The Great American Living Awards are now accepting entries. This is your chance to be recognized among the Washington market’s best in new home construction design, sales, and marketing. The early bird deadline is tomorrow, May 6 at 5pm.
Here are some tips to consider that will help you prepare a winning entry for the 2016 Great American Living Awards:
Choose Your Category Wisely: Research and review all of the potential categories, eligibility criteria and entry requirements. Start planning early and ensure that what you want to enter meets all the criteria and requirements for your selected category and subcategory.
Know Your Audience: The judges who evaluate all entries are professionals who work in various parts of the new home construction industry–such as, sales leaders, architects, land planners, interior designers and marketing/advertising professionals. While everyone works in the same industry, not everyone has the same knowledge base. Keep your content professional and concise to ensure a clear understanding from everyone on the judging committee.
Write Clear & Compelling Project Statements: Articulate the story about your entry through concise sentence structure and descriptive details. Convey your challenges and strategies in a way that is relatable for others in the industry who may not be familiar with your line of work. Show your entry to a colleague or two from another department to see what they think. If their interest is peaked, you are more likely to spark interest from the judges. Also, always avoid using consumer-facing language. Remember your judging audience!
Ensure You Have Top Notch Photography: Every category requires photography to be submitted, and these images impact how your entry is received by the judges. When evaluating your photography, consider these things:
- Lighting: Can you clearly see how fabulous the kitchen finishes are or is the sun so bright in the windows that it distracts from the beauty of the space?
- Extraneous Objects in the Image: Is the landscaping lush or are there dead trees and construction vehicles in the background of the home exterior image?
- Resolution: Is everything visible in the image, or is the image blurry or small?
If you don’t have photography or are looking to upgrade your photography, there are many talented photographers in the new home construction industry. You can get great photography without breaking your budget.
When preparing your images, follow the photo requirements. Files should be 7″ wide by 5.25″ tall at a resolution of 72 or 96 DPI, no larger than 10MB. The file formats that are accepted are JPG, GIF and PNG. Please avoid using special characters in your file names, and the “dot” or “period” should only be used preceding the three digit file extension (for example: ImageName.JPG). Also, don’t forget to submit your photo release forms!
Don’t Rush or Procrastinate: Waiting until the final entry deadline on May 27 will create stress and pressure. Plan ahead and get started early. Use your resources and get help from your team members who can collaborate on your entries. If you have questions, Dora and Laurie are happy to help in any way.
2015 Winner Spotlight: One Loudoun, Community of the Year
It is an extraordinary mixed-use community with endless entertainment options. One Loudoun boasts a wide variety of shops including a Fresh Market, and Barnes & Noble and Northern Outfitters are coming soon. Plenty of trendy restaurants to choose from such as, Matchbox, Uncle Julio’s Rio Grande, Bar Louie and many more. Catch a movie at the one of a kind Alamo Drafthouse Cinema or catch one of the many community events on the Downtown Plaza. One Loudoun features nearly three million square feet of office space, a clubhouse with pool and an amphitheater. Beautifully designed streetscapes and walking trails can be found throughout, providing residents easy access to everything the community has to offer. From the Summer Concert Series to the Tree Lighting during the holiday season, One Loudoun has something for everyone. With a packed calendar and an ever-growing list of merchants, One Loudoun has quickly become one of the hottest destinations in Loudoun County and the new downtown.
See more at: http://www.oneloudoun.com/