Better Homes and Gardens Calls for Entries for Annual Home Improvement Challenge
Tell your residential clients
Better Homes and Gardens, the country’s leading “enthusiast” magazine reaching more than 39 million people monthly, and Wells Fargo & Company announced the 2008 Home Improvement Challenge on April 14. The annual contest continues an 86-year tradition of seeing first-hand how America tackles home improvement projects. (And one question entails whether they employed an architect!) Better Homes and Gardens editors award the most innovative efforts in nine categories. Entries for projects of any size and scope are accepted in the following categories: additions, bath, decorating, exterior face lifts, green improvements, kitchen, outdoor improvement, projects under $5,000, and renovation. One winner in each category will be awarded a $2,500 cash prize. The Grand Prize Winner will receive $40,000 in cash and will be featured in Better Homes and Gardens. Entries are accepted through January 31, 2009. Visit the magazine’s Web site for details and entry forms.

Candidates for 2008 AIA National Office Issue Statements
Meet the candidates for AIA national office, who have issued the following 400-word statements. Click on any name to read that candidate’s statement or watch a video of the candidate speaking at the Grassroots Leadership and Legislative Conference.

kiplinger connection
The Economy • Energy Prices • Small Business
The Economy: Congress may give builders a tax break.
Energy Prices: Gas will gain another 25 cents before falling off.
Small Business: A Web site with leads for overseas projects.

America’s Favorite Architecture Is America’s Favorite Web Site
The AIA has won the People's Voice Webby Award for the America’s Favorite Architecture Web site. The People's Voice Award is notable, given the public selects the winner from the list of nominees set by the award judges. The Webby Awards, announced May 6, is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet. Established in 1996 during the Web's infancy, the Webbys are presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a 550-member body of leading Web experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries, and creative celebrities. You can check out all the winners at www.webbyawards.com.