APA California Northern Jury Composition

A jury shall be appointed by the Section Board to judge the entries. Jurors are chosen to represent different  areas of expertise, geographic locations, and professional experiences in the private/public sector, to achieve  an overall balance of the jury. The diversity in jurors will also be considered. The decision of the jury majority shall be final. 

Discretion of Jury  

Normally, nominations will be evaluated for the award category in which they were submitted. However, the  APA California Northern jury may, upon majority vote, move a nomination to a different category as the jury  deems appropriate.  

Awards Process  

Only one (1) first‐place award may be granted per category each year. When exceptional circumstances  warrant, one (1) Award of Merit may also be given per category. If the jury finds that none of the nominations  in a particular category meets the desirable standards of excellence, they may grant only an Award of Merit  or grant no award in that category. Because only first‐place winners of Section Awards Programs are eligible  for nomination for the Chapter’s Outstanding Planning Awards, the Section Awards Programs are vital to the  success of the Chapter’s Awards Program. Nominations for Outstanding Planning Awards must be submitted  to the Section where the project, plan or work occurred prior to being submitted to the Chapter (State) for  consideration. All Sections are strongly encouraged by the Chapter to support and promote their local Awards  Programs.  

Awards Ceremony  

Award recipients will be honored at the Northern Section Awards Ceremony event, typically a  cocktail reception or dinner. See https://norcalapa.org/programs/awards/ for details.   

Other Section Awards Policies  

The APA California Northern Section may establish Awards Policies different from those of the Chapter at  their own discretion. In order to participate in the Chapter’s Awards Program, the APA California Northern  Board shall appoint an Awards Chairperson(s) or Awards Director(s) to serve as contact with the Chapter’s  Vice President for Administration or Awards Coordinator, concerning Awards Program matters and to  coordinate awards activities for the Section.