Does your lab have it all?

What's New Magazines and Science Industry Australia Inc (SIA) invite entries to the Laboratory of the Year competition. All new or renovated laboratories completed and occupied between 1 January 2002 and 31 December 2004 are eligible to enter. Laboratories should have an appropriate site, good and attractive architecture, and contribute functionally to the optimum performance of staff using the laboratory. In addition, the facility should provide for the efficient use of energy, the safety of personnel and experiments, convenient ingress and egress for both staff and visitors (including handicapped) and materials. Complying with Australian Standards is recommended.

Eligibility

The competition is for research laboratories, quality assurance and pathology laboratories and testing and standards laboratories. For this competition, 'laboratory' refers to any building wing, addition, or portion of a building that contains one or more work areas.

Any freestanding laboratory, major interior renovation of an existing laboratory, or laboratory as an addition to an existing building may be entered.

Laboratories designed to accommodate more than 20 laboratory personnel qualify for the major award: 'The What's New Magazines/SIA 2005 Laboratory of the Year' Award.

Laboratories designed for fewer than 21 laboratory personnel will qualify for the 'Small Laboratory of the Year' Award.

Judging

A jury of representatives from the architectural, scientific, and laboratory equipment communities, plus the editor of What's New in Laboratory Technology, will select the laboratories that merit awards. Judges will individually review each entry prior to a roundtable discussion with the What's New Magazines editor and publishers. At the roundtable meeting, the written and Powerpoint (or similar) materials will be reviewed and the winners selected.

At the discretion of the judges, one Laboratory of the Year and one Small Laboratory of the Year will be selected, and High Honours may be awarded to others.

Winners will be notified on or before 18 April 2005.

Awards

Awards will be made to winning entrants during the Laboratory Week 2005 event, which includes the Better Lab Design 2005 Conference that is being held 27-28 April 2005 at the Melbourne Convention Centre (MCC), Melbourne. Winning entries will be prominently displayed at the conference and Science 2005 Exhibition which are being held concurrently at the MCC.

A panel of independent judges will judge entries received from the standardised material that is to be supplied. So be sure you have provided adequate written and visual information about the laboratory and its mission.

Please call the SIA on +61 2 9487 8453 for an entry form or email sia@scienceindustry.com.au.