Planning Awards Criteria

APA-Louisiana Planning Excellence Awards

The Louisiana Planning Excellence Awards include these four awards: Plan; Plan Implementation; Planning Process; and Planning Education or Advocacy.

Excellence Awards for a Plan, Plan Implementation, or Planning Process

Excellence Awards for a Plan, Plan Implementation, and Planning Process recognize group achievement by a planning agency, planning team or firm, community group, or local authority, regardless of the size of the jurisdiction. Each of these awards is subject to the following eligibility and criteria: Eligibility: Open to APA members and non-APA members. There are no limits on the size of jurisdiction. Criteria: Each nomination must address all of the following criteria:

Eligibility: Open to APA members and non-APA members. There are no limits on the size of jurisdiction. Criteria: Each nomination must address all of the following criteria:

Originality and innovation. Document how your entry presents a visionary approach or innovative concept to address needs. Explain how it broadens accepted planning principles within the context of the situation.

Transferability. Illustrate how the nominated plan, implementation strategy, or planning process has potential application for others and how wider use of the entry’s components and methodology would further the cause of good planning.

Quality. Indicate how your entry represents excellence of thought, analysis, writing, and graphics throughout the plan, implementation strategy, or planning process, regardless of budgetary limitations. Indicate how available resources were used in a thoughtful, well-conceived, and ethical process. Comprehensiveness. Specify how your entry observed planning principles, especially in consideration of its effects on other public objectives.

Public participation. Explain the extent to which your entry involved various public interests and fostered strong communication to help meet goals and objectives. Show how the nominated plan, implementation strategy, or planning process demonstrates a strong effort to obtain or maintain public and private support, including: input from those who historically have not participated in or have been left out of the planning process; participation of the widest variety of residents and stakeholders; and engagement and commitment of community leaders and local officials. For the planning process award, elaborate on how strategic partnerships or alliances were developed in support of the planning effort.

Role of planners. Describe the role, significance, and participation of planners. Demonstrate the connection between your entry’s success and increased awareness in the community of planners and planning.

Implementation strategy and funding. Address what steps your entry took or is taking to build or maintain momentum and public support for creating, following, and implementing the plan. Identify funding challenges or support for the planning effort. Report any political changes that might effect, for better or worse, long-term funding for updating or implementing the plan, including continued public participation.

Effectiveness, results, and sustained improvement. State how your entry addressed the need or issue that prompted its initiation. Be explicit about how the results have made a difference in the lives of the people affected. For the plan implementation award, indicate the level of consistency of this effort since its start and the effectiveness it can have over time. Detail any changes, derailments, or improvements throughout plan implementation.

Examples: Plans, regulations and codes, tax initiatives, design guidelines, transferable development rights programs, land acquisition efforts, technology applications, handbooks, public art or cultural efforts, community festivals, environmental or conservation initiatives, focused tourism ventures, capital improvements programs.

Excellence Award For a Plan

For a comprehensive plan, or a separate plan that addresses a specific area such as a neighborhood, downtown, corridor, redevelopment area, or critical and sensitive area, or a specific topic such as transportation, housing, economic development, community facilities, parks and open space, or hazards mitigation; with an emphasis on plans that advance the science and art of planning.

Excellence Award for a Process

For an initiative, program, or project that illustrates how a community uses citizen participation and the planning process to create a plan or realize an implementation strategy under the traditional scope of planning, or to address a need extending beyond the traditional scope of planning in new or different settings; with an emphasis on the involvement of people in the creation and management of their built and natural environments.

Excellence Award for Implementation

For a planning technology, program, project, or tool, such as a land development regulation, incentive, financial initiative, or similar measure, that is ensuring the realization of proposals advanced in a plan and accomplishing positive change with medium- to long-term, measurable results through continuous effect for a minimum of four years.

APA Louisiana Planning Achievement Awards

Provides individual recognition for leadership in the profession, enriching the quality of life for a community, and lifetime achievement and President's awards. Learn more about the Planning Achievement Award for:

Enriching a Community's Quality of Life in Honor of Francis P. Keevers

For an individual, elected or appointed official, group, or organization that promotes planning through sustained commitment to a project, program or plan; addresses community concerns through special actions or significant contributions to planning initiatives; or demonstrates exceptional collaboration with diverse interests to improve a community’s quality of life. Honors the late Frank Keevers for his contributions to improving the quality of life of a community through civic and business endeavors.

Lifetime Achievement Award for Leadership

For a professional planner who earns or has earned their living in planning, who contributes significantly to the advancement of planning practice or academic education over a sustained period through exemplary leadership and substantial accomplishments, as a credit to the American Planning Association

Elected Official

Elected official in National, State, or local government. 

Student Achievement

For an outstanding class project or paper by a student or group of students in a planning or related program that embodies good planning practice or applied research and contributes to advances in planning.

The APA-Louisiana Student Project Award recognizes outstanding class projects or papers by a student or group of students and intends to recognize exceptional work that advances the field of urban planning, work primarily by the student(s) with minimal, appropriate guidance by faculty.

Education or Advocacy

For an individual, program, or project that uses information and advocates education about the value of planning to create greater awareness among citizens or the public and inspire interest and participation in planning.

Chapter Volunteer of the Year

Chapter leadership will nominate candidates that have made significant commitments to APA LA. Candidates do not need to be Officers.

Green Building Award (presented jointly with USGBC)

General Submission Requirements

• All of the nominations must be submitted through the appropriate online form (only active during the nomination period) and via the process described online.
• Communication with the webmaster or Jury Coordinator accepting the nomination materials is limited to technical issues of the digital submission process.
• Any communication with jurors on behalf of an entry is prohibited and is reason for disqualification.
• Entries received after the deadline date that is specified online or without all of the required materials will not be considered.
• Materials associated with an award nomination will not be returned.
• Photo collages and PowerPoint presentations are not accepted, although persons associated with winning entries may be asked to submit additional information and materials including PowerPoint slides for the awards presentation ceremony.

Submissions for All Award Categories

The original committee report recommendations have been modified to lower the burden upon the nominator and increase the number of submissions based on Executive Committee review of the process.

• A summary of the entry; i.e., the plan, program, project, tool, technology, process, or in the case of an individual, a resume/short bio;
• An explanation of how the submission meets each of the stated criteria;
• Supporting materials including digital images, in accordance with these guidelines:
  • Images must not be copyrighted and must be reproducible without a fee, charge, or copyright infringement.
  • Images should provide context, show the award nomination’s positive or intended outcomes, and supplement what exists in the written summary and criteria sections.
  • Images must be limited to the format and size specified in online instructions.
  • Each image must include a photo caption between 15 and 25 words each.
  • No more than ten digital images may be included for the planning excellence and student project awards and no more than five digital images may be included for the planning achievement awards, although one recent photo of an individual nominated for an award must be included.
  • Supplemental materials to add support to the nomination may include media clips, brochures, posters, fact sheets, etc.
  • Supplemental materials may be attached or linked to the nomination form.
  • If the nomination is about a plan, include a copy of the plan.