Although the Best in American Living™ Awards (BALA Awards) application process is easy, it requires gathering some documents and information before starting. In addition to submitter and design team information, applicants are required to craft a design statement, and upload representative site and floor plans and photographs.
When crafting the design statement, be sure to include the inspirations and/or challenges faced when putting pen to paper. What special features were preserved or highlighted? How is the design different from all others? Tell the story that created your unique design.
Including furnished, marketing-style floor plans and elevations is strongly encouraged. Floor plans should be clear and free of excess notations (for example, lighting plans, construction notations, etc.), and floor plan and site plan uploads should not be longer than six pages if submitting a pdf.
If entering a remodeling category, “before” plan(s) and photo(s) should also be included, if possible.
On-the-board applicants must also submit site and floor plans, along with sufficient renderings and other architectural drawings in lieu of photographs.
For all categories that are not strictly interior architecture or design, sufficient exterior photography should be submitted to demonstrate the design characteristics of the home, residential building or community. Entries without sufficient exterior photography, if applicable, may be removed from consideration.
For interior design categories, makes sure there are sufficient photos to capture the essence and special design characteristics of the space.
Importantly, all attachments must be anonymous – meaning that all identifying information must be removed prior to submission. Start gathering the documents and put them in a folder where you can easily find them – July 10 will be here before you know it!
