The 2020 Sustainability Awards are now open and for those that would like to know how to enter and possibly even win, following are some suggestions.

1. Select the exact category for you

Just don’t enter any category for the sake of it; make sure that your entry fits the 2020 Sustainability Awards category description and the description fits your entry.

2. Know and understand the competition conditions

This includes:

  • The format of the competition.
  • Whether the competition is anonymous.
  • Timeline and deadlines.
  • List of deliverables/required content.
  • Jury composition, with details of each jury member.
  • The assessment criteria, including selection criteria and weighting apportioned to design and sustainability
  • Details of the competition
  • Communications intent (through exhibition or publication).
  • Prize details.

3. Don’t’ just follow the brief, but exceed it

Once you have chosen which category is right for you then go ahead and analyse the brief meticulously ensuring that each statement is tackled in your design and then taken further. Give the judges what they want and more. Remember, the intent of this competition is always to single out that one innovative yet sustainable design feature and/or characteristic.

4. Presentation is the key

If all the points listed are followed, an eye catching presentation will ensure you succeed and stand out from the other hundreds of entries. Be direct and straight to the point, use clear and attractive imaging that explains your concept and design thoroughly and quick. For judges faced with hundreds of entries, contextual images are always advantageous, while flashy images used solely for the sake of aesthetics may well be considered inessential.

5. Clear eye for the architecture guy

The process of putting together a competition entry is intense and time-consuming, especially when considering the exact timeframe allowed. The end product and how it is perceived must be as clear (and simple) to a new eye, as it is to the designer working constantly on it. By having a guest critic, with no association to the project, giving a feedback on the content may provide new perspectives that will benefit the entire work.

6. Adhere to the lodgement requirements

Improper or late lodgement may lead to disqualification, so clear protocols regarding where, how and when to lodge entries are essential. Lodgement for the 2020 Sustainability Awards is in the form of digital files and uploads. Above all, lodgement requirements must deliver consistency across the entire entry or if you have more than one, all your entries, in order to allow a balanced and fair assessment by the jury.

7. Understand what is meant by the term ‘eligibility’ of the entry

Any restrictions on eligibility should be worked out early. For example, one condition of the 2020 Sustainability Awards requires all entrants who say they are architects, builders or building designers to be legally registered in their state of business. Team entries must list all the team member names, to avoid complex intellectual property claims.

For any more questions on entering the 2020 Sustainability Awards, go to https://www.sustainablebuildingawards.com.au/#s-awards or email [email protected]