2023 Call for Entries

2023 Potomac Chapter Professional Awards

Each year, the Potomac Chapter ASLA honors the best in landscape architecture in the DC metropolitan area through a juried awards program.

As was the case last year, all members and applicants will be notified in advance of the names of the winning firms and projects (although not the level of the award).

All awards will be presented at our Awards Gala in May, 2023.

You’ll see the link to click to apply at the end of these details.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR ENTRY:

The Potomac Chapter awards program is open to ASLA member individuals, firms, agencies, and academic institutions. Entries should either be designed by offices located in the DC metropolitan area OR be projects that are located in the DC metropolitan area.

2023 AWARD WINNERS RECEIVE:
  • Recognition at the Annual Awards Gala and framed certificate
  • Award entry posted on potomacasla.org
  • Award entry featured in exhibition at the District Architectural Center, which will either be virtual again this year or in person over the summer

ENTRY CATEGORIES:

RESIDENTIAL DESIGN

Recognizes site-specific works of landscape architecture for single-family residential use. Professional entries in this category must be built.  Typical entries include: Individual single-family residential or individual townhome projects; activity areas for cooking, entertaining, recreation, or relaxation; sustainable landscape applications; new construction or renovation projects; affordable landscape concepts and innovations; and more.

DESIGN- BUILT

Recognizes site specific works of landscape architecture or urban design. Professional entries in this category must be completed and realized.

DESIGN- UNBUILT

Recognizes innovative vision within landscape architecture or urban design for projects that have not been constructed.

ANALYSIS, PLANNING, AND URBAN DESIGN

Recognizes the wide variety of professional activities that lead, guide, and evaluate landscape architecture design. Entries are not required to be built or implemented.

COMMUNICATIONS AND RESEARCH

Recognizes print, digital, video, and audio media that communicates landscape architecture principles, techniques, technologies, history, or theory.

SOCIAL IMPACT

Recognizes public interest projects designed to directly benefit social equality, humanitarian, community or environmental needs and causes; or processes that are community-centered and engage a broad and comprehensive group of stakeholders.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION

Recognizes projects focused on historic preservation, restoration, rehabilitation, and projects related to the inventory of historic resources.

PUBLIC and NON-PROFIT PROJECTS: New in 2023

Recognizes the wide variety of significant planning and landscape design work that is completed in the public and non-profit sectors that promotes the mission and goals of the profession of landscape architecture including policy and regulatory advances. Recognizes the achievements of governmental and quasi-public agencies, civic authorities, non-profit organizations, or individuals working in the public or non-profit sectors where they

  • Protect, conserve, or enhance environmental resources or ecosystems
  • Maintain and restore historic/cultural resources or systems
  • Prepare and implement landscape designs
  • Create policies and regulations that improve landscape performance, or
  • Advance policies and plans that address sustainability, resilience, performance criteria, equity, or human well-being.

To be eligible for this category, the submission must provide a strong and compelling narrative along with quality graphics outlining the goal of the project and how the implementation of the project or program has been met.  Provide information showing the data, such as infographics (e.g. baseline and performance data) as needed, and other supporting images to demonstrate the success of the project. Entries in this category must have a specific landscape design focus and must address the specific submission criteria noted below.

ENTRY FEE:

Potomac Chapter Member: $155 per entry

Non-Potomac Chapter ASLA Member: $275 per entry
(includes one membership to Potomac Chapter)

 

DEADLINE: Friday, March 17, 2023 by 11:59 PM ET

 

AWARD DESCRIPTIONS:

MERIT AWARD

Recognition for superior professional accomplishment.

HONOR AWARD

An esteemed award for excellence in landscape architecture.

PRESIDENT’S AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

Highest award of recognition for a distinguished landscape architecture project stands out above all the rest.

EVALUATION CRITERIA for all categories EXCEPT Public and Non-Profit Projects:

Quality of Work: 25 pts.

Originality of Thought/Approach/Methodology: 20 pts.

Clear Intent: 20 pts.

Relationship to Physical or Cultural Context: 10 pts.

Stewardship and Sustainability: 10 pts.

High Performance or Pioneering Use: 10 pts.

Overall Quality of Submission: 5 pts.

EVALUATION CRITERIA for Public and Non-Profit Projects:

Written Narrative: 20 pts

Clarity of Planning/Design Process: 10 pts

Graphic Representation: 20 pts

Value to Defined Ecosystem: 25 pts

Relative Success of Project: 20 pts

Overall Quality of Submission: 5 pts

 

JURY MEMBERS: Illinois Chapter ASLA

AWARD SELECTION AND ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Potomac Chapter members and applicants will be notified before the Gala of the winning firms and projects (although not the level of the awards). This year’s Awards Gala will be held in May.

SUBMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS:
  1. The project submission process (application, project uploads, & payment) can be completed securely online by going to:

https://potomacasla.slideroom.com/#/permalink/program/70976

  1. All submissions are limited to 15 pages and 10MB maximum. The 15-page limit INCLUDES the Title & Narrative.
  1. If a submission includes any reference to the design firm or team on any material submitted other than the Entry Form it will be excluded.
  1. All submissions are to include the following information in the following order.

Title: project name, location, awards category

Project Narrative: In 200 words address as much of the following as possible.

    • Purpose and Scope
    • Project Requirements,
    • Role of the Landscape Architect
    • Project Approach/Methodology
    • Design Intent
    • Physical or Cultural Context
    • Stewardship and Sustainability
    • Landscape Performance
    • Pioneering Use of Technology or Materials
    • Effect on Public Perception of the Profession
Illustrations:
    • Captions limited to 50 words.
    • Recommended: 3000 pixels x 2400 pixels, minimum 300 ppi. Unlike ASLA National awards, multiple images/page are allowed.
Optional Supplemental Materials ONLY APPLICABLE FOR COMMUNICATIONS/RESEARCH and PUBLIC AND NON-PROFIT PROJECTS CATEGORIES.
  • One-page Project Summary, in addition to the Project Narrative. Project Summary may include hyperlinks to original content.
  • Original media (print, video, audio, etc.) with cumulative limit of 10MB maximum.
  1. By submitting an application, the applicant assures that all copyright holders have consented to the submissions and use of images for any Potomac Chapter multimedia, print or digital publications, presentations and online archive.

You can download these instructions here: https://www.potomacasla.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2023-Potomac-Chapter-Call-for-Entries-Requirements.pdf

SLIDEROOM:

Entrants will need to create an account on SlideRoom prior to filling out the Awards Entry Form and Submittal Package. A different email address is required for each entry.

If you log in with your SlideRoom account from a previous year, be sure to select the current year’s program from the “Directory” to the left side of your Dashboard.

Click here to submit your project.

Questions? Email info@potomacasla.org.