Over the years, the staff has looked at thousands of entries for both the Washingtonian and Chapter Awards competitions. We offer the following observations about what makes for winning portfolios. Consider that the Architecture category in last year's Chapter Awards had more that a hundred submissions. It's critical that your portfolio be clear and well designed so that the jury will put it aside to look at more carefully in the second round. Good photography is critical to a winning entry.
Big pictures are better than small, and glossies are a lot better than color xeroxes.
Less is more. Although the jury will probably concentrate on images, a clear, concise description of your project can be very compelling. Less is more, Part 2. Don't put in a lot of drawings just because you are proud of them. Make sure they work to tell the story.