Anova Furnishings, the U.S. based contemporary outdoor furnishings manufacturer, is launching an exciting new grant program to support licensure candidates undertaking the LARE (Landscape Architecture Registration Examination). Ten awards of $1,000 each will be announced in February 2019, after an application period that kicked off at the ASLA Annual Meeting & EXPO in Philadelphia last week.
The competition is a two-step process. Applicants who meet the requirements to sit for the exam must find a sponsor who is a currently licensed landscape architect to nominate them (sponsors may only nominate one candidate). Nominations must occur between October 19 and November 30, 2018.
Next, applicants will write an essay of 500 words or less explaining how their experiences with the profession and the places shaped by it have demonstrated the value of licensure for landscape architects. This phase of the competition will occur between November 30, 2018 and January 4, 2019.
A panel of three licensed landscape architects will evaluate each nomination, and winners will be selected based on writing style, organization, content, and clarity. Winners will be notified in February, 2019 and recognized on the Anova website and on social media. The $1,000 award will be distributed in two parts – $500 upon selection, and $500 when grantees pass the exam, which must be taken in 2019.
2019 LARE Grant Competition Judging Panel
Anova CEO Eric Gilbert believes that landscape architects have wide reaching, long term impacts on our physical and social environment. When he asked his team how the company can support landscape architects, advocacy kept coming up, and licensure is a key component for advocacy. Gilbert, who fosters a company culture of learning and professional development, said that with this grant program, as well as Anova’s existing grant program now in its third year, supporting landscape architects’ attendance at the ASLA Annual Meeting & EXPO, further supports the reach of the profession by offering individual support. “I think it’s really helpful to know there’s a community behind you,” he said of emerging professionals who must carefully juggle their time and resources during the rigorous LARE process.
By offering ten grants instead of just one, Anova points out that it is recognizing the inherent diversity of the profession. This is the first grant program supporting landscape architecture licensure candidates. “There’s room to grow,” says Gilbert, who welcomes the idea that other companies may follow suit.
For more information on the program, look online at www.anovafurnishings.com/2019LAREgrant.
For more LARE resource on Land8, visit www.land8.com/lare.
Published in Blog, Featured
