How to Enter

2010 PRO Awards Rules and Guidelines

NOTE: In an effort to simplify the entry process, the following PRO Award Rules and Guidelines are recognized as an industry standard among various award programs throughout the country.

1. Only PRO contractor members are eligible for individual entries. All entrants’ membership records will be checked to verify their classification, as a member in good standing. The entry fee for an individual entry is $150. Once this fee is submitted along with your Entry Request, your Award Entry Binder will be forwarded to you via Priority Mail. Fees are nonrefundable, non-transferable and cannot be carried over to subsequent years.
   
   
2. Projects must have been completed between July 1, 2008 and November 30, 2009. Entries that were submitted for last year’s awards will not be accepted.
   
   
3. All projects entered in Professional Remodeler of the Year awards (PRO Awards) categories must be an improvement or addition to an existing structure, unless entered in the Light Construction (new or remodeled category).
   
   
4. All entries must be received by Professional Remodelers of Ohio, 3500 Lorain Avenue, Suite 200, Cleveland, OH 44113, on or before Tuesday, February 2, 2010.
   
   
5. All entries must arrive in the official 2009 PRO Awards Entry Binder. Print Binder
   
   
6. A contractor member company may enter multiple projects in multiple categories and may enter more than one project in the same category, but the same project may only be entered in one category, with the exception of Best Design categories. Any one project may be also entered into one design category. Also, please note that large multi-area projects may be divided into smaller categories. For example, if a project includes a kitchen, bathroom and mud room, you can enter a kitchen category, a bathroom category and interior category.
   
   
7. Sixteen plastic sleeves have been included with the official entry binder. The first sleeve is for entry materials only and will be removed upon arrival at the PRO Office. These are required forms and must be included with your entry. These items will not be returned to you. Therefore, be sure to make copies for your records and include the originals with your entry. This first sleeve must include:
   1. Official Entry Form – Contractors complete and sign this form. Please fill out one form for each entry.
   2. Proof of Time/Homeowner Affidavit – Contractors complete and sign this form. The homeowner must also sign this form. The affidavit box must be filled in for the categories requiring proof of cost. Project total cost must include fair-market value for homeowner provided sweat-equity or in-kind services or the services of a subcontractor that the homeowner might have hired (i.e. purchase of materials, demolition, painting, appliances, etc. and/or other subcontracted work) for the category entered. If a member submits a project that is his own property, the fair-market value of the project should be shown. Once this form is completed and signed by the homeowner, the contractor’s signature must be notarized. Please fill out one form for each entry.
   3. Photographer's Release – The owner of the photographs (professional photographer, contractor, homeowner, etc.) must complete and sign this form. If the photographer’s release is altered in any way, you may lose the opportunity to have your winning project photos displayed at the Evening of Excellence, the RemodelOhio Show, Remodel Ohio - PRO’s Remodeling Guide and Membership Directory, and other various publications.
   4. What Products Did You Use? – This information is important in that, winners may receive coverage in publications as a result of PRO’s alliance with selected media sources. In order to get coverage, we need to be able to provide these companies information about the products you used in the project.
   5. Duplicate and/or Digital Set of Photos – A duplicate set of “before” and “after” photos must be provided either in print, or digital on CD (preferable) in TIF or JPEG format. Photos in print should be labeled on the back and include your company name and category. Digital photo files should be titled to include the category name and ‘before’ or ‘after’.
   
   
   
8. The front of your second sleeve should include the Project’s Total Cost displayed in the upper right corner and a brief summary of your project with the following points listed:
   • Describe the client’s needs and desires.
   • Show that those needs were met.
   • Describe any client’s budget limitations/restraints, if applicable.
   • Describe how the materials used were functional/compatible and enhanced the existing structure?
   • Describe any innovative uses of materials.
   • Describe functionality of space, lighting, and attention to detail.
   • Describe any difficult challenges encountered and how they were resolved. (i.e. site constraints, safety issues)
   
   
   
9. The remaining sleeves are reserved for text, photos and captions describing the project (tell the story). Use this space to help lay the groundwork for the judges. The project is limited to 15 pages total - front and back, or 30 one-sided pages.
   
   
10. All visible references to your company name, logo, address, city, and state, MUST BE ELIMINATED from the front of these pages, photos, contracts, and other materials used in the entry or your project will be disqualified. If you are presenting a photo that has the required name/category on the back, be sure that your name is covered up with another photo, description, or a piece of blank paper. Entries that display your name anywhere visible on these pages will not be judged. It is imperative that we maintain anonymity in the judging process.
    
    
11. It is mandatory that you enclose “before” and “after” photographs of the entire job. Take shots from the same angle, if possible. Include “during” photos, if available, to show difficulty or innovative use of materials. Color photos are preferred, but all photos are acceptable. Mount photos in such a way that they may be easily removed, if necessary, and enclose them in the clear plastic sleeves provided. Short captions should appear under each photo. If you refer to photos in your text, number them for clarity either within the caption or separately. Entries without “before” photos will not be judged.
    
    
12. Video and audiocassettes are not acceptable as part of the PRO Award Entry.
    
    

Send your entry(s) to:
PROFESSIONAL REMODELERS OF OHIO
3500 Lorain Ave. #200
Cleveland, OH 44113

Ph: (216) 631-7764 ~ Fax: (216) 961-6974
Email: awards@PROohio.org

Deadline for entries is Tuesday, February 2, 2010.