MBNA Awards Programs

Each year, monument builders submit their best design projects and communications campaigns for MBNA’s two Awards Programs—Aspire and Design. The projects are judged by a group of leading industry professionals. Award winners are recognized at MBNA’s annual conference and featured in MBNews—MBNA’s monthly magazine. Honorees will be announced on January 14, 2022, in Baltimore, MD, at the Mid-Atlantic Monument Builders in partnership with MBNA conference.

Aspire Awards

MBNA’s Aspire Awards recognize monument builder companies that have drawn favorable attention to their companies, and in turn, to the industry through their specialized marketing and/or public relations campaigns.

Up to three (3) winners will be awarded the Aspire Award. Honorable mention entries will receive a certificate of merit. All winning entries will be featured in MBNews.

Any publicity your company has received during the contest year (November 1, 2020, through October 1, 2021) is eligible. This includes coverage by print, broadcast, and/or social media of new acquisitions, company anniversaries, testimonial letters, etc.—in short, any recognition that reflects favorably on your company and the industry!

Submission Deadline: October 22, 2021

  2022 Aspire Awards Entry Form

 

Design Awards

MBNA members from across North America submit their best works for the MBNA Design Awards contest. These projects are judged by a group of monument industry professionals who evaluate elements of proportion, balance, and the story the monument conveys.

For tips on how to submit the highest quality photo for your award entry, please view the video above.

All MBNA Retailer members are eligible to enter the Design Awards contest. All entries are finished monuments that fall into one of nine categories:

• Small Monument Large Monument
• Flat Marker
• Cremation Memorial
• Sculpture
• Etched Memorial
• Public/Civic Monument
• Conceptual Memorial
• Garden Art/Non-Cemetery Memorial

Retailer members may enter as many categories as they wish, and also are allowed to submit more than one entry in a given category.

People’s Choice Award
All Design Award entries are also eligible for the People’s Choice Award which is voted on by MBNA’s membership.

Bert Gast Memorial Trophy
First and second place winners from each category are also eligible for the Bert Gast Memorial Trophy which is awarded by the judging panel to the entry selected as the “best in show.”

Submission Deadline: October 22, 2021

  2022 Design Contest Entry Form

*Note: For all submissions, all designs must originate from an MBNA member firm. Retailer members submitting entries in the contest represent and warrant to MBNA that no materials used in or in connection with the monuments in their entries infringe the trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights of any other party.

For a submission to be considered for the cover of MBNews, please use the following specifications:

• Orientation: vertical
• Size: 8.5” x 11”/ 2,550 x 3,300 px
• Resolution: 300 dpi/ppi,
• File Format: jpg/png/pdf