Eligibility & Judging

The OHBA Awards of Distinction program adheres to the following submission eligibility and reserves the right to disqualify entries that do not observe the requirements or to move them to an appropriate category.

Membership Status

• All entrants and credited companies must have an active OHBA membership in good standing as of June 30, 2024.

Builder/Vendors

• Any builder or vendor* submitters must be licensed with the Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA) to build and/or sell new homes.

Project Phase

• Projects must be open for sale or completed** within the eligibility window of June 2022 – June 2024.
• Purpose-built rental projects are eligible to be submitted. The project must be under construction or development and has gone to lease or plans to go to lease by June 2024.

Geographical Boundaries

• All projects must be located within the province of Ontario.

Resubmission

• Projects that have won a category in the previous two years are not eligible to be entered into the same or similar category.
• Projects that were finalists but did not win are eligible for resubmission so long as they meet the above eligibility criteria.

Credit To

• Each submission can add up to 5 ‘credit to’ companies.
• Credit to companies must be members in good standing as of June 30, 2024.
• Credited companies will be listed in alpha order.
• Credited companies will not be listed on trophy, but additionals may be ordered after the event.

*A vendor is defined by HCRA as the following:

• On the person’s own behalf, sells or transfers a home not previously occupied to an owner
• On the person’s own behalf, sells or transfers a unit in a residential condominium conversation project, which unit had not been previously occupied, to an owner.
• Is the builder, if the builder is acting under a contract with an owner to contrast a home.

**Applicable to renovation, custom projects, and sales and marketing categories

Architectural designers, interior specialists, and marketing agencies are eligible to submit in partnership with a builder/developer/renovator, in specified categories.

• All parties must be members of OHBA in good standing.
• Each party must agree to sharing equal representation by providing contact information for all parties.
• All partnerships will be verified by OHBA.
• In the case that the submission becomes a finalist or winner, the builder/developer/renovator’s name will appear first, followed by partners in alpha order.
• One trophy will be awarded, and additional trophies can be ordered after the awards.

Qualifying Categories

Architectural Designers – Architectural Design (1-14)

Interior Specialists – Renovation (15-19), Room Design (20-26), On Site Sales Presentation (36-40)

Marketing Agencies – Image & Advertising (27-35), On Site Sales Presentation (41-42)

Definitions

Architectural Designers – An Architect or Architectural Technologist, who is a member of the Ontario Association of Architects.

Interior Specialist – A individual or company, who uses the art and science of understanding people’s behaviour to create functional and aesthetically pleasing spaces within a building. This includes services from spatial planning and design, to decor, finishings and furnishings.

Marketing Agencies – A company that provides a broad range of services to help implement an integrated marketing strategy for your brand goals. These services help communicate, analyze, brand, and promote your products and services through creative and tangible solutions.

You may also provide “credit to” for any key contributors to the specific entry.

Accuracy of information submitted is the responsibility of the submitter. OHBA will work to accommodate any revisions or additions to recognition but cannot guarantee once submissions have closed.

Submitters are currently permitted to submit multiple entries for the same project into a category, so long as the models are different.

Submitters are eligible to submit multiple entries for the same project and model, in specified categories, so long as they hold key differentiating factors:

24. Low Rise Amenities
25. High or Mid-Rise Amenity
27. Low Rise Project Video
28. High or Mid-Rise Project Video

When submitting more than one submission for the same project/model with distinguishing features, please sub-title to define the differentiating factors.

The AoD program is judged by a cohort of individuals from within and outside of the building industry, representing the many disciplines of new home construction, design and marketing.

Judges are required to sign a Conflict of Interest and Non-Disclosure agreement prior to judging. In the case of actual or apparent conflict of interest, judges will be recused from their duties.

Entries will be judged according to the judging criteria set out for each award. Each piece of judging criteria is weighted equally.

Awards will not be presented in categories where the quality does not warrant a winner.
A minimum of three submissions are required for a category to proceed.

All decisions of the judges are binding and final.

OHBA reserves the right to disqualify entries that do not observe the requirements.

If an entry is deemed ineligible by OHBA prior to judging, the fee with be returned to the entrant, minus a $50 administration fee per entry.