For the first time in its 44-year history the BALI 2020 National Landscape Awards goes virtual
70 Awards have been bestowed on 49 members of the British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI), with 124 entries submitted overall for the BALI 2020 National Landscape Awards. Members will now compete for the prestigious Principals, Specials and coveted Grand Award at this year’s event, which will be held virtually via a special online broadcast on Friday 4th December 2020.
Working with its production company H2 Business Communication, BALI is pulling out all the stops to create a spectacular digital showcase packed full of showstopping moments that will retain the magic of what makes the BALI National Landscape Awards the leading industry awards ceremony in Europe.
BALI, with support from headline sponsor Green-tech, believe this is the right decision, for the health and wellbeing of its staff, members and their guests. Members will be invited to join BALI for a worldwide broadcast of the prestigious event on the same day the ceremony was due to take place in London and is looking forward to celebrating with industry colleagues and cheering on all of this year’s National Landscape Award winners from the comfort of our own homes and businesses.
Says BALI’s Chief Executive Wayne Grills on the event going virtual: “This decision was not taken lightly. For months the team has been exploring all avenues for a safe and enjoyable event. Now the decision has been made progress on the online experience can continue unabated with the full support of our board of directors. The health and wellbeing of our staff, members and their clients is of paramount importance to us as an association and we have a duty of care to everyone, as well as to set an example for the rest of the industry to follow.
Out of the 70 Awards announced, seven were from new members who have joined BALI in the past 12 months and 13 were first-time entrants to the awards, with several members also winning multiple times. Registered Contractors Bowles & Wyer and idverde both picked up four Awards, whilst Garden Club London and Graduate Gardeners each took home three. International Member DDON Planning and Design Inc. achieved five Awards out of 13 winning entries in a fiercely contended category, ‘International Award – BALI International Members only’.
The BALI National Landscape Awards’ expert Adjudication Panel, led by Chair John Melmoe, was joined by Wayne Grills and team members from Landscape House for three days of deliberation in mid-August, where every entry was reviewed and scrutinised.
Commenting on this year’s judging, John said:
“The 2020 BALI Awards will undoubtedly go down in the annuals of history for being the most challenging to pull off. The Adjudication Panel, supported by determined BALI staff, were adamant that the COVID issues would not undermine the integrity of the inspection and judging process. The entrants, in all categories, deserved this commitment which has been delivered with gusto and enthusiasm.
We were once again delighted to see members totally focused on submitting flawless projects, highlighting significant contributions from their staff. For the first time in the Awards’ history a number of schemes could not be separated on the merits of workmanship and quality alone, with the panel having to revert to the details in the entrants’ technical submissions to determine the ultimate winners. So often entrants overlook the importance of the submission packs despite it being clearly identified in the entry criteria. As the quality and complexity of schemes continue to rise, year on year, a few companies who entered this year’s Awards may regret this oversight.”
For list of winners of Further details on this year’s online event, including how to take part and how to celebrate with us, will be shared in the lead up to the 4th December 2020. Visit baliawards.co.uk for the latest updates and click here for a preview of some of the entries.