Judging Procedures Judges will apply NLA standards. Judges are selected on the basis of their knowledge, integrity and objectivity. Entries are not judged against one another; rather each entry is judged on its own merit. Each entry is judged without knowledge of who entered the project, the contractor is anonymous. Judges reserve the right to change the category in which an entry is designated for consideration. Entrants would be notified. Type, size and cost of projects are not considered criteria for judging, only for the appropriate category. More important are the design impact, attention to detail, degree of difficulty, overall appearance, quality of installation, and quality of plant materials. Each entry is judged independently on site by the judges using separate judging sheets. Judges must then reach a consensus to decide upon award winners of each category. Committee members cannot be judges. Judging Criteria For All Entries Attention to detail Degree of difficulty Overall appearance Innovation For Installation Entries Quality/appropriateness of plant material (harmony of design with surroundings) Quality of plant material installation (staking, mulch, elevation, selection and location) Grading and drainage(subsurface/surface) Quality of Lawn Irrigation Design & Water Management (Meets industry standards)

For Maintenance Entries Trees (staking, pruning, tree wells, pest free) Shrubs (shearing versus proper pruning, natural form, pest free) Lawn (color, mowing height, pest free) Edging (vertical versus tapered) Groundcover (within bounds, density, color) Annuals / Perennials (color, harmony, density, species for area, mulch and surface treatment of planting beds) Irrigation (water management, coverage, scheduling, meets industry standards) For Renovations Indicate what the existing elements were and how they have been incorporated Indicate improvements made to previous landscape Provide before and after comparisons For Wall Construction Entries Execution of construction details Structural integrity Quality of material For Water Feature or Hardscape Entries Artistic Design Setting and grading Form and function; blending in with landscaping Water clarity, circulation, filtration and skimming Planting and management of aquatic plants Perimeter landscape plants and erosion control Waterfall or fountain (sound, size, effect)