Historically, the top criteria for the awards include a mastery of the materials, overall creativity and imagination, plus installation competency.

This year, the Spectrum Awards will be presented for usage of porcelain and/or ceramic tiles, and separately honor projects featuring glass and/or mosaics. A $3,000 first prize each will go to winners of both residential and commercial projects in those two separate categories. Additionally, $1,500 Awards of Merit have been earmarked for the two different tile classifications. Finally, judges will have the option to acknowledge one other submission with a $1,000 Special Recognition Award¡ªit might be a community project, uniquely ¡°green,¡± a standout for its detail and design, or just overall architecturally worthy.

The Prism Awards also reflect a slight restructuring: $3,000 First Prizes and $1,500 Awards of Merit for use of stone in Residential, Institutional and Commercial projects will be presented. A $1,000 Special Recognition Award also will be offered.

To qualify, projects must have been completed between January 2004 and December 2007. Each submission must be accompanied by an electronic file; a pocket folder with an official entry form; a typed project description and identification information; and, high-resolution photography. The entry fee is $100 for a single project, but multiple entries are accepted and encouraged, with a reduced $60 fee for each additional entry.

Unanimously, past winners have leveraged the awards for their business value. ¡°We recommend others to enter because it brings great exposure for your work and winning is extremely exciting and rewarding,¡± said Kristin Powers, president and owner of Trikeenan Tileworks, which walked away this year with the Spectrum Award of Merit for Residential. ¡°Not only is a Spectrum Award well respected within the tile industry,¡± she said, ¡°but it¡¯s also well regarded within the broader architectural and designer community, as well.¡±

For its work on The Getty Villa, Carnevale & Lohr received the 2007 Grand Prize Prism Award and the firm¡¯s principal, Michael Carnevale, said, ¡°It was a tremendous honor. This project was challenging because of the many elements involved, so it is wonderful to have our work recognized. Winning only added to the excitement of Coverings ¨C the premier show and the only one of its kind.¡±

Glenn Feder, president client events, of National Trade Productions, which manages and produces Coverings, said, ¡°The impact of taking home a Spectrum or Prism Award is enduring. Honorees are in the global spotlight at Coverings, with more than 36,000 guests from over 50 countries. The news of the winners and their projects appears not only in nearly all the top North American industry publications, but also in those based overseas. What¡¯s more, Coverings publishes a handsome keepsake booklet that profiles the winning projects. It¡¯s a valuable sales tool for the winners to obtain and use, and over the years we¡¯ve heard from many who credit the awards with helping to attract new business.¡±

The 2008 Spectrum and Prism Awards are sponsored by Coverings and coordinated by the five sponsoring organizations of the show including ASCER (Spain¡¯s Ceramic Tile Manufacturers Association), Confindusrtria Ceramica (Italian Association of Ceramics), CTDA (Ceramic Tile Distributors Association), NTCA (National Tile Contractors Association) and TCNA (Tile Council of North America).