The competition, sponsored by MIA, the international association for the natural stone industry, is a world-class competition for exceptional projects. The highly coveted awards are given to projects whose beauty, creativity, ingenuity and craftsmanship exemplify professional mastery in the use of natural stone in commercial and residential environments.

The four categories covered in the 2005 competition include Commercial Exterior, Commercial Interior, Residential Interior/Exterior and Renovation/Restoration.

Winners will be announced during the association's annual meeting at StonExpo in Las Vegas, NV, which takes place from October 19 to 22, 2005. The winning entries will be displayed in the MIA booth at StonExpo and at other trade shows. A special brochure will be distributed around the world featuring the winning entries.

The Pinnacle Awards, to be judged by a panel of independent experts selected by the MIA Board of Directors, are open to all MIA member companies. Entries will be evaluated on the basis of excellence in design and implementation, quality of workmanship and suitability of materials.

To be eligible, the projects must have been completed within the past three years (January 2002 to July 2005), and project teams must include at least one MIA member company. Projects submitted must comply with MIA standards as defined in MIA's Dimension Stone Design Manual and MIA Technical Modules.

The fee is $95 for a single entry and $85 for each additional entry. Entries must be received by MIA headquarters in Cleveland by 5 p.m. on July 29, 2005. For further information, see the special Pinnacle Awards Competition brochure mailed by MIA, visit the MIA Web site at www.marble-institute.com, or call MIA at 440-250-9222.