GALA: Group 3

Categories

• Residential
• Commercial

Awards

Entry submission does not guarantee an award.

• Gold: For projects judged as greatly exceeding all criteria for the category
• Silver: For projects judged as superior in their overall evaluation
• Bronze: For projects that meet the standard in the category
• Judges’ Choice: For projects that "WOW" the judges, a special designation that may be given, at the sole discretion of the judges
• Newcomer of the Year: For a member who joined UAC in 2020 or later, a special designation that may be given, at the sole discretion of the judges

Rules of entry

• Only UAC members in good standing may submit entries (dues must be current).
• There is no limit to the number of entries per company, but:
  • each project can be entered in one category only; and
  • multiple entries for one property address will not be accepted.
• Previous UAC award entries can be resubmitted if new photos are provided, except:
  • Projects that previously received a Grand Award cannot be re-entered in the same category.
• The project cannot be owned by the entering company.
• There are no time constraints on landscape lighting entries; projects may have been completed at any time.
• Entries must include:
  • Copy of invoice billed to customer;
  • Copy of low-voltage license and electrical contractor license;
  • Design plan with legend showing materials, fixtures, transformer locations; and
  • Both day and night images taken from the same vantage point.

Judging criteria

Projects are not judged against other entries; they are judged on how well they meet the following judging criteria. Awards are determined based on a 100-point scoring system, using the following metric:

1. Overall appearance (unity/scale/functionality/quality of materials)
2. Degree of difficulty (challenges and how they were overcome)
3. Impact (increases safety and security)
4. Enhancements (complements plants and architecture)
5. Goals/objectives clearly defined and successfully achieved

Judging procedures

1. Entries do not compete against each other; they are evaluated using the judging criteria.
2. Judges may designate multiple entries to receive awards within any category.
3. All entries are judged without knowledge of who entered the project.
4. A panel of professionals representing various aspects of the industry evaluate the entries.
5. All judges’ decisions are final.

Photography criteria

• Select a minimum of six and a maximum of 12 photos. Both day and night images taken from the same vantage point must be included.
• Photos may be horizontal or vertical.
• All photos must be digital, in .jpg or .png file format.
• Image size for each photo must be at least 1920 pixels x 1080 pixels.
• The company name must not be visible in any of the photos.
• All photos submitted must be cleared for release upon submission. UAC accepts no responsibility for copyrights or photographic fees. All images become the property of Georgia UAC and may be used in news releases, on the association website, and for other promotional purposes.
• Photos may be digitally corrected with editing software but the original photograph (before edits) must be provided.
• Rename each photo with the project name and then numbered from 01 to 12.
  • Example: jonesresidence01, jonesresidence02, etc.

Success tips

Choosing a project to enter

• Entries are not judged against each other. Review the judging criteria for Group 3 and make sure you can “sell” the project in each area that will be judged.

Make your case

• Pay close attention to the judging criteria. Use photos and their captions along with the project’s goals and challenges to tell a story and explain why the project deserves an award.

Photography

• Photography is the most important part of your entry. You have a maximum of 12 opportunities to convince the judges that your entry deserves an award.
• Think about including a drone photo to show the entire project in one aerial shot.
• Consider the view from multiple angles to best capture the project in its entirety.
• Tell the story with your photos. Take a variety of shots, some from a distance, some medium and some close-ups for detail.
• Illustrate your main points. What are the judging criteria for the category? Make sure your photos give visual evidence of how you excelled in each area.
• Clean with a fine-tooth comb. That one stray leaf or scrap of paper jumps off the screen when the image is enlarged and viewed by the judges.
• Use a tripod. Most landscapes should be shot with a large depth of field which could mean a slow shutter speed, requiring the stability of a tripod.
• Keep it simple. A few strong elements are more interesting than a lot of small facets. If there is too much going on, the eye doesn’t know where to focus and the impact is lost.
• Consider hiring a photographer. It would be a shame to misrepresent your project with photos that don’t do it justice. Make sure the photographer understands the story you want to tell – share the judging criteria with the photographer so they can capture the right shots. Contact us for a list of photographers with experience shooting landscapes.