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General Design
Recognizes: Site-specific works of landscape architecture. Entries in this category must have been built.
Typical entries include: Single-site pub- lic, institutional, or private landscapes of all kinds (except entries qualifying for urban design or residential design categories); projects that include historic preservation, reclamation, or conservation; green roofs, stormwater management, sustainable design; design for transportation or infra- structure; landscape art or installation; interior landscape design; and more.
Criteria: The jury will consider the quality of design and execution; design context; environmental sensitivity and sustainability; hazard mitigation, climate adaptation, and resilience strategies; and design value to the client, community, and to other designers.
Residential Design
Recognizes: Residential single and multifamily site-specific works of landscape architecture that elevate the design principles of quality, context/ place, environmental responsibility, maintenance requirements and durability. Innovative design and con- struction techniques that help to reduce overall construction and maintenance costs will also be recognized. Entries in this category must have been built.
Typical entries include: Single family homes; high rise, multi-family produc- tion and custom home developments (market rate and non-market rate will be considered); transit oriented devel- opment (TOD); historic preservation, renovation or conservation projects; senior or assisted living developments; private or small gardens; new urbanism projects with multifamily development; projects located in Opportunity Zones; and more.
Criteria: The jury will consider the quality of design context and execution, materiality, environmental sensitivity, community benefit, sustainability through Low Impact Development (lid) incorporation, green infrastructure
or additional site specific techniques that are innovative, site specific and maintainable. Emphasis will be given
to projects that have attained or are registered for SITES certification.
Analysis & Planning
Recognizes: The wide variety of pro- fessional activities that lead to, guide, and evaluate landscape architecture design. Entries in this category are not required to be built or implemented.
Typical entries include: Urban, suburban, rural, or regional planning efforts; development guidelines; transportation, town, or campus planning; plans for reclamation of brownfield sites; environmental planning in relation to legislative
or policy initiatives or regulatory controls; cultural resource reports; natural resources protection; historic preservation planning; and more.
Criteria: The jury will consider the qual- ity of the analysis and planning effort; context; environmental sensitivity and sustainability; likelihood of successful implementation; and value to the client, the public, and other designers.
Research
Recognizes: Research that identifies and investigates challenges posed in landscape architecture, providing results that advance the body of knowledge for the profession.
Typical entries include: Investigations into methods, techniques, or materials related to the practice of landscape architecture; studies of relationships of landscape architecture to law, education, public health and safety, or public policy; investigations into historic practices; individual designers; design heritage; and more.
Criteria: The jury will consider how the research is framed; the context and resources of the study; the methods of inquiry; the results of investigation; and the value to the field at large.
Note: An official entrant in the Professional Awards Research category is not required to be a landscape architecture professional.
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Urban Design
Recognizes: The Urban Design Category recognizes projects built or currently under construction that activate networks of spaces that mediate between social equity, economic viability, infrastructure, environmental stewardship, and beautiful place- making in the public and private realm.
Typical entries include: Constructed or partially constructed urban projects spatially greater than one block in the realm of public, institutional, or private landscapes; streetscapes, waterfronts, mixed-use developments, neighbor- hoods, districts, cities, placemaking interventions and civic improvements that may include elements of reclamation, stormwater management, transportation or infrastructure studies, art, etc.
Criteria: The jury will consider the quality of design and execution; urban design context; planning context; contribution of project to a broader urban landscape; environmental sensitivity and sustainability; and attention to social justice, equity, and inclusion.
Note: This category does not recognize unbuilt planning efforts or single-site projects in the urban realm, unless the project is shown to have a significant role in contributing form, shape and character to a larger urban system.
Communications
Recognizes: Achievements in communicating landscape architecture works, techniques, technologies, history, or theory, and the lesson value to an intended audience.
Typical entries include: Print media, film, video, audio, CD, or DVD formats; online communications; interpretive design; exhibition design; and more. Supplemental materials are required and should be sent directly to the ASLA awards program prior to the submission deadline.
Criteria: The jury will consider the effectiveness of the message presen- tation, the innovation in approach or delivery, and the value to the intended audience.
Note: An official entrant in the Professional Awards Communications category is not required to be a landscape architecture professional.
Submissions in this category are not blind.
The Landmark Award
Recognizes: A distinguished landscape architecture project completed between 15 and 50 years ago that retains its original design integrity and contrib- utes significantly to the public realm of the community in which it is located.
Typical entries include: Parks, plazas, sculpture gardens, botanical gardens, river walks, and more. Public officials and agencies, civic and historic preservation organizations, and interested individuals and entities are encouraged to submit projects in this category.
Criteria: The jury will consider the proj- ect’s sustained value to the community it serves and the continued relevance of the project’s design expression.
Note: Local organizations, public officials, and other interested individuals are welcome to enter a qualified project in this category.