ELIGIBILITY
All craftsmen, whether employed on job sites, in plants, or in shops, performing work in either the architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical or other general trades, are eligible for nomination. Shop drawing draftsmen and foremen are eligible as well, provided they work with tools. Teams are limited to six (6) craftsmen.
RULES OF ENTRY
- Nominations are due mid-November. All nominations must be received by the WBC along with payment at a date set by the Awards Committee. Nominations are not accepted after the deadline.
- There is a nomination fee for each entry (fee will be determined by the Committee). Multiple entries can be paid with a single check payable to the Washington Building Congress. Credit card payments are also accepted. There are no refunds after submission of nominations.
- Electronic submissions are accepted via a secure WBC Dropbox link.
- There is no limitation to the number of entries submitted in the 10 trade categories. However, the craftsmen may not be entered into the same subcategory for the same project more than once. The category must be clearly specified on the nomination form for each entry submitted.
- Either the craftsmen’s employer, architect, engineer, general contractor or nominator MUST be a current member of the Washington Building Congress.
- A separate nomination form must be submitted for each entry. Please copy blank nomination form for multiple entries.
- All nominations shall be limited to trade work completed between a date specified by the Committee.
- If the project requires clearance and additional information is needed besides judge’s names (such as SSN, date of birth, place of birth, etc.) you will be asked to provide WBC all the information needed before a specific date.
- Jobs sites and fabrication shops must be located in the Washington Metropolitan Area (District of Columbia, Anne Arundel County, Howard County, Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, City of Alexandria, Arlington County, Fairfax County, Loudoun County, Prince William County). If the work being nominated is outside these jurisdictions, please contact the WBC office before submission.
- Project photos are only necessary for judging concealed work (especially for underpinning, foundations & excavations.)
- Companies that have nominated winners in any category and projects nominated for Star Awards will be asked to provide a maximum of four color photos of their project along with their company logo, to be used during the presentation at the Awards Banquet. All photos provided to the Washington Building Congress may be used for publication or any other purposes.
Please note: Evaluating teams must be permitted access to view the nominated work in January between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Access to nominated jobs is the responsibility of the nominator.
- Concealed work, secure sites & entries outside eligible jurisdictions may be judged virtually and detailed materials (photos, video, etc) are recommended to show the work nominated.
- A representative knowledgeable of the work performed is required to accompany the judges on January 11 to describe the work while the project is being evaluated.
- The nominated projects must be accessible to the judging team and the work related to the trade being judged must be completed for evaluation.
- The nomination form must include a clear description of the work and why it is considered exceptional.
EVALUATING TEAMS AND JUDGING
Each nominated project will be evaluated in January by a team made up of 3 to 5 individuals with a background in particular categories. Team members represent a broad cross-section of the construction industry, including architects, interior designers, general contractors, subcontractors, construction consultants, and engineers. Each team member will evaluate the project independently. The evaluators also make recommendations for the Star Awards nominees to the Craftsmanship Awards Committee. The committee will select the winners of the WBC Craftsmanship Awards based on the judging team’s average score.
STAR AWARDS
Projects that deserve special recognition for excellence will receive Star Awards. These winners will be selected from the nominees recommended to the committee by the evaluation teams. Star Awards will be given in the following three special categories:
- Excellence in the Face of Adversity
For the highest quality job that was done under the most difficult conditions. Schedule, logistics, site constraints and working conditions all could be contributing factors. The job must have been demonstrably tough to execute. - Technical Excellence
For the job that involved the highest degree of technical skill in its execution. This award is for the craftsmen who did an outstanding job that required the highest level of skill in their trade or craft. The required skills should be craft skills as opposed to design skills. - Visual Excellence
For the job that was most visually appealing from a quality craftsmanship standpoint. The nominated jobs should generate a “wow” reaction from the judges.
The Star Award Judging team will be made up of three individuals whose work and service encompass a broad view of the regional building and construction industry and will be entirely independent of the WBC. The Star Awards winners are announced at the conclusion of the Craftsmanship Awards Banquet.
WBC will make every effort to seek publicity for the winners of the Craftsmanship Awards and the Star Awards Winners.