The July 20th deadline is approaching rapidly for ENR Southwest’s Best Projects 2012 competition, so be sure to start your entry now to allow enough time to gather the info and complete the form.

There’s no fee to enter, and it definitely pays off to invest the time in submitting, especially in a year when there might be less competition due to the economy. Every winner gets profiled in the pages of ENR Southwest and on our website, as well as honored at our awards banquet in November.
  

There are 18 project-type categories, from civil/infrastructure and office buildings to landscape and sustainability. Judges determine the winners based on criteria that include teamwork, safety, workmanship, quality of design and positive impact to the community.

Winners of the regional competitions then will compete against one another in the national Best of the Best Projects 2012 competition. There’s no need to re-enter. The regional entry is automatically moved along to the national judges.

Projects of all scopes and sizes can win. There have been many winning projects with construction budgets under $10 million or even under $1 million. Two great examples from past years are the $477,000 Canyon Rim Trail Bridge in Los Alamos, N.M. and the $600,000 Maricopa County Security Building Re-Roof in Phoenix. 

Just be sure to address the criteria in the entry form in a compelling way so the judges can see why your project demonstrates excellence. We never know exactly what an individual judge is going to react to, but they typically admire innovation and project teams that overcome challenges while still meeting their owner's needs and expectations.

New this year, judges will be voting on the safest project award, so be sure to include information about your team’s safety performance on your job – and you may just walk away with two awards from one project! 

Good luck, and be sure to get your entries in before the July 20 deadline! Click here to get started.

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