Eligibility

Any member in good standing with the Ontario Home Builders’ Association as of June 30, 2023, and who has a project that is open for sale or was completed* between June 2021 and June 2023 in Ontario, may enter.

All entrants and their credited companies must have an active OHBA membership status as of June 30, 2022.

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

NEW – Purpose-built rental projects are eligible to submit. The project must be under construction or development and has gone to lease or plan to go to lease by June 2023.

Projects that have won a category in the previous year are not eligible to be entered into a similar category this year.

OHBA reserves the right to disqualify entries that do not observe the requirements, or to move them to an appropriate category.

The 2024 Awards of Distinction Program Committee reserves all publishing rights to the materials submitted.

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

** A vendor is defined by HCRA as the following:

The person who:

  • 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.

Partner / Group Submissions

Architectural designers, interior specialists, and marketing agencies will be 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

Qualifying Categories

Architectural Designers – Architectural Design (1-14)

Interior Specialists – Renovation (15-19), Room Design (20-25), On Site Sales Presentation (35-39)

Marketing Agencies – Image & Advertising (26-34), On Site Sales Presentation (40-41)

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.

Multiple Entries  

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

  1. Low Rise Amenities
  2. High or Mid-Rise Amenity
  3. Low Rise Project Video
  4. 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.

Judging

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.

DISQUALIFICATION

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.

Awards

Awards will only be presented to members in good standing as per the Eligibility timelines.

Marketing, design or other companies submitting on behalf of a builder or renovator will be given an opportunity following the Awards of Distinction gala to purchase additional awards.

Finalists will be announced in mid-August, following the judging process. All category finalists will be contacted directly by OHBA.

 

*Please Note: Only the Builder, Developer and/or Renovator of the submitted project will receive the award.  Team Members (i.e. interior designers, architect, suppliers) may receive a ‘credit to’ at the request of the builder/developer/renovator. 
Additional awards are available for purchase after the awards ceremony.  

AWARDS OF DISTINCTION CO-PRESENTED BY