The SMPS Marketing Communications Awards (MCA) program provides an opportunity for firms to showcase their best marketing practices and to educate the A/E/C industries about the critical role of marketing. In its 46th year, this annual competition is the longest-standing, most prestigious awards program recognizing excellence in marketing and communications by professional services firms in the design and building industries.

Our final deadline is March 20, 2023, and the early discount rate ends on February 15, 2023. Entering the competition benefits companies in multiple ways:

Provides criteria that marketing teams can use with their marketing projects. Many entrants find the entry form questionnaire is a great resource for their marketing planning outside the MCA program. The criteria are based on five areas: marketing objectives, research/planning, target audience, messaging, and results.

Allows your team to validate the value of your work. The process of submitting an entry to the MCA program allows marketers the added benefit of documenting and benchmarking the work they do for their firm.

Provides recognition for your marketing team. Get noticed by your colleagues and industry peers. MCA provides a unique opportunity for the marketing and communication teams of A/E/C firms to stand out and be recognized.

Offers recognition for your firm. Who doesn’t want to work for (or hire!) an award-winning firm? MCA provides a unique opportunity to showcase your firm as a leader in marketing communications through best practices. All finalists’ entries become part of an MCA Gallery, which offers great exposure.

Provides motivation and team-building in your firm. Entering an awards competition is a powerful way to say, “We’re proud of the work our team accomplishes!” It also offers an opportunity for your team to work together and synthesize that energy into a well-performing show of strength.

Gaining peer evaluation and feedback. Every entrant receives feedback on their submission. The feedback offers great insight and has proven to be valuable for firms who enter the program.

You can’t win and be recognized if you don’t enter! Here’s what a few entrants had to say when asked: What was the best part about being a finalist in the 2022 program?

“This was our first year entering and seeing what the winners did was helpful learning what to submit going forward.”

“It felt great to win and have our project shown to attendees at Amplify A|E|C. Very validating.”

“Being recognized by peers for our creative work.”

“It was awesome watching my peers and friends be recognized.”

The competitive spirit that drives us to win work for our team was a force behind our decision to compete in the SMPS Marketing Communications Awards (MCA) within two categories. It wasn’t for the big W (or M in the case). We wanted to celebrate the heart of Hargis that continues to beat strong today. It’s what carries us through uncertainty, unites us to serve a common good, and inspires us to reach for audacious goals. To us, the MCA is a way to recognize the whole team—all 200-plus of us—for doing the right thing, for the right reasons, and to celebrate mission accomplished.

Even so, there’s something exhilarating about receiving that e-mail that we were a finalist. And that feeling was heightened when we sat in the audience at Amplify A|E|C waiting to hear which entry was deemed worthy of the Award of Excellence. That moment when our name was called out was euphoric and surreal. It was an amazing feeling to know we captured the story and conveyed it in such a way it received national recognition. It’s an honor that we were proud to share with our entire team, which they so rightly deserved. They played the leading role and we, the marketing team, were the storytellers.

Hargis Engineers from Seattle, WA, won an Award of Excellence in the category of Crisis Management and Communications. To view their winning entry, visit our 2022 MCA gallery.

SMPS Announces the Winners of the 2021 Marketing Communications Awards
The longest-standing program recognizes marketing and communications excellence.

Alexandria, VA (August 6, 2021) – The Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS), the premier A/E/C marketing and business development association, is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2021 Marketing Communications Awards (MCA) program. This annual competition is the longest-standing, most prestigious awards program recognizing excellence in marketing and communications by professional services firms in the design and building industries. The MCA finalists, including Best of Show and People’s Choice, were recognized during the MCA Virtual Show held online during Build Business, Thursday, August 5, at 1:15 p.m. ET.

The Best of Show Award competition features the winning entries from each category going head-to-head. One of the entries is then chosen as Best of Show voted on by a jury of industry experts. This year’s award went to JE Dunn Construction’s entry called “2020 By the Numbers holiday video”.  The jurors commented, “This entry does a great job balancing both the personal and business successes from this past year. We also appreciated the sincere way they connected with their audience. They also showed their ROI, which is very important in this competition.”

The People’s Choice Award recipient, voted on by conference attendees and the virtual SMPS community alike, was awarded to EXP from Chicago, for their Recruitment and Retention Communications entry entitled, “MyEXPerience Series”.

“This was our 44^th year honoring excellence in marketing communications produced by A/E/C firms and their agencies, and we had an amazing number of impressive entries. Because of the hard work and dedication of these marketing professionals, we can share their work and inspire others,” commented Molly Dall’Erta, awards program director for SMPS.

Congratulations to the following firms that were recognized:

Advertising
Award of Excellence: Kathleen Mangan Communications, Hagerstown,MD;  Attic Light Studio, Shepherdstown, WV; Erin Derby Photography, Brooklyn, NY (Print)

Book/Monograph
Award of Excellence: Method Architecture, Houston, TX (Print and ebook Editions)
Merit Award: Bird Construction, Toronto, Ontario (Print and ebook Editions)
Merit Award: Langan, Parsippany, NJ (Print and ebook Editions)
Merit Award: Middle of Six, Tacoma, WA (Print)
Merit Award: STO Building Group, New York, NY (Digital)

Brand Awareness Campaign
Award of Excellence: PCL Construction, Denver, CO (Mixed Media)
Merit Award: Burgess & Niple, Columbus, OH (Digital)

Brochure-Digital
Award of Excellence: PCL Construction, North American Headquarters, Edmonton, Alberta
Merit Award: LF Driscoll, Bala Cynwyd, PA
Merit Award: Threaded Marketing Group, Charlotte, NC

Corporate Identity-New Identity
Award of Excellence: Charrette Venture Group, Clive, IA

Corporate Identity-Rebranding
Award of Excellence: Clearstory—Wayfinding and Placemaking, San Francisco, CA (tie)
Award of Excellence: McElhanney, Vancouver, British Columbia (tie)
Merit Award: Straub Construction, Shawnee, KS
Merit Award: The Collective, San Francisco, CA

Crisis Management and Communications
Award of Excellence: DAHLIN Group Architecture | Planning, Pleasanton, CA
Merit Award: Elevate Marketing Advisors, Houston, TX
Merit Award: Jacobsen Construction Company, Salt Lake City, UT
Merit Award: PCL Construction, Denver, CO
Merit Award: Schaefer, Cincinnati, OH

Direct-Mail Campaign
Award of Excellence: Bala Consulting Engineers, Philadelphia, PA (Print)
Merit Award: Emery Sapp & Sons, Kansas City, MO (Mixed Media)

External Newsletter/Publication
Award of Excellence: PCL Construction, North American Headquarters, Edmonton, Alberta (Print)
Merit Award: JE Dunn Construction, Kansas City, MO (Mixed Media)
Merit Award: Pond, Peachtree Corners, GA (Mixed Media)

Holiday Piece-Digital
Award of Excellence: JE Dunn Construction, Kansas City, MO
Merit Award: Ferguson Pape Baldwin Architects, San Diego, CA
Merit Award: Sasaki, Boston, MA
Merit Award: Selbert Perkins Design, Playa Del Rey, CA

Holiday Piece-Mixed Media
Award of Excellence: Schaefer, Cincinnati, OH
Merit Award: CAA ICON, Denver, CO
Merit Award: Elevate Marketing Advisors, Houston, TX
Merit Award: McKim & Creed, Inc., Raleigh, NC

Holiday Piece-Print
Award of Excellence: QK, Visalia, CA
Merit Award: Brick Architecture and Interiors, dba brick., Oakland, CA
Merit Award: JVA, Inc., Boulder, CO

Internal Communications-Digital
Award of Excellence: Garver, North Little Rock, AR
Merit Award: CPL, Rochester, NY
Merit Award: McKim & Creed, Inc., Raleigh, NC

Internal Communications-Mixed Media
Award of Excellence: Emery Sapp & Sons, Kansas City, MO
Merit Award: Armstrong Consultants, Inc., Grand Junction, CO
Merit Award: Moody Nolan, Columbus, OH

Internal Communications-Print
Award of Excellence: McKim & Creed, Inc., Raleigh, NC
Merit Award: Hensel Phelps, Austin, TX
Merit Award: JE Dunn Construction, Kansas City, MO

Internal Newsletter
Award of Excellence: JE Dunn Construction, Kansas City, MO (Mixed Media)
Merit Award: ECS Limited, Chantilly, VA (Digital)
Merit Award: ms consultants, Columbus, OH (Digital)
Merit Award: The PENTA Building Group, Las Vegas, NV (Digital)

Mobile App
Award of Excellence: Fiore & Sons, Inc., Denver, CO

Project Pursuit Marketing-Digital
Award of Excellence: The PENTA Building Group, Los Angeles, CA
Merit Award: Michael Baker International, Pittsburgh, PA

Project Pursuit Marketing-Mixed Media
Award of Excellence: VHB, Tysons, VA
Merit Award: Pulice-FNF-Flatiron Joint Venture, Phoenix, AZ

Project Pursuit Marketing-Print
Award of Excellence: Armstrong Consultants, Inc., Grand Junction, CO
Merit Award: TankGirl Marketing, Phoenix, AZ

Promotional Campaign-Digital
Award of Excellence: CDM Smith, Boston, MA
Merit Award: Golder, Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Merit Award: Golder, Palm Beach Gardens, FL

Promotional Campaign-Mixed Media
Award of Excellence: Hensel Phelps, Greeley, CO
Merit Award: American Institute of Steel Construction, Chicago, IL
Merit Award: Stantec, Austin, TX

Recruitment and Retention Communications

Award of Excellence: Harkins Builders, Columbia, MD (Print) (tie)
Award of Excellence: CannonDesign, Buffalo, NY (Print) (tie)
Merit Award: EXP, Chicago, IL (Digital)

Social Media-Basic (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn)
Award of Excellence: Hickok Cole, Washington, DC
Merit Award: Emery Sapp & Sons, Kansas City, MO
Merit Award: JE Dunn Construction, Kansas City, MO

Merit Award: Kathleen Mangan Communications, Hagerstown, MD; Attic Light Studio, Shepherdstown, WV; Cillian Fitzgerald, Killarney, Ireland
Merit Award: Lionakis, Sacramento, CA
Merit Award: PCL Construction, US Headquarters – Denver, CO

Social Media-Blogs
Award of Excellence: GBBN, Cincinnati, OH (tie)
Award of Excellence: Gilbane Building Company, Providence, RI (tie)
Merit Award: Lionakis, Sacramento, CA
Merit Award: LS3P, Charleston, SC

Social Media-Podcasts
Award of Excellence: M+A Architects, Columbus, OH
Merit Award: LandDesign, Charlotte, NC
Merit Award: WGI, West Palm Beach, FL

Special Event-Digital
Award of Excellence: GBBN, Cincinnati, OH
Merit Award: Barton Malow, Southfield, MI
Merit Award: CDM Smith, Boston, MA

Special Event-Mixed Media + Print
Award of Excellence: Hickok Cole, Washington, DC (Mixed Media)
Merit Award: Ayers Saint Gross, Baltimore, MD (Mixed Media)
Merit Award: CG Schmidt, Inc., Milwaukee, WI (Print)
Merit Award: Hensel Phelps, Thornton, CO (Mixed Media)

Trade Show Marketing
Award of Excellence: Michael Baker International, Pittsburgh, PA
Merit Award: Wright-Pierce, Andover, MA

Video-External
Award of Excellence: CMG Landscape Architecture, San Francisco, CA
Merit Award: Bird Construction, Toronto, Ontario
Merit Award: Garney Construction, North Kansas City, MO
Merit Award: Rogers-O’Brien Construction, Dallas, TX

Video-Internal
Award of Excellence: Emery Sapp & Sons, Kansas City, MO
Merit Award: Barton Malow, Southfield, MI
Merit Award: Rogers-O’Brien Construction, Dallas, TX

Website-External and Internal
Award of Excellence: Gilbane Building Company, Providence, RI (External)
Merit Award: Anser Advisory, LLC, Orlando, FL (Internal)
Merit Award: Dattner Architects, New York, NY (External)
Merit Award: FirstCarbon Solutions, Irvine, CA (External)
Merit Award: Sasaki, Boston, MA (External)
Merit Award: Stellar, Jacksonville, FL (External)

The SMPS Marketing Communications Awards (MCA) recognize the individuals and teams who create outstanding communication vehicles for architectural, engineering, design, and construction firms. Visit the MCA Gallery to see the winning entries.

Entries for the 2022 program will be accepted beginning December 1, 2021. Stay tuned for information about the 2022 program on the MCA webpage.

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Business Transformed Through Marketing Leadership: The Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) is the only organization dedicated to creating business opportunities in the A/E/C industries. With almost 7,000 members, SMPS provides leadership and professional development programs, industry research, business-building events, and vital marketing resources. Through SMPS, A/E/C professionals in North America tap into powerful networks to form project teams, secure business referrals and intelligence, and benchmark performance. The Society is committed to validating the practice of marketing and business development as essential to the success of all professional services firms. Learn more about SMPS at smps.org.

SMPS Announces Finalists for the 2021 Marketing Communications Awards

Recognizing 44 years of marketing and communications excellence

Alexandria, VA (June 4, 2021) –The Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS), the premier A/E/C marketing and business development association, is pleased to announce the finalists of its 2021 Marketing Communications Awards (MCA).

This annual competition is the longest-standing, most prestigious awards program recognizing excellence in marketing and communications by professional services firms in the design and building industries. The MCA program acknowledges teams that create outstanding communication vehicles for architectural, engineering, design, and construction firms. You may view the finalists’ entries by visiting the online MCA Gallery.

Congratulations to the following firms that have been named finalists:

American Institute of Steel Construction, Chicago, IL

Anser Advisory, LLC, Orlando, FL

Armstrong Consultants, Inc., Grand Junction, CO

Ayers Saint Gross, Baltimore, MD

Bala Consulting Engineers, Philadelphia, PA

Barton Malow, Southfield, MI

Bird Construction, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Brick Architecture and Interiors, dba brick., Oakland, CA

Burgess & Niple, Columbus, OH

CAA ICON, Denver, CO

CannonDesign, Buffalo, NY

CDM Smith, Boston, MA

CG Schmidt, Inc., Milwaukee, WI

Charrette Venture Group, Clive, IA

Clearstory—Wayfinding and Placemaking,
San Francisco, CA

CMG Landscape Architecture, San Francisco, CA

CPL, Rochester, NY

DAHLIN Group Architecture | Planning, Pleasanton, CA

Dattner Architects, New York, NY

ECS Limited, Chantilly, VA

Elevate Marketing Advisors, Houston, TX

Emery Sapp & Sons, Kansas City, MO

EXP, Chicago, IL

Ferguson Pape Baldwin Architects, San Diego, CA

Fiore & Sons, Inc., Denver, CO

FirstCarbon Solutions, Irvine, CA

Garney Construction, North Kansas City, MO

Garver, North Little Rock, AR

GBBN, Cincinnati, OH

Gilbane Building Company, Providence, RI

Golder, Palm Beach Gardens, FL

Harkins Builders, Columbia, MD

Hensel Phelps, Austin, TX

Hensel Phelps, Greeley, CO

Hensel Phelps, Thornton, CO

Hickok Cole, Washington, DC

Jacobsen Construction Company, Salt Lake City, UT

JE Dunn Construction, Kansas City, MO

JVA, Inc., Boulder, CO

Kathleen Mangan Communications, Attic Light Studio, Hagerstown, MD; Shepherdstown, WV

Kathleen Mangan Communications, Attic Light Studio, Erin Derby Photography, Hagerstown, MD; Shepherdstown, WV; Brooklyn, NY

LandDesign, Charlotte, NC

Langan, Parsippany, NJ

LF Driscoll, Bala Cynwyd, PA

Lionakis, Sacramento, CA

LS3P, Charleston, SC

M+A Architects, Columbus, OH

McElhanney, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

McKim & Creed, Inc., Raleigh, NC

Method Architecture, Houston, TX

Michael Baker International, Pittsburgh, PA

Middle of Six, Tacoma, WA

Moody Nolan, Columbus, OH

ms consultants, Columbus, OH

PCL Construction, Denver, CO

PCL Construction, North American Headquarters, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Pond, Peachtree Corners, GA

Pulice-FNF-Flatiron Joint Venture, Phoenix, AZ

QK, Visalia, CA

Rogers-O’Brien Construction, Dallas, TX

Sasaki, Boston, MA

Schaefer, Cincinnati, OH

Selbert Perkins Design, Playa Del Rey, CA

Stantec, Austin, TX

Stellar, Jacksonville, FL

STO Building Group, New York, NY

Straub Construction, Shawnee, KS

TankGirl Marketing, Phoenix, AZ

The Collective, San Francisco, CA

The PENTA Building Group, Las Vegas, NV

The PENTA Building Group, Los Angeles, CA

Threaded Marketing Group, Charlotte, NC

VHB, Tysons, VA

WGI, West Palm Beach, FL

Wright-Pierce, Andover, MA

This is the only awards program that highlights the critical role and immense value marketing professionals bring to the design and building industries. The award winners will be announced and honored as a part of Build Business, the SMPS annual conference.

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Business Transformed Through Marketing Leadership. The Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) is the only organization dedicated to creating business opportunities in the A/E/C industries. With almost 7,000 members, SMPS provides leadership and professional development programs, industry research, business-building events, and vital marketing resources. Through SMPS, A/E/C professionals in North America tap into powerful networks to form project teams, secure business referrals and intelligence, and benchmark performance. The Society is committed to validating the practice of marketing and business development as essential to the success of all professional services firms. Learn more about SMPS at smps.org.

In the 2019 Marketing Communications Awards program, Award of Excellence winners in all categories were considered for the Best of Show Award, which was selected online by a jury of industry executives prior to our conference, Build Business. The Best of Show Award was bestowed upon Moody Nolan, from Columbus, OH, for its winning entry in the Project Pursuit category, a proposal for the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM). The jurors noted, “The blending of the animations, videos, and printed materials conveyed the complete scope of the project in an interactive way drawing the audience into the experience.”

For the People’s Choice Award, all winning entries were displayed online and voted on by conference attendees and SMPS members alike. The award was given to EXP from Chicago, IL, for its External Newsletter/Publication – Digital entry titled, “EXP expresso 15: Convergence.”

To read more about the individual projects and their goals and results, download the full article.

Interested in entering the 2020 Marketing Communications Awards? Save on your entry when you submit yours by March 1, 2020. Final deadline to enter is March 22, 2020.