• Be located in an urbanized area in North America
• Have been open to the public at least one year and no more than 15 years
• Be predominantly outdoors and inviting to the public
• Be a lively gathering space, providing abundant and varied seating, sun and shade, trees and plantings with attractions and features that offer many different ways for visitors to enjoy the space
• Be used intensively on a daily basis, and act as a destination for a broad spectrum of users throughout the year
• Have a positive economic impact on its surroundings
• Promote physical, social, and economic health of the larger community
• Provide lessons, strategies, and techniques that can be used or adapted in other communities.

 ULI received nearly 90 entries in the first year of the Amanda Burden Urban Open Space Award. Of those, five finalists and one winner were selected. How did these projects stand out among their peers? Below are some winning strategies that will give your submission the best chance to succeed.

Make Sure Your Project is Eligible.
Projects must be located in an urbanized area in North America. Urbanized areas may range from large cities to suburban town centers to small towns. But projects such as greenways or nature preserves in nonurban or rural areas will not be considered by the jury. Please refer to the Criteria section on the application or web site for eligibility requirements. If you still are not sure whether or not your project is eligible, please write to awards@uli.org for further clarification.

Good Photographs are Critical.
Images that accurately represent the character and use of your open space are instrumental in the jury’s decision making process. Photos should be taken in all four seasons to illustrate the year-round use of the space. It is important that photos show that the space is intensively used on a daily basis by a variety of users and that it provides users with a variety of amenities, including plentiful seating. Be sure that your images include people using the space.
Caption each image for reference purposes, and include photographer credits. All images must be high resolution (300 dpi at 8"x11") as they may be used for future ULI publications. Do not submit color hardcopies; all images should be in electronic format (.JPEG or .TIFF).

Focus on the Project Description.
The project description should be direct and succinct. Focus on what sets your open space apart from others, and most importantly, detail the impact—economic and social—the space has had on its surrounding area. Be sure to provide project metrics wherever possible, as concrete numbers help the jury make their decision. Also include relevant literature on your project—newspaper and magazine articles, blog posts, etc.—that will offer an objective perspective of your project.

Pick One Person to Serve as the Primary Contact.
Decide who will spend focused attention on completing the submittal and include the contact’s name, title, telephone number, and e-mail address. You may wish to use the team members who developed the project to help draft responses to the application. However, the application will be most effective if one person coordinates and processes all information. If your project is selected as a finalist, this person will be ULI’s main point of contact for the site visit and award ceremony.

Keep it Simple.
It may be tempting to create a custom application package, but no jury member will see it. Each submission—application, attached literature, and project images—are presented to the jury in an identical manner to ensure objectivity. All extraneous material and packaging will be thrown away. Keep the focus on presenting the project information and images in a clear, concise manner.

Applicants are Welcome to Resubmit Projects.
Some members of the awards jury are new each year, bringing new perspectives and points of emphasis to the table. The applicant field also changes from year to year, both in size and quality, and your project may have benefited from another year of maturation. Contact the ULI awards staff for tips for improving your application.