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50+ Awards Judge Gives Tips for Submitting Winning Entries
 Each year, a panel of judges sorts through hundreds of entries to the Best of 50+ Housing Awards.
With the entry deadline for the 2007 Best of 50+ Housing Awards fast approaching ― this year the deadline is Feb. 23 — what is the best way to get your entry to stand out and give you the best opportunity to win?
One past judge for the awards program, Steve Wattenbarger, AIA, chairman of Wattenbarger Architects, LLC, in Bellevue, Wash., provides the following tips:
- Follow the order of the criteria in the entry requirements. “That’s the way the judges read the input as they are looking at the entry on the screen and reviewing what the entrant has provided,” says Wattenbarger. This also makes it easier for the reviewer to make notes and keep track of their comments.
- Keep it simple. Wattenbarger encourages entrants to use bullet points in the responses and descriptions. “This is probably one of the chief things that makes the entries either easy or difficult to understand,” he explains.
“The judges have a very short amount of time to make a decision about an entry — probably less than three or four minutes. The review of the project takes longer, but the judge needs to absorb the key information in four minutes or less. So, the simpler the better,” Wattenbarger says. “Bullet points make it easier for the judges to see what’s going on.”
- Avoid "marketing" language in design entries. “Marketing superlatives are really not what the judges are looking for. They’re looking for points that tell them how the project works, how it was designed and the reasons behind the design decisions. Those are the most important aspects.”
- Use great graphics. Wattenbarger recommends keeping text concise and to-the-point and using high-quality photography and art to convey the project’s qualities.
“Keep it simple, keep it direct, put it in the order it’s asked for,” Wattenbarger says. “You’ll be way ahead of a lot of others.”
Awards Ceremony at Boomers & Beyond
This year’s awards ceremony will be held in Denver on Thursday, May 31, during Building for Boomers & Beyond: 50+ Housing Symposium 2007.
For more information about the awards, including categories and entry criteria, click here, or call 800-368-5242 x8220.
 Save the Date for 2007 50+ Housing Symposium
Mark May 30-June 1, 2007 on your calendars to attend the 50+ Housing Symposium.
The seniors housing symposium is the premier educational and networking event for industry professionals who serve the burgeoning 50+ market.
Visit www.nahb.org/build4boomers for more information.
 Find Out What Boomers Want
“Boomers on the Horizon: Housing Preferences of the 55+ Market,” available through BuilderBooks.com, can help you better build and market homes to this age group.
Capitalize on the niches, needs and opportunities of this rapidly growing market by learning their preferences.
To view or purchase this publication online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.
 Learn More About New 50+ CAASH Designation
The NAHB 50+ Housing Council has launched the new Certified Active Adult Specialist in Housing (CAASH) designation specifically for individuals in 50+ housing. The new CAASH designation gives housing professionals serving this rapidly burgeoning market the essential knowledge, tools and skills that will help them succeed — from conducting initial research to design considerations and features to closing the sale and servicing the customer.
For more information, visit www.nahb.org/CAASHinfo.
 NAHB Kit Gives Builders Back-to-Basics Tips in Cooling Market
With the current cooling of the nation’s housing market expected to persist into the middle of next year, NAHB has developed a comprehensive online toolkit geared to providing association members with information that will help them prosper in today’s changing business environment.
To access the “Back to Basics” toolkit, you must be an NAHB member and have a login to www.nahb.org. To create a login, go to www.nahb.org/login or click on the log-in button on the main menu bar.
For assistance, call the NAHB Member Service Center at 800-368-5242.
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