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 Education or Advocacy

The Excellence Award for Education or Advocacy recognizes individual or group achievement, and is subject to the following eligibility and criteria:

Eligibility: Open to APA and non-APA members 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 your entry has potential application for others and how widespread application would be in the interest of the planning profession and would further the cause of good planning.

Quality. Indicate how your entry represents excellence of thought, analysis, writing, graphics, and overall presentation, mindful of the targeted audience and 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 public objectives.

Effectiveness and results. State how your entry addressed the need or problem that prompted its initiation; be explicit about how the results have made a difference in the lives of the people affected. Describe the extent that your entry has been effective in formulating and implementing plans and ideas in support of good planning. Identify the level of influence and effectiveness achieved by the nominee within different segments of the community; provide measurable results if possible or appropriate (for example, pre- or post[1]outreach effort poll results).

Education and public participation. Establish how your entry has engaged persons in planning and influenced public awareness and understanding of planning beyond those persons immediately affected. Describe how your entry encouraged community leaders to revise their opinions about the varied uses and broad applications of planning. Show how your entry has increased the understanding of planning principles, the planning process, and the role of planners. Explain how the results have been measured and internalized.

Examples: Engaged citizens, citizen activists, or neighborhood leaders demonstrating outstanding leadership in a community, region, or state; members of planning commissions or advisory boards; boards of appeal, economic development boards, environmental or historic preservation boards, or other appointed officials; elected officials holding office at the local, regional, or state level; broad community efforts showing how planning can make a difference, curricula designed o teach children about planning, neighborhood empowerment programs, use of technology to expand public participation in planning.

APA-Louisiana Planning Achievement Awards

The Louisiana Planning Achievement Awards include these three awards: Planning Leadership, Elected Official, Volunteer of the Year, and Enriching a Community’s Quality of Life in Honor of Francis P. Keevers. They honor individuals for outstanding, significant, and sustained contributions to, and in support of, planning or the planning profession. They are subject to the following eligibility and criteria:

Achievement Award for Leadership

Eligibility: Individuals may not self-nominate and must earn or have earned their living in planning as professional planners or over a sustained period of time as a planning educator in a PAB accredited program. Open only to APA members in good standing.

Criteria: Each nomination must address all of the following criteria:

Support of planning and planners. Illustrate how the nominee’s work has increased the understanding of the planning profession and planning process. Indicate how the nominee has shown support for and a thorough knowledge and clear understanding of the role of planners in public life.

Collaboration. Describe how the nominee has developed or fostered strategic partnerships or alliances to help meet planning goals and objectives, change the working dynamic, and expand the support for planning.

Effectiveness, results, and influence. Describe the extent that the nominee has been effective in formulating and implementing plans, programs, projects, technologies, and ideas in support of good planning. Identify the level of influence and effectiveness achieved by the nominee within different segments of the community. Demonstrate the nominee’s positive influence on the direction and professional advancement of planning.

Ethical practice. Show how your nominee consistently upholds and champions the highest standards of professional ethics in terms of the public trust and guides and educates staff, students, stakeholders, or colleagues on the importance of high ethical practice.

Achievement Award for Enriching a Community’s Quality of Life in Honor of Francis P. Keevers and Elected Official

Eligibility: Individuals may not self-nominate and must not earn or have earned their living in planning as a professional planner. Open only to non-APA members.

Criteria: Each nomination must address all of the following criteria.

Support of planning. Illustrate how the nominee’s work has increased the understanding of the planning process. Indicate how the nominee has shown a clear understanding of, and support for, the role of planning in improving a community’s quality of life.

Collaboration. Describe how the nominee has developed or fostered strategic partnerships or alliances to help meet planning goals and objectives.

Effectiveness, results, and influence. Describe the extent that the nominee has been effective in formulating and implementing plans, programs, projects, technologies, and ideas in support of improved quality of life. Identify the level of influence and effectiveness achieved by the nominee within different segments of the community. Demonstrate your nominee’s positive influence on the advancement of planning.

Social and economic concerns. Explain how the nominee’s efforts have addressed not only a community’s physical realm, but also its social and economic or civic and business concerns and issues. Describe how the nominee’s efforts have improved a community’s overall quality of life.

Volunteer of the Year Award

Eligibility: Individuals may not self-nominate and must be an APA member in good standing.

Criteria: Each nomination must address all of the following criteria:

Chapter Support. Illustrate how the nominee’s work has helped the Chapter better serve its members. Indicate how the nominee is dedicated to the Chapter and has contributed to its continued improvement.

Collaboration. Describe how the nominee has developed relationships with fellow members and has helped meet Chapter goals and objectives.

Effectiveness, results, and influence. Describe the extent that the nominee has been effective in formulating and implementing plans, programs, projects, technologies, and ideas in support of the Chapter. Identify the level of influence and effectiveness achieved by the nominee with fellow members. Demonstrate the nominee’s positive influence on the Chapter’s direction.

Ethical standards. Show how your nominee consistently upholds and champions high ethical standards within the Chapter.

APA-Louisiana Student Project Award

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. It is subject to the following eligibility and criteria:

Eligibility: A paper or project completed within the previous three years from a student or group of students in a Louisiana university urban planning program, or a related program such as architecture, landscape architecture, geography, environmental sciences, or public policy, may receive this award one time in one of three categories: 1) contribution of urban planning to contemporary issues, or how the related field supported planning’s contribution to contemporary issues; 2) application of the planning process; and 3) applied research that supports urban planning. A program may submit only one nomination. A nomination from a program related to urban planning must clearly demonstrate its application to and support for urban planning. If a student holds an elected or appointed office in national or Louisiana Chapter APA, her or his work or the work of the group in which s(he) participated is not eligible during the student’s term of service. A nomination for this award may be submitted by either: 1) the head of the Louisiana university division that contains the urban planning or related program; or (2) the duly elected or appointed Planning Student Organization (PSO) Student Representative of the Louisiana university planning program.

Criteria: Each nomination must address all of the following criteria:

Originality and innovation. Originality of concept or appreciable refinement of existing techniques or procedures

Transferability. Potential application to other locations, projects, or areas of planning interest

Quality. Excellence of thought, analysis, writing, graphics, and character of presentation

Implementation. Proposals of the paper or project have been carried out, show promise of being carried out, or demonstrate an effective implementation technique

Comprehensiveness. The paper or project observes planning principles, especially in considering effects on public objective

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.