You do not need to be a member of DBIA to enter the competition. Many non-members have won awards in years past.

We’re glad you asked! Our suggestions are:

1. Read the criteria carefully, and make sure you understand what is being asked. If you don’t understand something, contact awards@dbia.org with your question.
2. Be specific and answer the questions that are asked.
3. Show off how design-build facilitated innovation and creative problem-solving.
4. Start EARLY. The competition asks for a great deal of information. You’ll want to have all of that information compiled, reviewed and ready for online entry before you begin. A number of questions will require responses that, because they have a restriction on the amount of text, should be well thought out in advance. Also, review for spelling and grammar to help assure that the summaries DBIA pulls from your entry will be coherent.
5. Assemble a team — oftentimes, different people will be knowledgeable about different aspects of a project or have access to different materials.
6. Have someone not on the team review the information once the entry is complete.

Involve your marketing professionals — they may have valuable input. Plus, if you win, they can use that award in their materials to help your company get additional projects!

We ask that only one entry for a project be submitted. Typically, the project is submitted by the lead design-builder, although others (including the project owner) can submit instead.

The application must be submitted online through the online submission system by the deadline (traditionally the end of May) each year. For 2023, the deadline is May 24, 2023, at 6:00pm ET.

The application fee is based on the membership status of the submitting company. The entry fee for DBIA Industry Partner (organizational) members is $475; for all others it is $775 to enter. We also offer an extended deadline for an additional $100 per project. Please refer to our list of IP members to see if your organization is a member of DBIA.

No, the entry process is entirely online and thus, no mailed entries will be accepted. The online process ensures that all entries are judged from the same set of criteria and gives the jury a chance to review projects via the online system.

DBIA’s National Awards of Merit are the top projects — typically up to three — in each category. From the Awards of Merit, judges then choose the National Awards of Excellence (if one is worthy) which are the single best projects in each category.

SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS

All winning projects will also be considered for the following special recognitions:

1. Best in Engineering Design
2. Best in Architectural Design
3. Best in (Design-Build) Process
4. Best in Teaming
5. Best in VDC
6. Best in Small Projects: Because the size of the project doesn’t dictate the impact of the project, DBIA will also recognize “small” design-build projects that achieve exceptional outcomes. As a general guideline “small” is defined as $10 million or less for buildings/vertical projects and $30 million or less for infrastructure. DBIA, at its sole discretion, may modify these thresholds based on the number, size and type of projects submitted.
7. Projects Exemplifying Meaningful DEI Practices: Spreading the economic benefits that construction projects bring to communities is important. As such, government agencies – and oftentimes private Owners – reserve some work for contractors owned and operated by traditionally disadvantaged groups (MWDBE). These firms provide tremendous value, particularly when engaged as a meaningful part of the designbuild team. The Teaming Section includes questions specific to DEI and MWDBE engagement. The answer to these questions, as well as inclusion of an optional letter from an MWDBE, will be used to determine the winner for this special recognition.
8. Enlightened Owner: Enlightened Owners are critical to optimal design-build outcomes. They are key to setting the stage for success, starting with how they procure design-build services, and how they contribute to creating and maintaining a positive, collaborative environment. They understand that innovation is a hallmark of design-build and are open-minded in embarking on creative solutions to challenges. The winner of DBIA’s “Enlightened Owner” has demonstrated a keen understanding of what it takes to maximize design-build project delivery.
9. Best Overall (Project of the Year)

No, each project can only be entered in one category. However, if the jury believes that a project belongs in a different category, they have the option of judging in that category instead. The jury also reserves the right to combine categories as necessary.

In short, yes. While you can only enter a project once in any given year, you can enter that same project in more than one year, if its completion date is within the given time. Numerous projects have won in the second year of their entry, usually because the submitter was able to create a more detailed entry the second time around.

The project must be completed and owner-occupied or utilized after March 31, and no more than three years prior to the entry year (e.g. 2020 for 2023).

You can enter as many projects as you’d like in any given year. However, each project will have to be entered separately, including separate entry fees.

We would like to be able to list all of the organizations that played a significant part in the project’s success. We list the team members on our website and publicize them on our Design-Build Delivers Blog and in press releases. We ask that you please use the full, formal name of these organizations so that we can list them correctly and avoid having team members have their company names be incomplete or completely left off the list. Only the team members listed in your submission will be included in DBIA’s marketing of award winners. Please be sure anyone you want to be listed as a team member is included in your submission. They won’t be added later.

The list of Designated Design-Build Professionals — in alphabetical order — can be found here. It is updated as new people achieve their credentials.

DBIA National’s deadline for award submissions may be different because you could be confusing it with a DBIA Regional Awards competition. Several of our regions have their own competitions for projects in their own geographic area. Please view our Regions page for more information.