Enter Your Construction Project
The Chicago Building Congress Merit Awards Committee invites CBC members and non-members to submit entries for the CBC’s 2020 Merit Awards competition. This program recognizes the most outstanding construction projects from the past three years in the Chicagoland area.
ENTRY DEADLINE: EXTENDED to Monday, January 20, 2020 at 11:45 PM
PROJECT DETAILS DEADLINE: Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020
(To qualify, projects must be completed by Dec., 31, 2019)
Judging Criteria
A panel of dedicated industry professionals volunteer their time in multiple judging sessions to select the top four entries in each category based on the following criteria:
- Distinctive, functional or innovative design
- Quality of construction
- Impact of the project on the community
- Safety record
FOR IN-DEPTH PROJECT ENTRY INSTRUCTIONS, PLEASE WATCH THE PROJECT SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO ABOVE.
Project Entry Instructions Recap
- Please refer to the Instruction Video prior to registration. It contains very detailed instructions and important information you will need.
- If you are a CBC member company, and not logged in, you can click the “Sign in” button to sign in and view member pricing.
- Register individual projects for judging – Entry deadline is January 20, 2020
- Pay for entry/entries through the registration page
- After registering, you receive an automated email with a link to the PROJECT DETAILS FORM
- The Project Details Form is used by judges to evaluate your project and CANNOT BE ALTERED AFTER SUBMISSION. Please prepare your answers prior to filling out the form. A preview of the questions asked in the form can be downloaded here
- PLEASE NOTE: Unless there is a restriction noted, your answers may be as long as you like. However, please keep your entry responses succinct as the volunteer judges will be reviewing dozens and dozens of entries.
- Project Details Deadline is February 4, 2020
- PLEASE NOTE: Unless there is a restriction noted, your answers may be as long as you like. However, please keep your entry responses succinct as the volunteer judges will be reviewing dozens and dozens of entries. Thank you!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are the Merit Award Categories for 2020?
A: The 2020 Merit Award Categories reflect Chicagoland’s ever-changing construction landscape. Here are the categories:
- Education
- Healthcare
- Residential/Hospitality
- Commercial Construction UNDER $50 Million
- Commercial Construction OVER $50 Million
- Renovation & Adaptive Reuse UNDER $15 Million
- Renovation & Adaptive Reuse OVER $15 Million
- Infrastructure or Industrial Construction
- Interior Build-Out
Q: What is the timeline to enter projects and support material?
A: Here is the timeline for each phase of the 2020 Merit Awards:
Merit Award ENTRY DEADLINE: Monday, January. 20, 2020
Merit Award PROJECT DETAILS DEADLINE: Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020
(Projects must be completed by Dec., 31, 2019.)
MERIT AWARDS GALA: Thursday, May 14, 2020 (Radisson BLU, Chicago)
Q: When must a project be completed to be eligible for the Merit Awards?
A: Projects completed within the last three years, and by Dec., 31, 2019 are eligible for the Merit Awards.
Q: If we have entered a project in a previous Merit Awards Program, can we enter it again for this year’s Merit Awards?
A: Previously entered Merit Award projects can be re-entered, as long as they have been completed within the last three years, and were not selected as Merit Award winners.
Q: How do I enter projects?
A: Entering your projects is easy! Simply go here, enter contact information, your project title, and select a category. You can pay for your entry (or more than one) right online. If you have more than one project you are entering, you can do them all in the same registration.
Q: How much is it to enter a project?
A: Each project registered is $275 for CBC Members, and $550 for non-members.
Q: What if I enter a project, and the budget increased placing me into a different category, what should I do?
A: If you are close to the original project budget, keep the project in the same category. If however, the budget/expenditures has vastly exceeded your original estimates, please contact ecaprel@coachmarketingltd.com
Q: How are the projects judged?
A: A panel of dedicated industry professionals volunteer their time in multiple judging sessions to select the top five entries in each category based on the following criteria:
- Distinctive, functional or innovative design
- Quality of construction
- Impact of the project on the community
- Safety record
Q: When are the winners announced?
A: Similar to the Oscars, winners are announced the night of the Merit Awards Gala.
Q: How can I get tickets, purchase a table, sponsor the event or buy an ad in the program book for the Merit Awards?
A: Registration for the Merit Awards Gala will open after the new year. Emails will be sent through the Chicago Building Congress database. If you’d like to receive notifications about the Merit Awards, please email mofitz@coachmarketingltd.com.
Interested in being a Merit Award judge?
Q: How can I get involved as a Merit Award judge? Are there certain criteria I need to meet?
A: Thanks for your interest in the Merit Award judging process. We have two criteria to be a Merit Award judge:
- Your company must be a CBC Member with dues paid up-to-date.
- Your expertise in the construction industry. As a CBC member serving the construction industry, your expertise is needed to help identify finalists and the winners of the Merit Awards.
Q: How are judges selected?
A: Those past judges, and others that have expressed interested in judging the Merit Award, will receive a Google form to complete which identifies dates and times of the judging. Once received
Q: What is the process for judging?
A: The first meeting is to determine finalists from the Merit Award entries. This usually happens in late February. The second and third judging sessions select the winners in each category. These take place in March. There is usually a back-up day scheduled in April. The Merit Awards are in May.
Q: How can I become a judge?
A: Send your email to ecaprel@coachmarketingltd.com of your interest in becoming a Merit Award judge.