Landscape Awards

PURPOSE The purpose of the New Jersey Nursery & Landscape Association (NJNLA) Landscape Awards Program is to recognize exemplary examples of design, high quality workmanship and excellent use of plant material.

ELIGIBILITY Any Active Member of the New Jersey Nursery & Landscape Association, Inc. in good standing is eligible to enter landscape projects in the NJNLA Landscape Awards Program. NJNLA members may enter only one (1) pronect in each tier category (maximum total of twelve (12) entries per firm).

CRITERIA The project must be installed by the member firm entering the project in the NJNLA Landscape Awards Program, and must meet all other criteria and conditions of the Program. The project must be completed when the entry is submitted. No partially completed projects will be considered by the judges. An installation of a section of a property, such as a front entrance, terrace, pool area, etc. can be entered provided that portion or area is fully completed. If a property receives an award under these circumstances, it will not be eligible for an award for any subsequent completed portions of the property.

Tier R-1: To $50,000
Tier R-2: $50,001 to $100,000
Tier R-3: $100,001 to $250,000
Tier R-4: $250,001 and over

COMMERCIAL: Includes multi-family residential developments, commercial office buildings, commercial and industrial sites.

Tier C-1: To $50,000
Tier C-2: $50, 001 to $100, 000
Tier C-3: $100, 001 to $250, 000
Tier C-4: $250,001 and over

PUBLICLY OWNED: Includes schools, government buildings, town squares, parks, public display gardens, churches and other publicly owned or developed facilities.

Tier P-1: To $50,000
Tier P-2 $50, 001 to $100, 000
Tier P-3: $100, 001 to $250, 000
Tier P-4: $250,001 and over

AWARDS A Landscape Award of Excellence will be given to each entry deemed by the judges to be of sufficient quality and workmanship to warrant such recognition.

A Certificate of Merit will be given to each entry deemed by the judges to be of good quality and workmanship, but lacks certain design or workmanship elements that renders it not qualified for a Landscape Award of Excellence.

One (1) Grand Award may be awarded for an entry in the Residential, Commercial, and Publicly Owned categories which has been judged to possess a superior overall quality from all other entries. If no entry/entries meet this criteria, it is not mandatory to present this award in any given category.

If, in the opinion of the judges, an entry does not merit an award or certificate of merit, no recognition will be given.

In addition to the NJNLA member landscape contractor, the project owner, and the landscape architect (if licensed1registered in the State of New Jersey and not an owner, partner, corporate officer, or employee of the member firm submitting the entry may receive a an Award of Excellence, Certificate of Merit, or Grand Award.

JUDGING Judging will be done by a qualified panel selected by the NJNLA Landscape Awards Committee.

Entries will be judged by reviewing the entry documentation and photographs submitted with entry (see Entry Requirements on reverse side.

JUDGING CRITERIA Judging of entries will be based on recognition standards of
- quality, functional design according to commonly accepted design principles.
- selection, use and quality of plant material
- overall workmanship (installation of plants, hardscapes, etc.)
-maintenance (Overall appearance, attention to details, degree of difficulty, turf or hardscaped surface condition and appearance, contrasting edges neat and trim, pruning and shaping of plant material (formal or natural appearance), mulch and surface treatment of planting beds.

The project shall be judged on the plant material and landscape planting and maintenance, and how effectively the plant material and landscape planting compliments any structural features such as decks, pools, terraces, fences, etc.;

Each entry will be judged on its own merit in each respective category and not in competition with each other. To assure each entry will be judged solely on the above criteria, NJNLA will code all entry documentation prior to submitting for the judging process.

The judges and/or NJNLA Landscape Awards Committee may choose not to give any awards if, in their opinion, there are no entries that meet the quality criteria of the Landscape Awards program.

FEES To assist in off-setting the direct costs of operating the NJNLA Landscape Awards Program, a fee of $125.00 will be charged for each entry submitted by each firm. Remember, only one entry per category per firm will be accepted.

1. Complete and return the Intent to Enter form along with $125.00 entry fee for each project.

2. Upon receipt of Intent to Enter form and entry fee(s), an entry kit will be mailed;

3. The entry kit must be completed and returned to the NJNLA office by October 16, 2006.

ENTRY KIT: The Entry Kit is a loose-leaf binder to contain all of your entry documentation and material.The Entry Kit will be mailed to you upon receipt of your Intent to Enter Form and fee(s). The Entry Kit will contain:

A form to describe, in one hundred words or less, important aspects of the project such as objectives, environmental or other unique problems or challenges, unique features, type of plant material and hardscaping used and why;

Each entry must include no less than eight (8) and no more than twelve (12) color photographs, not less than 5x7 or larger than 10x12. Forms to identify and describe each of the photographs you submit will be included in the entry kit. All photos shall be keyed and noted on the landscape drawing.

At least one (1) photo of the site prior the project initiation should be submitted. All photos shall be labeled and mounted on foam core or other similar materials (maximum size of 24 x 36) to facilitate their display at the NJNLA Annual Dinner.

Each entry must also include a print of the landscape drawing/plan of the project no larger than 36 x 42. The scale of the landscape plan shall be of sufficient size to allow for the review of the design elements, plant materials, and construction details. Plans must include scale, north arrow, & plant key. If appropriate, these plans may also be displayed at the Annual Dinner, along with the above noted photo panels.

REQUIRED: A plant list must be submitted either in conjunction with the landscape plan or on a separate sheet indicating common and latin names for all plant materials. The plant list must be keyed to the landscape drawing to indicate the placement of the specific plants on site. Plans lacking this plant list will not be judged and will be considered incomplete.

NOTE: All entry documentation and material become the property of NJNLA and may be used for educational purposes and NJNLA chapter and/or other NJNLA meetings and functions.

While the deadline for receipt of the entry kit is October 16, 2006, you must submit an Intent to Enter form and required fees far enough in advance of the October 16 deadline to take advantage and process the required photographs and to prepare the required documentation. You are strongly advised to complete and return the Intent to Enter form now, and begin taking the required photos. No entries will be accepted unless submitted using the above referenced entry kit.

All awards will be presented at special ceremonies to be held in conjunction with the 2006 NJNLA Annual Dinner which will be held in December, 2006.

Member firms who desire to have the project owner(s) present, who will also be receiving an award at the ceremonies, may do so, however, the costs associated with the event, such as meals, entertainment, etc. will be the responsibility of the member firm who submitted the entry.