Got the best project in the whole wide world? Tell us all about it.

About three inches below this blurb on the website is a shiny brass icon that says “Projects of the Year.” When you get the time, you should scroll down there and give it a hit.

Once again, it’s time for the editors of POWERGRID International magazine and PennWell Corp. to select the best and brightest grid projects for our annual awards program.

The winners will be selected for four specific categories: Smart Grid Project of the Year, Smart Metering Project of the Year, Demand Response/Energy Efficiency Project of the Year and Renewable Grid Integration Project of the Year.

The awards will be given out during the keynote presentation at the DistribuTECH 2012 conference in San Antonio, Texas, Jan. 24, 2012.

Each year, the judges select winners based on five specific criteria:
* Ingenuity
* Scope
* Practicality
* Vision
* Follow-through

Any interested party may submit an entry for consideration by Oct. 28, 2011. One award winning utility company will be named in each category. All companies involved in transmission and/or distribution of electric power are eligible, including investor-owned utilities, federal power agencies, municipal utilities and rural electric cooperatives. Also eligible are RTOs, ISOs, independent transmission companies and other T and D-owning/operating entities.

Project/implementation (or significant phases of a phased rollout) must have been completed between Dec. 1, 2010, and Dec. 1, 2011.

Submit an entry form along with a description of the project/implementation (1,000 words maximum). Project description must include history of the project, project details, major participants (customer, vendor, consultants, etc.), and reasons the project/implementation should be considered for Project of the Year. Include significant dates (contract signing, project start, project completion/go-live date) in the project description.

Award winners will be recognized in an exclusive feature article in POWERGRID International magazine (formerly Utility Automation & Engineering T and D magazine) and Jan. 24-26, 2012 during the DistribuTECH 2012 Conference & Exhibition in San Antonio.

Winning entries will work with a POWERGRID International editor---yeah, OK, it's going to be me; you caught me---to develop the article and award video between the closing Oct. 28, 2011, and the official award ceremony Jan. 24, 2012. High-resolution photos/graphics/artwork (up to 10) and additional details on the project will be required.

For questions, you can contact me directly at kathleend@pennwell.com.

So, tell me all about those groundbreaking projects, that fabulous smart grid work and how you program benefited the consumer. I’m all ears.