ST. PETERSBURG, FL - The International Association of Concrete Drillers and Sawers (IACDS) is pleased to open the competition for the 2009 Diamond Award.

Entries for the Diamond Award must be submitted online no later than October 31, 2008 at www.iacds.org/diamondaward. A panel of international experts from the industry will judge entries based on criteria that include project description; machines and tools; complexity of planning and execution; innovative approaches that solved challenges; quality specifications and photos.

The top three winners will receive complimentary airfare and a three-night hotel stay in Las Vegas for two, courtesy of the Diamond Award sponsors. The sponsors are the World of Concrete, USA; Cedima GmbH, Germany; Diamond Products, USA; Hilti AG, Liechtenstein; Husqvarna Construction Products, Sweden; Hydro-Tec GmbH, Germany; Nestag AG, Switzerland; St. Gobain Abrasives, Belgium; and Tyrolit, Austria.

The first Diamond Award was presented in 2000 and was sponsored by the German Fachverband Bentonbohren und-Sagen. The competition continued to attract increased international participation, and the most recent Diamond Award was presented during the Bauma 2007 trade fair in Munich, Germany. The competition is now administered by IACDS and the awards ceremony will be rotated around the world and presented bi-annually. The awards ceremony at the World of Concrete in Las Vegas will be the first held outside of Germany.

IACDS is comprised of eight country associations, including CSDA. IACDS President Patrick O'Brien O'Brien is executive director of CSDA and will announce the top three winners at an award ceremony press conference at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, February 4, 2009, during the World of Concrete.

IACDS is an international trade association of sawing and drilling associations from the concrete construction and renovation industry. Its mission is to provide an international union and cooperation of trade associations to support and promote professional development of sawing and drilling contractors and their methods. IACDS formed in 1995, and is composed of associations from Australia, Austria, Germany, Japan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.