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Eligibility & Rules of Entry

Eligibility & Rules of Entry

ELIGIBILITY

All craftsmen, whether employed on job sites, in plants, or in shops, performing work in either the architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical or other general trades, are eligible for nomination.  Shop drawing draftsmen and foremen are eligible as well, provided they work with tools.  Teams are limited to six (6) craftsmen. Nominations open to ALL project sizes.

RULES OF ENTRY

  1. All nominations must be received by the WBC office along with payment no later than November 13, 2024. Nominations will not be accepted after this date.
  2. A nomination fee of $325 per entry is required.  Multiple entries can be paid with a single check payable to the Washington Building Congress.  Payment by credit card is also accepted. If paying by credit card, please use this secure link to provide the card information or download the credit card authorization form.   There are no refunds after submission of nominations.
  3. Electronic submissions will be accepted via a secure WBC Dropbox link. Please contact WBC (reis@wbcnet.org or kidwell@wbcnet.org) to receive instructions on how to submit via Dropbox.
  4. There are no limitations to the number of entries in the 10 trade categories.  However, the craftsmen may not be entered into the same subcategory for the same project more than once.  It must be clearly specified on the nomination submittal form which category each project is being entered in.
  5. Either the craftsmen’s employer, architect, engineer, general contractor or nominator MUST be a current member of the Washington Building Congress.
  6. A completed nomination form must accompany each entry.  Please copy blank nomination form for multiple entries.
  7. All nominations shall be limited to trade work completed between January 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024.
  8. If your project requires clearance and you need additional information besides the judges names (such as SSN, date of birth, place of birth, etc.) please provide us with ALL the information needed.
  9. Jobs sites and fabrication shops must be located in the Washington Metropolitan Area (District of Columbia, Anne Arundel County, Howard County, Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, City of Alexandria, Arlington County, Fairfax County, Loudoun County, Prince William County).  If your job is outside these jurisdictions, please contact the WBC office before submission.
  10. Project photos are only necessary for judging concealed work (especially for underpinning, foundations & excavations.)
  11. Companies that have winners in any category and projects nominated for Star Awards will be asked to provide a maximum of four color photos of their project along with their company logo, to be used during the presentation at the Awards Banquet.  All photos provided to the Washington Building Congress may be used for publication or any other purposes.

PLEASE BE SURE THAT THE NOMINATION FORM IS COMPLETELY FILLED OUT AND IN COMPLIANCE WITH ALL RULES OF ENTRY.

Please note:  Evaluating teams must be permitted access to view the nominated work each nominated site will be evaluated on January 9, 2025, between the hours of 8:45 a.m. and 4:45 p.m.  Access to nominated jobs is the responsibility of the nominator.  

  • Concealed work, secure sites & entries outside eligible jurisdictions may be judged virtually and detailed materials (photos, video, etc) are recommended to show the work nominated.
  • A representative knowledgeable of the work performed is required to accompany the judges on January 9 to describe the work while the project is being evaluated.
  • The nominated projects must be accessible to the judging team and the work related to the trade being judged must be completed and must be exposed for review.
  • The nomination form must include a clear description of the work and why it is considered exceptional.

EVALUATING TEAMS AND JUDGING

Each nominated project will be evaluated on January 9 by a team made up of 3 to 5 individuals with background in particular categories. Team members represent a broad cross-section of the construction industry, including architects, interior designers, general contractors, subcontractors, construction consultants, and engineers. Each team member will evaluate the project independently. The evaluators also make recommendations for the Star Awards nominees to the Craftsmanship Awards Committee. The committee will select the winners of the 2025 WBC Craftsmanship Awards based on the judging team’s average score.

STAR AWARDS

Projects that deserve special recognition for excellence will receive Star Awards. These winners will be selected from the nominees recommended to the committee by the evaluation teams. Star Awards will be given in the following three special categories:

  • Excellence in the Face of Adversity
    For the highest quality job that was done under the most difficult conditions. Schedule, logistics, site constraints and working conditions all could be contributing factors. The job must have been demonstrably tough to execute.
  • Technical Excellence
    For the job that involved the highest degree of technical skill in its execution. This award is for the craftsmen who did an outstanding job that required the highest level of skill in their trade or craft. The required skills should be craft skills as opposed to design skills.
  • Visual Excellence
    For the job that was most visually appealing from a quality craftsmanship standpoint. The nominated jobs should generate a “wow” reaction from the judges.

The Star Award Judging team will be made up of three individuals whose work and service encompass a broad view of the regional building and construction industry and will be entirely independent of the WBC. The Star Awards winners are announced at the conclusion of the Craftsmanship Awards Banquet.

WBC will make every effort to seek publicity for the winners of the 2025 Craftsmanship Awards and the Star Awards Winners.