Entries

The deadline for entries was Friday 16th November 2018

Shortlist announced: Monday 17th December 2018

Ceremony: Friday 15th February 2019

How to apply

Entries are now closed. We asked for written entries of up to 1,000 words per category to be sent to sophia@eem.org.uk before 10pm on Friday 9th November 2018 and then the deadline was extended to Friday 16th November 2018.

Please read the terms and conditions at the bottom of this page for further guidance.

We asked: Please include at least one image of each entry/project. Appendices, such as any additional relating images, PR and testimonials are welcomed. We understand time is limited, but try not to forget any details. The judges want to see objectives and results, for example having a fantastic creative implementation strategy will not win an award if you don’t say what it was and what it delivered.

All award submissions will be considered and there is no limit to the number of awards a company can enter. All entries are free to submit. Please read the terms and conditions below before submitting.

Category Guidance

▸ Housing Provider of the Year
This award will be presented to a social housing provider that can demonstrate best practice in building communities across the region they serve. The entrant must show how it puts its tenants first and be able to evidence where they have created a unique program or service in response to a challenge facing the society or its tenants, community or environment.
Judges will be looking for a housing provider who has had a positive impact on tenants, the community and/or the environment, as well as a strong, positive, motivational impact on their staff.

▸ Tenant Participation
Tenant Participation is about tenants taking part in discussion processes and influencing decisions about housing policies, housing conditions and housing related services. This award will be presented to a social housing provider who has excelled in giving tenants the tools they need to make a tangible difference to their approach to improve the standard of housing conditions and services.
Entrants should demonstrate that they have provided tenants with a wide range of engagement opportunities as well as putting in the time and resources to make sure their voices are heard resulting in a positive impact on communities. Entrants may attach up to 3 testimonials or pieces of feedback to support an entry.

▸ Employee Development
Judges will be looking to present this award to the organisation which shows how training and development sits at the heart of everything it does. Entrants can focus on all aspects of training and employee development, from apprenticeship schemes to work experience, community-driven initiatives and even targeted higher education programmes. The entry should show how an organisation works with external training providers, further and higher education establishments, as well as highlighting the innovative ways an organisation has delivered initiatives successfully.

▸ Apprentice of the Year
This award will be presented to an apprentice who has shown the most dedication to both their job and training, seizing opportunities to develop and working hard to achieve their qualifications. Judges are looking for an individual who has made a significant contribution to their employer, the team they work in, and the people they are working for. Entries must demonstrate how an apprentice has worked as part of a team, what they have done to further themselves and develop new skills, and how their aspirations for the future have helped motivate them to achieve more. Include examples of the challenges an individual has faced, what barriers to learning they may have experienced, and how they overcame them.

▸ Community Impact
This award will be presented to the organisation which shows the greatest understanding of the communities it has been working in, and has delivered notable benefits for local people and the surrounding environment.
Judges will be looking for social housing providers who bring their values to life with an embedded approach throughout the organisation.
Entrants should provide examples of meaningful and sustainable social impact, backed up with tangible facts and figures, clearly outlining what level of value has been added through their work.

▸ Social Housing New Build
This award will be presented to a contractor, registered social housing provider (or both), which has delivered an outstanding new build project. Judges will be looking for quality in design, innovation in build delivery, not to mention the added value initiatives which delivering wider benefits to the communities surrounding new build sites. Entrants must evidence how the success of the project was measured, the impact it had on the end user, as well as the challenges overcome and lessons learnt to achieve best practice.

▸Environmental Responsibility
This award recognises the positive environmental implications of a company’s operations. This could be in the way they eliminate waste and emissions, maximize the efficient use of resources and/or how they minimize activities that might impair the enjoyment of resources by future generations.
Entrants should share the details of projects and schemes that demonstrate what can be gained by investing in and developing environmental and sustainability initiatives within their business.  These initiatives can be within the core of the business or as supplementary activities.
The judges are looking for an organisation that is genuinely committed to developing new and more environmentally sustainable ways of doing business.

▸ Collaborative Working
For this award, judges will be looking to see shining examples of partnerships, which have resulted in successful programmes of work. Entrants must demonstrate how they have collaborated with others, taken a seamless approach, aligned values and shared best practice and risk. You should show how working together as one, you were able to innovate and find better ways of working, sharing skills to solve problems and taking on challenges head on. Use facts, figures and supporting information to show how effective your approach was, and the difference it made.

▸ Project of the Year
In under 1,000 words, judges are looking for entrants to show how effectively an organisation, or a team of partners, has delivered an outstanding project efficiently, within budget to an excellent standard. From innovative design, to a positive health and safety record and the quality of the finished product, entrants must be able to demonstrate the success of their project through statistics, figures and anecdotal evidence of particular initiatives, community schemes or innovations.

▸ Distributor of the Year
This award will be presented to the distributor who can show they have gone above and beyond the straightforward delivery of products. Highlights can include but are not limited to collaborations, partnerships, investments, service specifications, new products and innovation. Examples of extra initiatives such as offering training events to clients or being involved in community projects will support this entry well.

Judges will be looking for an organisation which has developed positive and sustainable partnerships with clients and manufacturers to improve the service they provide. Evidence of the implementation of tactics to achieve objectives along with measurement and evaluation should be evidenced.

▸ Innovative Product
This category is open to housing and construction product manufacturers who have launched an innovative product since September 2016. This can be a new product launch or an innovative reworking of an existing product. Judges will be looking for a product that stands out in its field for originality, innovation and technical abilities, with a positive reaction from social housing providers. Entrants should include measures of success such as sales figures, any savings made and client feedback.

▸ Contractor of the Year
In looking for the Contractor of the Year, the judges will expect to see examples of those contractors who have exceeded required levels of health and safety, found ways to reduce construction costs and brought projects in before time, while demonstrating business performance improvement. Entrants must show examples of successful project delivery, overall business objectives which aim to achieve positive outcomes for clients, such as social value, and demonstrate how they have successfully overcome challenges. Judges will be looking to see how the entrant has worked in close partnership with clients to find better ways of working. Entrants should also demonstrate that they have shown dedication to the training and development of employees.

 

The Judging Panel

Entries will be judged by an esteemed panel of judges with a wealth of knowledge and experience in the housing and construction industry. They will select the winners from organisations, people and or projects nominated through this simple awards application process.

The 2019 judges are:

Julie Walters – Midlands Area Manager – National Federation of Builders
Steve Hale – Consultant/Director – SMH Housing Consultancy Ltd
Jenny Osbourne – Chief Executive – TPAS
Ian Bates – Sector Forum and Representation Manager – East Midlands Chamber
Pieter Eksteen – Business Training Programmes Manager – East Midlands Chamber

 

The Evaluation Process

Entries will be reviewed and judged by the panel using a matrix scoring system. The judges will be looking for evidence of development, implementation, and application of the issues detailed in each award category. EEM staff have no influence in the judging process. Shortlisted entrants will be announced on Monday 17th December 2018.

 

Entry Tips and Terms and Conditions

• Entries should be submitted by email to sophia@eem.org.uk before 10pm on Friday 9th November 2018. EEM Ltd reserve the right to extend the deadline. **Extended to Friday 16th November 2018**

• Late entries will be rejected unless circumstances are exceptional, in which case EEM Ltd will make the final decision about whether to accept the late entry.

• Entries will be no more than 1,000 words, which should not be covered in the supporting document. Complete entries will be treated as confidential by EEM Ltd and the judging panel. A brief overview of winning entries will be given to guests at the BC Awards dinner as the winners collect their award.

• Supporting materials can be submitted to help the judges evaluate your entry. Material could include reviews, media coverage and additional information about your entry, as well as any details on partner organisations which contributed.

• Each entry can include up to five supporting photos and up to three videos (specifically relevant to the category and entry submission), supplied as web-accessible links.

• At the time and date of submission, entrants agree that the information supplied is truthful and accurate.

• All shortlisted organisations will be posted on both the EEM and Building Communities Awards websites in early December 2018.

• There is no limit to the number of entries one organisation can make.

• Please ensure you have secured the appropriate rights and clearances for all materials and images submitted. The Building Communities Awards or EEM Ltd will not be liable for any copyright, trademark, patent infringement held against entries.

• Entrants must have the written permission of any third party involved in the entry, or with whom they have worked on the project, prior to its submission in these awards.

• There is no entry fee, although at least one representative must be present at the awards ceremony on Friday 15th February 2019 for all shortlisted organisations.

• All winners will receive one glass/acrylic award. If you would like a duplicate award manufacturing, please advise at the time of entry. Duplicates will be chargeable to the entrant.

• A category may not be entered by the organisation providing sponsorship for that particular category.

• All categories are awarded based on the decision of our independent panel of judges.

• The decision of the judges is final and numerical scores only will be provided on request as feedback to any non-shortlisted entrant. Judges may not be approached by entrants for additional feedback.

By entering these awards you are agreeing to the above. Please email sophia@eem.org.uk if you have any further questions.