▷ Less than 50K
▷ 50k-150k
▷ 150k-500k
▷ 500k-1 million
▷ Over 1 million
◆ Residential Maintenance
Please indicate which dollar amount the project is entered in
▷ Less than 5k per year
▷ 5k-15k per year
▷ Over 15k per year
◆ Multi-Family Maintenance (Apartments/Condo/HOA)
▷ Less than 10k per year
▷ 10k-20k per year
▷ Over 20k per year
◆ Hardscaping
Plantings not done by entrant or non-existent
◆ Unique Projects
◆ Public Works
◆ Container Gardening
◆ Residential Landscape Construction (Includes Interiorscapes and Renovation)
Please indicate which dollar amount the project is entered in
▷ Less than 50k
▷ 50k-100k
▷ 100k-300k
▷ 300k-500k
▷ Over 500k
◆ Commercial Maintenance (Includes Interiorscapes)
▷ Less than 10k per year
▷ 10k-20k per year
▷ Over 20k per year
Eligibility
The Awards Program is open to all WALP members in good standing. Non-members may participate by completing an online membership application.
Judging Panel
A panel of experts representing the Landscape Industry will judge the entries through digital presentations. Judges may be selected from the following landscape disciplines: Construction, Maintenance, Design, Irrigation, Horticulture, and Education.
Award categories are Grand, Distinction, and Merit. There is no set number to be awarded in any one category. Judges will evaluate each project independently of other entries on the basis of difficulty, craftsmanship, relative contribution to environmental quality, and overall excellence. The decision of the judges will be final.
Judging Criteria
Based on the images provided for each entry, judges will select the appropriate criteria from the following list to judge each category. (For example, if you are entering an installation or maintenance project where the edging is judged, your edging photograph will be judged on attention to detail, degree of difficulty, turf/bed edges being neat & trim, etc.)
- Attention to detail
- Degree of difficulty
- Overall appearance
- Quality of both construction and plant materials
- Quality of plant installation
- Quality of construction work
- Attention to drainage & finish grade
- Quality of lawn/turf
- Design objectives (does it meet owner’s expectations?)
- Selection & location of plant material
- Harmony of design with surroundings
- Turf/bed edges neat & trim
- Pruning of plant material
- Mulch & surface treatment of beds/planters
- Seasonal color treatment
- Structural integrity
Entry Guidelines
- Only WALP members in good standing and in the business of landscape contracting, maintenance, and/or design are eligible to enter all categories. Supplier members are eligible to enter the ‘Owner’s Project’ category.
- A separate online entry form must be filled out for each project entered in each category.
- The Awards Committee will review each entry to determine if entry procedures have been followed. If an entry form is incomplete the entrant may be notified and given the opportunity to complete the entry if time allows.
- Applicants must have completed the work on most of the project being entered. Any entry application with incomplete or false information may be disqualified from the program.
- All installation projects must be less than three years old; installed after September 1, 2021.
- All maintenance projects must have been regularly maintained from September 2023 thru September 2024.
- A project entered in the program in a previous year may be entered again if it did not win an award. Previous award-winning projects may not be entered unless it is a different phase of the project.
- Category cost limitations must be adhered to and cost verification may be requested.
- Design/Build entries should include a set of basic plans to be judged as such. Without plans they may be moved to another category.
- Complete projects may be entered in only one category. Sections of projects (water features, containers, etc.) may be entered in one additional category.
- Entry fees will not be refunded for withdrawn or disqualified entries. It is $155 for your first entry and $125 per entry after.
- Awards Committee may at its discretion move a project from one category to another.
Entry Procedures
Complete and submit one online entry form per project.
Be sure to include all relevant information. Do not include the company name in any of the descriptions or images.
Submit a set of not less than 8 or more than 15 digital images to WALP via the online entry form.
Images should clearly display the quality of materials and workmanship involved. Include “before”, “after”, and “in progress” images of the project if available. Make sure all image descriptions match your entry form.
- Identify each image file name with the project name and number each to correspond with the description on the entry form.
- DO NOT put a company name in the file name or have your company identified or have any date noted on any image files.
- Images are to be submitted in digital format as on our submission form. Alternatively, images may be e-mailed to WALP with a downloaded entry form.
- Tips for entry photos are listed below.
- Use the highest quality setting on your digital camera or phone. RAW format is best if your camera has that setting. If not, JPEG format is acceptable, 300 dpi / 1.5 mb or greater. If you scan the photos, scan them to a high-quality JPEG file.
- Take before and after photographs.
- Take photographs early in the morning or late in the afternoon/evening.
- Watch the orientation of the light as it moves across your site.
- Check the area for debris, hoses, spent blooms, or other “ugly” parts.
- Try to get the greatest depth of field for a landscape
- Look at a shot from different perspectives; higher, lower, or a different angle.
- The orientation of images can be either landscape (horizontal) or portrait (vertical).
- DO NOT crop, adjust color or brightness, or manipulate the image. Entries with images that are enhanced in any way will be declared ineligible. DO NOT include a digital date within the image.
- Please DO NOT submit your images in PowerPoint or in any other type of presentation.
5 Reasons to Enter – Make a Positive Difference in Your Company
WALP is now accepting entries for its Annual Landscape Awards Program. If you are weighing the pros and cons of entering, Awards Chair Lloyd Glasscock believes it will be time and money well spent given the many benefits that are associated with such programs. Following are five reasons it makes sense from a business perspective to enter WALP’s Annual Landscape Awards Program.
- Marketing & PR – Awards may not trigger a light bulb when thinking about marketing opportunities, but just being short-listed can improve your business’ brand awareness and access to new customers. Awards celebrate hard work and success, and they are a great opportunity to put your business in the spotlight and have your achievements acknowledged. In addition, the images provide a ready method of updating images and content on your website and on your social media presence.
- Opportunity to Take Stock – The application process for entering WALP’s landscape awards program represents a great opportunity to review and take stock of your business. The process will not only allow you to identify your successes but also can show some areas for improvement.
- Have Achievements Recognized – Winning an award can act as a third-party endorsement for your business. Having your projects judged by an independent panel of respected landscape professionals gives your company increased credibility when pitching to new customers. Receiving an award acknowledges your excellence in a category producing landscapes of notable merit providing a distinct competitive advantage.
- Building Team Morale – Succeeding in business requires a team effort and receiving an award gives recognition to your staff’s contribution to the business’ success. This is invaluable in terms of boosting morale and making employees feel proud of the company and their contribution.
- Confidence & Conversation – Winning breeds confidence. The minute you enter the WALP Landscape Awards program, you elevate your state of mind. The act of entering sends a powerful message to yourself. Receiving an award also generates buzz – making your company more visible to facilitate your continued success. Buzz is a big plus also for your suppliers and subs who played a role in the project, as well as your customers!