TCA Announces Call for Entries for 21st Annual Achievement Awards Program

MOUNT VERNON, Iowa — The Tilt-Up Concrete Association— a nonprofit international organization that serves to expand and improve the use of Tilt-Up as the preferred construction method — has announced the call for entries for the 21st installment of the Tilt-Up Achievement Awards Competition.

The TCA Awards Program recognizes outstanding site cast tilt-up structures and advances in technology, products and methods used in the tilt-up industry. Submitters must be a member of the TCA and are required to submit a one-page abstract of the project that includes the best photo as well as the top three reasons why the project is worthy of consideration for an Achievement Award.

Additional project details are requested including the participants, key features and statistics and the industry technology and materials involved. Photography plays a key role in the review of the projects by the judges supporting both the Tilt-Up achievements that were produced as well as the overall finished composition for the project.

The additional rules and categories for submission can be found at www.tilt-up.org and are summarized as follows:

Eligibility — The submitting company must be a part of the design/supply team and must be a TCA Member. Companies may enter their projects at any time during the year, now that submittals are continuously open. Projects are not to be limited to the past year of construction as many excellent Tilt-Up achievements continue to be discovered that have been built for years throughout the world.

Criteria — All projects are judged by the same criteria: aesthetic appeal, creativity of structural and architectural design, and setting new standards/advancing the industry. The points accumulated in each of these categories are averaged for all judges and then totaled with a weighting based on aesthetic appeal and creativity of structural/architectural design receiving 40 percent each and setting new standards/advancing the industry receiving 20 percent. The panel of judges, comprised of members from the core TCA member categories as well as invited industry representatives, are then given an extra rating of from 1 to 10 points to award projects at their discretion that are particularly successful or compelling.

Categories — Submitters are encouraged to carefully consider their projects and place them in a specific category based on the end-use of the structure. A broad list of categories and sub-categories has evolved over the past several years to better represent the impact Tilt-Up has had on the entire built environment while maintaining an interest in recognizing exceptional accomplishments and innovative technologies. Please note that the judges are instructed to alter the category of a project if they feel it is better represented in something other than the submitted area in the interest of the submitter and will benefit the project better in that placement.

Submitters are required to provide a minimum of six photographs representing both the construction and finished achievements as well as demonstrating the extent to which Tilt-Up was used in the project. These photos should specifically demonstrate to the judges how the project meets the criteria listed. A variety of construction and finished project shots, both exterior and interior, strengthen submittals. If digital photography is used, all images must be in a minimum 300 dpi at 5-by-7-inch format size. This year's submittal package and entry form can be obtained at www.tilt-up.org by selecting the “Awards” button.

Entry Fees/Deadline — There is a $150 entry fee per project and per category submitted. Entry forms for the 21st annual competition must be submitted by June 30, 2011. All entries received after June 30 will automatically be eligible for the contest the following year.

To Submit — Submittal forms and directions can be found on the TCA website, www.tilt-up.org, by selecting the Awards button or obtained by contacting TCA at 319-895-6911. Examples of what constitutes a good submittal can also be found on the Awards page of the website.  Should you have further questions regarding this year's Achievement Awards, please contact Jim Baty at TCA headquarters or by email at jbaty@tilt-up.org.

About the TCA

TCA was founded in 1986 to improve the quality and acceptance of site cast Tilt-Up construction, a construction method in which concrete wall panels are cast on-site and tilted into place.  Tilt-Up construction is one of the fastest growing industries in the United States, combining the advantages of reasonable cost with low maintenance, durability, speed of construction and minimal capital investment. For more information about the TCA, visit www.tilt-up.org, call 319-895-6911 or e-mail info@tilt-up.org.