Northwest Premiere Landscape Awards Program

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.

Awards Offered

Award Entry Categories

◆ 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.)

1. Attention to detail
2. Degree of difficulty
3. Overall appearance
4. Quality of both construction and plant materials
5. Quality of plant installation
6. Quality of construction work
7. Attention to drainage & finish grade
8. Quality of lawn/turf
9. Design objectives (does it meet owner’s expectations?)
10. Selection & location of plant material
11. Harmony of design with surroundings
12. Turf/bed edges neat & trim
13. Pruning of plant material
14. Mulch & surface treatment of beds/planters
15. Seasonal color treatment
16. Structural integrity

Entry Guidelines

1. 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 into the “Owner’s Project” category.
2. A separate online entry form must be filled out for each project entered in each category.
3. The Awards Committee will review each entry to determine if all 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.
4. Applicants must have completed the majority of the project being entered. Any entry application with incomplete or false information may be disqualified from the program.
5. All installation projects must be less than three years old; installed after September 1, 2018.
6. All maintenance projects must have been regularly maintained from September 2020 to September 2021.
7. A project entered in this program in a previous year may be entered again if it did not win an award. Previous award-winning projects may be entered in categories other than the one for which it won an award.
8. Category cost limitations must be adhered to and cost verification may be requested.
9. Design/Build entries must include a set of plans in order to be judged as such. Without plans they will be moved to another category.
10. Complete projects may be entered in only one category. Sections of projects (water features, containers, etc.) may be entered in one additional category.
11. Entry fees will not be refunded for withdrawn or disqualified entries. It is $155 for your first entry and $125 per entry after.
12. 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.

Submit a set of not less than 10 or more than 15 digital images to the office 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. Make sure all image descriptions match your entry form.

1. Identify each image file name with the name of the project and number each to correspond with the description on the entry form.
2. DO NOT put a company name in the file name or have your company identified or any date noted on any image files.
3. Images are to be submitted in digital format as on our submission form.  Do not e-mail your digital images to WALP.
4. Tips for entry photos are listed below.
   • Use the highest quality setting on your digital camera. TIFF format is best if your camera has that setting. If not, JPEG format is acceptable. If you scan the photos, scan them to a high-quality JPEG file.
   • To a photo spread or cover shot in the print NWLP magazine, it is best that you use a digital camera as opposed to just their phone for the images
   • 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, spent blooms, or other “ugly” parts.
   • Use a tripod
   • Try to get the greatest depth of field for a landscape
   • Bracket shots to experiment with depth of field, exposure, or film.
   • Look at a shot from different perspectives; higher, lower, or a different angle.
5. The orientation of images can be either landscape (horizontal) or portrait (vertical).
6. 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.
7. 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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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!