We spoke with Devin Perry about the awards and what it takes to win.
Q: What defines winning entries? Namely, what does it take to win?
A: In the Design awards, judges look for sharp photos and clean, well-written descriptions. Entries should show something specific in the home that makes you stand out from the competition.
Q: What should people know about the judging process?
A: The award judging is all member driven. The judges are all members of the BSC, and are people who have submitted in the past, but are not currently submitting. Submissions are reviewed and selections are made through a protected awards portal.
Q: What are some of the most frequent mistakes made in submissions?
A: Missing information and not filling out information correctly, as well as poorly written descriptions and bad photography. The winners hire professional photographers.
Q: What are some things that people can do to enhance their prospects of winning?
A: Submit real photography. Be concise with your descriptions. Bullet points are fine in listing features. Each entry takes time to review; this saves the judges time.
Q: What do winners of the Design competition have in common?
A: They show off their best work and emphasize what is truly special about the dwelling. In newspaper terms, don’t bury the lead. Define what’s different or special about the home in the first sentence.
Q: How is the Marketing awards contest different than the Design contest in terms of preparing to enter, and being judged on entries?
A: The Marketing competition is different from the Design contest because you need to show results. It is recommended to show true analytical metrics and hard stats.
The proof is in the pudding when it comes to measuring analytics. When launching a campaign, first decide what will be your goal and defining metric as well as the tool you will use to measure that goal.
Q: How would you rate the overall quality of the entries submitted this year?
A: I thought, this year, the overall submissions were more in-tune with the quality and quantity that the judges were expecting. Every year we try to keep pushing upwards.
