Feature...
CNU 17Get a Head Start—Begin the Urban Recovery»»»
Charter Awards 2009 Entry Forms and Procedures
How To Enter
Download the entry materials in PDF or Word format below. The file will contain further instructions, submission requirements and all forms necessary to enter the Charter Awards. Please note that entries must be postmarked by January 20, 2009.
Charter Awards 2009 Submission Forms and Instructions PDF file
Charter Awards 2009 Submission Forms and Instructions Microsoft Word
The academic Charter awards have unique entry forms and a different submission fee. Visit the academic awards page for more information.
2 Complete an Entry Form and assemble an entry binder as directed for each project you are submitting. List all entities that participated in the project team on the second page of the Entry Form.
3 Attach the Entry Form and entry fee to your completed submission binder and postmark by January 20, 2009 to:
CNU
The Marquette Building
140 S. Dearborn, Suite 310
Chicago, IL 60603
We ask that all overseas entrants use Air Mail or an express courier service (with delivery confirmation) to ensure delivery within one week of the submission deadline. CNU will send a confirmation e-mail after your submission materials have been received; we will not respond to inquiries about receipt of materials.
Deadline and Fees
The entry fee is $200 per project for CNU members and $300 per project for non-members. Academic submissions are $50 per project, which includes a one-year CNU student membership.
Sample Submissions
Below are some sample submissions that have won Charter Awards in past years.
Campus Plan - Santa Barbara, California PDF (1.4 MB)
Downtown Memphis, Tennessee PDF (900 KB)
Urban infill in Castellamare di Stabia, Italy PDF (1.6 MB) [student submission]
Read more about past winners of the Charter Awards on the Awards Page or in the annual publication profiling winners.
Eligibility
Anyone involved in the execution of a project, from design professionals and developers and government officials and representatives of civic institutions, are eligible to enter the awards program. If any member of the 2009 jury, or members of their firm or organization, are or were part of a project's professional team or a participant in its implementation process, that project is ineligible for submission this year. Both the project's principal designer and its owner must approve of its submission to the awards program. Please see the FAQ below for more information about project eligibility.
Read more about past winners of the Charter Awards in the annual publication profiling winners.
If you have questions about the submission process or problems downloading, viewing, or printing these materials, please contact CNU via email at cnuinfo@cnu.org. Please mention "Charter Awards" in the subject line.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
We strongly recommend that you carefully read the instructions and forms twice, as many questions are answered therein.
Q. When is the deadline again?
A. Entries should be postmarked on January 21, 2009 in your local time, and must arrive at our offices by January 27, 2009 (by 5PM Central Standard Time). We highly recommend sending your entry via a courier service that offers delivery confirmation, as we cannot be held responsible for delivery problems and are not obliged to accept late entries.
Q. What are some key dates to remember?
A. We will receive entries in January 2009. By 31 January, CNU will acknowledge receipt of your entry by email, and let you know if there has been a problem processing your entry binder -- for instance, if something is missing. Judging will take place in February. CNU will announce the winning entries to entrants and the public in March. Winners will receive their awards at a celebration at CNU17 in Denver in June.
Q. How firm are the page requirements? What size of paper should I use? I see that the sample entries have used more space than the guidelines permit.
A. We reserve the right to disqualify or modify entries that exceed the page limits. Keep in mind that the jury is pressed for time and strongly prefers succinct, concise, and well-written responses to the requirements. Also keep in mind that the jury will view the images first, and then refer to the text, so focus first on making a good impression with your images. Any supplemental materials (like manuals) exceeding the page requirements will be discarded. We accept entries on letter and A4 size paper. Also, one "page" refers to one side of a "sheet" of paper.
Q. What size or format should the digital images be in?
A. As we use the digital images on screen (not print), we strongly prefer that each image be a separate JPEG or PNG format file, no larger than 1600 x 1200 pixels in size. We will contact you later if we require higher resolution files. We discourage TIFF and PPT files.
Q. How many images should be on each page?
A. It's up to you, but larger and more legible images are more likely to be remembered by jurors. Please refer to the sample entries for examples.
Q. How many copies of the binder should I send in?
A. Just one, please.
Q. Are built projects eligible? Are unbuilt projects eligible?
A. Yes and Yes. Prior Charter Awards have gone to a development completed four years prior to receiving the award, and to several projects which were speculative vision plans done by volunteers. Please see the Awardees Gallery for examples.
Q. Are projects which are codes, manuals, plans, studies, or other documents, not involving any buildings, eligible?
A. Yes. Prior awards have gone to all of these categories, including several pattern books, plans, and books. Please do your best to answer the questions using the format provided, telling us about your project's process and findings, and feel free to use excerpts from the document as your illustrations -- but do not include the actual document; it will be discarded as supplemental material. Please see the Awardees Gallery for examples.
Q. Are projects outside the US, by firms based outside the US, eligible?
A. Yes. Prior awards have gone to projects and awardees on six continents (nothing from Antarctica yet). Please see the Awardees Gallery for examples. We do require payment in US dollars, preferably using a credit card.
If you have further questions about the submissions process or problems downloading, viewing, or printing these materials, please contact CNU via email at cnuinfo@cnu.org. Please mention "Charter Awards" in the subject line.