The project facts checklist: what to gather before you write an award entry

By AEC Awards Desk · Last checked 2026-10-02

Most late entries are late because the facts were scattered. Collect these first, and the writing goes quickly.

People

• Engineer or project manager of record
• Owner contact who can approve the entry and a client quote
• Who at your firm gives final approval before submission

Project basics

• Project name and location (city, county)
• Date of substantial completion or ready for use. This often decides eligibility, so be exact.
• Delivery method and your role
• Size and scope in one line
• Construction cost, and whether it may be published or shown to judges only

The story

• Who benefits, and how many
• What the problem was before, with hard facts
• What the owner asked for
• The hardest site condition and the biggest outside constraint

What made it excellent

• Analysis or design tools that mattered
• Design standards or future conditions you designed for
• Your number one innovation and what it saved, with the source
• Environmental benefits, with numbers
• Schedule and budget result against the original plan
• Proof it works since completion, with dates

Files and permissions

• At least three construction photos and three of the finished project, original files at the largest size
• Who took each photo, and written permission to use it for awards and press
• The owner's approval to be named and to publish project figures
• Who at your firm may pay the program's entry fee. Entry fees are paid by your firm directly.

AEC Awards Desk clients get this as a 20-minute intake form after purchase.

Dates checked on each organization's own page on the date above. Programs change dates, so confirm with the program before you plan around one.