Industry-Wide "Project of the Year" Competition Will be Best Yet
The ICF Builder Awards are back again. The ICF Builder Awards are open to anyone involved with ICFs, without restriction on form type, brand, or number of entries, and is the largest, oldest, and most prestigious ICF competition in existence.
The 2007 contest broke all previous records, with dozens of top projects submitted and nearly 300 people witnessing the award presentation at an evening reception. This year's contest promises to be even better than last year’s highly successful event, with revised categories and improved judging criteria.
Contractors, distributors, and ICF manufacturers are encouraged to submit projects for consideration. Simply download the Entry Form or call the magazine at 877-229-9174 to request a notebook.
A short video explains the entry process. « Click Here to Watch » (7.2MB)
2008 Rules
Several changes to this year’s contest will help open the competition to even more ICF builders. First, the “Multi-Family” category is being retired, and all projects of this type will now compete in either the light or heavy commercial categories.
Second, based on feedback we received from last year's event, residential entries will now compete in three categories:
- Small Residential is for homes under 3,000 sq. ft.
- Large Residential will cover homes between 3,000 and 6,000 sq. ft, and
- Unlimited Residential covers projects larger than that size.
“We recognize that as ICFs become more popular, many outstanding custom homes are closer to average size. We want to give these entries a chance to compete against similarly sized projects,” says Craig Shorts, one of the contest organizers.
Judging will be based on a project’s difficulty, architecture, and how well it serves to advance the industry and draw positive attention to ICFs. The judging criteria has been modified to favor project creativity and significance more heavily than in years past.
Competition rules remain unchanged, although judges now require at least 4 construction and 3 finished photos. The complete rules and judging criteria are printed below
There is no prohibition against re-submitting a project from past years that did not receive an award. With the revised categories and improved judging criteria
All entries must be received no later than Friday, Oct. 24, 2008. Winners will be announced at an evening event at World of Concrete 2009, held in Las Vegas the first week of February. We look forward to seeing you there!
Complete Rules
2008 Competition
Entry Notebooks: Notebooks can downloaded from the World Wide Web here. They can also be ordered by phoning, mailing or faxing a request to ICF Builder magazine.
Entry Fees: Cost is $90 (U.S.) for the first Entry Notebook submitted. The entry fee for additional Notebooks is $50 (U.S.) each)
Deadline - Entry Notebooks must be postmarked no later than Friday, October 24, 2008. No notebooks will be accepted after this date. Entry Notebooks without payment will not be considered.
Competition Categories – Projects must use Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs) as the primary construction method. Awards will be given in the following categories.
Light Commercial: This category encompasses all commercial construction projects with a total cost of less than $5 million (USD). Typical projects in this category would include car washes, warehouse space, restaurants, gas stations, churches, and small retail and office, and complexes.
Heavy Commercial: This category is for commercial construction costing more than $5 million (USD) to construct. This would include most cinema multiplexes, and large office and retail buildings, Most apartment complexes and condominiums would also fall into this category.
REVISED! Small Residential: Single-family residential buildings totaling 3,000 sq. ft. or less
REVISED! Large Residential: Single-family residential buildings between 3,001 and 6,000 sq. ft.
NEW! Unlimited Residential: Single-family residences larger than 6,000 sq. ft.
We retain the right to re-assign a project’s category if specifications show the project is inappropriate for the category in which it is competing.
Restrictions – Projects must be completed by the entry deadline. There is no restriction on project start date.
Additionally, the competition is open to any type or brand of ICF, and projects may be submitted by anyone associated with the project in any way,
Photography Requirements - A minimum of 7 and a maximum of 20 photographs shall be submitted with each entry. At least 4 photos must be of the project under construction, and 3 must be of the finished project. Both interior and exterior photos are encouraged. Photos should be 300 dpi or better if digital.
Additional Information: If you have questions or need additional information, email Clark Ricks at editor@icfmag.com.
A Note on Photography: Photos should illustrate the project’s ability to address each of the judging criteria mentioned above. Photos can be print, slide, or digital; if digital images must be at least 5 x 7 in size at 300 dpi or be (digital is encouraged; see below). Larger images are accepted.
Digital photographs are convenient, easy to duplicate, and can be distributed to the judging committee with very little hassle. However, it is only acceptable when the size and resolution of the image is sufficient.
It is essential that images are provided in high resolution format: 300 dpi (dots per inch) at 5 x 7 inch size. Use a high quality (low compression) mode if stored as a jpeg file (minimum quality 8). Unless you are confident that your digital camera is adequate, stick with a traditional film camera for your submission. Prints and slides from film can always be scanned and modified to meet the needed resolution.
All digital photography should be sent on CD or DVD to the attention of Clark Ricks, Editorial Director of ICF Builder magazine at the address below. Prints and slides will be returned only if accompanied with a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
Judging
Judging Criteria
A panel of judges ranks each entry on a scale of 1-10 on each of the following criteria, which are weighted to reflect their importance. This criteria has been revised from last year, so previous finalists that did not place may wish to consider resubmitting their projects.
Be sure that the entry notebook and photographs illustrate why the project should score highly on the criteria below.
Complexity and Creativity: 20% Complexity relates to difficulty of construction. A project with many angles, wall thicknesses, or other construction considerations scores higher than a simple rectangular footprint. Creativity refers to how the designer and contractor used ICFs to find innovative solutions to construction challenges and advance the industry.
Percentage ICFs: 15% Exterior ICF walls will get some points, but projects that used ICFs for interior walls, or for EPS floors and/or roof will score even higher.
Architecture: 15% Winning project illustrate that ICF projects are more than bunkers or simple boxes. Aesthetics and architecture are important factors in advancing the industry.
Construction and Site Considerations: 15% Overcoming construction challenges, like tight schedules, difficult lots, wet springs, cold winters, new crews, costs less than frame construction, hit by a hurricane with minimal damage, etc. show the advantages ICFs can bring to the table.
Significance/Visibility/Advances the Industry: 15% So-called "milestone projects" that advance the industry by setting new standards, opening new construction segments or markets, attracting attention from major homebuilding firms, and so forth are significant for the entire industry, and should be considered by the judges.
Size: 10% Bigger projects are usually more visible, and more difficult. Note that all ICF aspects of the project, such as a detached garage or shop, retaining walls, swimming pool, etc. made from ICFs should be included in the total sq. footage of ICFs used.
Sustainability: 10% Daylighting, site use, insulation, heating systems, recycled content, water use and other factors are considered.
Complete project profiles of the 2007 previous award winners (2006, 2005) are available for review as well.
Award Ceremony and Deadlines
All entries must be received no later than Friday, Oct. 26, 2008. Winners will be announced at an evening event at World of Concrete 2009. We look forward to seeing you there!
Limited Sponsorship Opportunities Available
The ICF Builder Awards are supported, in part, through generous sponsors. As in years past, limited sponsorship opportunities are available.
Sponsors' logos are featured prominently on all award signage and literature, and are featured prominently at the evening awards presentation.
If your company or organization wants to be a sponsor of the premier ICF award competition, contact Craig Shorts at 877-229-9174 ext. 1.
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