2023 SCDF Design & Philanthropy Awards

The annual Southern California Development Forum Design Awards recognize the contributions and commitment to the business environment and the communities of Southern California. The design awards celebrate built and un-built projects that demonstrate innovation and commitment from both owners and design teams. Award winners will be honored at our in-person 2023 SCDF Design & Philanthropy Awards event on Tuesday, December 12th at the Biltmore Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles.

Our organization is comprised of developers, architects, engineers, contractors, planners and other land-use parties, the design awards offer an excellent opportunity to showcase your projects to the business community of Southern California.

PROJECT ELEGIBILITY

  • All entries must represent built projects completed between September 1, 2021 through September 1, 2023 and must be located in Southern California (zip codes 90000-93599).  Projects submitted in the “Beyond SoCal” category may be from any zip code in California.
  • Unbuilt projects must be submitted under the “Unbuilt Concept | On the Boards | Under Construction” category only and must be located in Southern California (zip codes 90000-93599).
  • Projects must be entered in a specific category, but it is at the jury’s discretion to move a prospective project to a category they see most fit for it to be recognized. If a project is submitted multiple times for any reason, separate entry fees must be paid, and entries should reflect the category in which they are submitted.
  • Projects seeking entry in both a general category and Project Team of the Year must be submitted individually, since there are two different templates and rules sets. Separate entry fees must be paid for each entry.
  • Projects associated with any 2023 Design Awards jury members are ineligible.

ENTRY CATEGORIES

  • Commercial | Mixed Use (retail, hospitality, corporate, entertainment)
  • Healthcare
  • Educational
  • Civic / Culture (including museums, sports, and government projects)
  • Single-Family Residential
  • Multi-Family Residential
  • Adaptive Reuse | Renovation | Historic Preservation
  • Interior Architecture
  • Technological Innovation (systems, products, facades, construction techniques, modular / prefab, and other built innovations)
  • Unbuilt Concept | On the Boards | Under Construction
  • Landscape, Urban Design & Planning
  • Infrastructure / Transportation / Aviation
  • Beyond SoCal (Built projects within the State of California in any zip code other than those listed above) – NEW CATEGORY!
  • Project Team of the Year (please see specific submission criteria below)

Notes:

  1. In all categories, jury awards may be given in two classifications:  Honor and Citation
  2. The jury panel is not required to issue an award for every category and will do so based on their assessment and judgement of all entries


REGISTRATION

Any member or firm associated with a project is eligible to submit an entry for that project.  This includes architects, general contractors, developers, engineers, and specialty consultants (please consult with your extended team to ensure that duplicate entries have not been submitted).  SCDF only uses paperless, digital submission entries.  Registrations for all awards must be completed online and are paid at time of final project upload.

DEADLINE       

All submittals are due on or prior to September 29, 2023 at 9PM PST.


ENTRY FEE

Early Bird Submission prior to August 29, 2023
$250 (nonrefundable) first submission,
$150 subsequent submissions

Submission on or after August 30, 2023     
$350 (nonrefundable) first submission,
$250 subsequent submissions

 

SUBMISSION MATERIAL

For ALL Categories other than Development team:

1.      All entries must include the below and not exceed 10MB maximum submission
2.      Complete project team, project data & contact information online when you pay and submit your final PDF entry.
3.      Project Presentation Requirements:
a.      Your submission must be submitted in PDF format only.  A template has been supplied in both In-Design and PowerPoint to facilitate ease of layout.  Please output as a PDF for submission.
b.      Your final PDF file must not exceed 8 pages total. Only the first 8 pages will be judged.
c.       This is an anonymous awards submission, and any reference to firms and/or team members associated with the submitted project pdf in word or image on the PDF submission will result in disqualification.
d.      Identifying the name of the project and/or client on the PDF submission is permitted.
4.      Three (3) project images
a.      300dpi/jpg format, which may be used during the Awards Ceremony (images are not included in the 10MB maximum of project presentation).

 

For Project Team of the Year:

The Project Team of the Year represents a successfully built collaboration with meaningful impact to Southern California. Urban projects of at least 100,000 sf and completed between September 1st, 2021 and September 1st, 2023 are eligible. Winning projects should successfully demonstrate how the team was able to accomplish project goals through complex problem-solving and innovative means.

1.      Your submission must be submitted in PDF format only.  A Project Team Entry template has been supplied in both In-Design and PowerPoint to facilitate ease of layout.  Please output as a PDF for submission.
2.      All entries must include the below and not exceed 10MB maximum submission
3.      Only Owners, Developers, General Contractors, Architects, or Municipalities / Cities may be the submitting agent on behalf of the team for this project
4.      Complete the Confidential Team Data Form online when you pay and submit your final PDF entry. 
5.      This is an anonymous awards submission, and any reference to firms and/or team members associated with the submitted project pdf for judging in word or image on the PDF will result in disqualification.
6.      Project Presentation in PDF format only and should contain no more than 12 pages. Only the first 12 pages will be judged.
5.      Three (3) project images
a.      300dpi /jpg format, which may be used during the Awards Ceremony (images are not included in the 10MB maximum of project presentation),

 

KEY DATES

Entry Open  - August 3, 2023

Early Entries Due  - August 29, 2023

Entries Due  - September 29, 2023

Awards Ceremony  - December 12, 2023

AWARDS CEREMONY

The Awards Ceremony is slated to occur on December 12, 2023 at a live ceremony at the Biltmore Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles.  Shortlisted entries will be notified, and physical awards will be distributed at the live event.

In addition to honoring the SCDF Design Awards winners, our selected 2023 Philanthropy, Harvest Home, and the 2023 William Feathers Award winner will also be recognized at the event. 

Tickets for the awards event will be available for purchase through the SCDF website shortly. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Questions regarding the submission process should be directed via email, with “SCDF Awards” in the subject line, to: designawards@scdf.org and info@scdf.org.

437 S. Cataract Ave 
Suite 4B 
San Dimas, CA 91773
Phone: 888-466-7412
Email: info@scdf.org

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