There are numerous local, national, and international landscape architecture awards currently open for submissions, including the annual WLA Awards. This is a guide on how to create the best submission that may win you a landscape architecture award.
Know the eligibility criteria
All awards have eligibility criteria, which may include years built or designed, size, budget, designer qualifications, or membership. You need to know the award criteria and the various categories to ensure you are eligible to enter.
Understand the categories
Most Awards have several categories and these can be built, conceptual, research, communication, or other typologies. You need to know the criteria for each category.
Put the Dates in your calendar
What are the various dates for registration and entering? Do you have enough time to curate the entry? Make sure your team has the dates in their calendars so you don’t miss the deadline.
Understand the Submission Requirements
Each awards program has submission requirements, including format (template), number of images, number of words, credits, entry numbers, and notation of credits(anonymous or noted).
What is the Registration Fee (and extras)?
There are numerous award programs, and some charge an all-inclusive fee for the awards. Whereas others can charge an entry fee, an award certificate/trophy fee, an attendance fee and more. Make sure you understand the full cost of entering.
Write an engaging Narrative / Story
The text provides the jury members with project insights and helps them gain a clear understanding of the project. The introduction should engage the juror to encourage them to continue reading and provide a strong narrative (story) about the project. Avoid writing a description of the design; it should be emotive and engaging. The text should include three key points that make your project unique and award-worthy.
You need to tailor the text to the category. For example, if you are writing for the research category, it is best to have an introduction, methodology and conclusion. However, if the word limit is short, then provide a short introduction and a brief conclusion.
Images win Landscape Architecture Awards
Landscape architecture is best represented by good imagery (photography) and is key to ensuring that your entry gets shortlisted. You should have one or two “HERO” images that best represent the project and impress your audience.
The photos should feature a diverse range of viewpoints and scales. Each photo should convey the project to the juror. This can include a Hero image, wide shots, midrange shots and detail photos to tell the story of the project. There are various ways you can arrange the photos: as a walkthrough, area by area, or focusing on the main features. The key is to select the best photos and avoid similar views of the same focal point.
The images (photos, diagrams, plans) should match the text and showcase the project. There is nothing more frustrating than an editor or juror reading the text and then looking through the images to realise that they do not match and the key points in the text are not illustrated in the images.
If you are allowed to have captions, make sure to give an indication of where or what the juror is seeing. Try to avoid describing the photo (e.g. path through lawn area), be more evocative (e.g. A meandering path that draws the visitor through the West Woodland.).
WLA Awards allows four pages of images with either single or multiple images per page.
Test various layouts
Make sure to create several layouts with single or multiple images per page to test the hero (key) image, image composition, colour tones, contrast, day and night, midrange, and detail.
Follow the Submission Format/Requirements to the letter
The award organisers may use an online platform or a template that you email to the organisers. The key is to ensure you follow the submission requirements, including format, file size, and file name. This will make it easier for the organisers and reduce the chance that your submission will not be accepted. The WLA Awards only accepts entries as an email attachment in PDF format.
Have fun
Most of all, have fun with the process. If you are in an office with a few people, you can make it a group task using cut-out images to create varying mockups of the layouts, which will also allow the team to be proud of their work.
Article Written by Damian Holmes is the Founder and Editor of WLA.
DISCLAIMER: This article is for educational purposes only. The content is intended only to provide a summary and general overview on matters of interest. It’s not intended to be comprehensive, nor to constitute advice. You should always obtain professional or legal advice, appropriate to your own circumstances, before acting or relying on any of the above content.
