Instructions
Getting Started
Returning users – If you’ve participated in previous BILD Alberta, BILD Edmonton or BILD Calgary or CHBA National award programs, use the same account login. Reset your password if needed.
If you are a member of multiple local BILD associations, you have two options:
- Compete as one company – Use the same company name in all regions, create one user profile, and submit up to three entries per category for each membership. The parent company name will be recognized, and points will be combined for the Pinnacle Award.
- Compete as separate companies – Create different user profiles for each company. Each company submits up to three entries per category per membership, but points are not combined. Companies compete against each other for the Pinnacle Award.
DEADLINE TO ENTER: MAY 21 at NOON (website opens in April)
Entry Fees
- All Categories (except below): $245 + GST per entry
- Innovation Category: $150 + GST per entry
- Pinnacle, Safety Leadership and Community Service Categories: FREE
Entries are only eligible after payment is received. If an entry is deemed ineligible before judging, the fee will be refunded. Payment methods include credit card, cheque, and EFT.
Automatic Entry for Pinnacle Awards
Entrants are automatically entered for the Pinnacle Award(s). When logging into the system, be prepared to provide
- Company logo (PNG format)
- Social media accounts (used for promotion of finalists and winners)
- Number of permits pulled between January 1 - December 31, 2024 (enter “0” if applying for ONLY Developer or Renovator Pinnacle)
- Permission to contact your customer satisfaction surveyor (Avid Ratings or CustomerInsight). Enter N/A if not applicable.
- Association involvement details (name and committee/board participation). Enter “none” if your company is not active on a committee
- WCB number
Conditions & Requirements
To stage a competition in the individual categories there must be at least three entries from two different companies. For the Innovation and Safety Leadership categories, there must be at least two entries from two different companies.
Eligibility: Only members of BILD Alberta as of December 31, 2024 are eligible to enter.
Builders must have a valid Builder License at the time of entry and it must be active at the time of the award ceremony.
Renovators must be registered with Service Alberta as a prepaid contractor at the time of entry and must be active at the time of the award ceremony.
Good Standing: Only members in good standing throughout the competition are eligible to enter. A member in good standing is considered to be one with no outstanding invoices with BILD Alberta and to be in good standing with the local BILD when finalists and winners are announced. Those not in good standing may be eliminated from the competition.
Period of Entry: Eligible units (new or renovated) must be completed (ready for sale, rent, or occupancy) during the following periods:
- Single Family Awards – May 1, 2024 – May 15, 2025
- Multi-family Awards – May 1, 2024 – May 15, 2025
- Renovation Awards – May 1, 2024 – May 15, 2025
- Energy Efficiency Award – May 1, 2023 – May 15, 2025 (2-year window)
- Garden/Secondary Suite Award - May 1, 2023 – May 15, 2025 (2-year window)
- Basement Development Award - May 1, 2023 – May 15, 2025 (2-year window)
- Developer Awards – May 1, 2023 – May 15, 2025 (2-year window)
- Innovation Awards - May 1, 2023 – May 15, 2025 (time frame to be used for product/service launch).
- Safety Leadership Awards - May 1, 2024 – May 15, 2025 (timeline to be used in answering the questions). The responses should reflect initiatives during that time frame and should not be copied from any previous entries. – FREE to Enter
- Community Service Award - May 1, 2024 – May 15, 2025 (timeline to be used in answering the questions) – FREE to Enter
More information can be found in the criteria and submission requirements documents.
Disqualification: Any entrants or projects may be disqualified from participating at the sole discretion of BILD Alberta, or in the event that such entrant or submission, if successful, would be reasonably likely to damage the reputation of BILD Alberta, bring BILD Alberta into disrepute, attract adverse publicity, or harm the confidence of the public in BILD Alberta.
Entering Online: All entries, including free submissions, are considered complete once they have gone through the checkout process. Deadline for online submissions is Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at noon. All information is considered truthful and accurate at time of submission.
Location: Projects entered in the BILD Alberta Awards competition must be located in Alberta in the market area covered by the local BILD where the entrant is a member.
(i.e. If you have an entry that is in Canmore, you must be a BILD Calgary member; if you have an entry for Lacombe you must be a BILD Central member etc.)
Number of Entries: A MAXIMUM OF THREE (3) ENTRIES PER CATEGORY ARE ALLOWED PER MEMBER for each local membership. For example, if you are a member of Lethbridge, your project(s) must be located within the area covered by BILD Lethbridge.
Authorization: Entries must be authorized by the home builder, professional renovator, developer member, or general member including any entry submitted on their behalf by an authorized third party.
Legal: There cannot be any outstanding lawsuits and/or liens on any property entered in the competition.
Original Entries: Entries must be original. Any entry previously made to the BILD Alberta Awards is not eligible. However, an entry using the same floor plan for a production home or multi-family dwelling unit may be submitted again for a home in a different location than the previous entry.
Blind Competition: Any reference to company must be removed from photos, floor plans and write ups. This applies to all categories except for the Developer, Innovation and Community Service categories. Failure to remove logos may result in a penalty.
Materials: All materials submitted become the property of BILD Alberta. Entrants agree that BILD Alberta may use the information and material submitted for promotional purposes or in any manner the Association chooses. Information, project names/model/residence name and photographic images provided with the entry form may be used publicly by BILD Alberta on its website, social/digital media platforms and/or published or broadcasted by BILD Alberta or a third party at the discretion of the Association.
Important Documents
The Homeowner Permission Form must be completed and signed by the homeowner for all owner-occupied homes entered in the competition. Showhomes or homes in the builders’ possession are not required to complete the form. Click here to download the Homeowner Permission Form.
A detailed price breakdown may be required should it be a spec house or a renovation. Please find the spreadsheets here:
- Single Family
- Infill
- Multi-family
- Renovation
- Basement Development
Pricing
See specific pricing information on the criteria and submission requirements documents.
Submitted pricing information is received in confidence and will only be referred to to confirm accuracy of project and is not published.
In the case where there is no statement of adjustment (sold inventory), you must upload a statement of declaration with the FINAL sale priced signed by the purchaser.
Images & Floor/Site Plans
Images
See specific photo requirements on the criteria documents.
Photographs have an impact on how judges see your entry and influence your final score. Photos should be of professional quality.
- Submit colour images that are 3000px wide and 300ppi for the perfect combination of fast upload times and file sizes large enough to view on the website, at the award ceremony and in printed material.
- The size upload limit is 5MB. Larger files cannot be uploaded.
- Photos are automatically renamed once uploaded.
- Image orientation can be horizontal or vertical.
- No major alterations to the photos (interior or exterior) are permitted. Colour correction is acceptable. Exceptions: Sales Centres may be covered up with a standard garage door only. Dirt can be covered with grass (no landscaping).
- Do not submit images that have borders, frames, logos, or watermarks.
- All logos must be removed from images.
- Detached garages are not to be included in any photos.
- Renderings are not permitted.
Renovators: When taking “before” and “after” pictures of a renovation, photograph from the same location or angle to help the judges understand the “transformation”.
Floor Plans and Site Plans
Floor plans and site plans must be uploaded in a PDF format no larger than 5 MB.
- Upload simple plans – the same kind you would provide to clients or put on your website.
- Do not include elevations or renderings.
- All logos must be removed from documents.
- If your plans are on more than one page, combine them into a single PDF document and upload all together.
Hints & Tips
Here are a few words of advice from the organizers and judges to help you to prepare a winning entry, and to know what pitfalls to avoid.
- Use bullets or point form in the text boxes – easier for you to write and easier for the judges to understand.
- Focus on what can't be seen in photos.
- Word counts are the maximum only – don’t feel obligated to meet the word count limit with each question. It’s much better to be concise in your answers.
- More entries = better odds. Increase your chances of winning the Pinnacle Award by entering as many categories as possible.
- You can also go back and edit your entry up until the deadline. If you know that you will be submitting an entry close to the entry date for whatever reason, it is strongly recommended that you prepare your entry using a Word doc. That way, if you have computer glitches, your work will at least be saved.
- Give yourself enough time to take your time and double-check the entry before you submit it.
FAQs
What’s NEW this year?
Basements can no longer be included as part of any submission.
They can be entered in the new category - Basement Development.
Can I add virtual staging to a home?
Yes, virtual staging is permitted. This can only be used for soft goods such as furniture, area rugs, plants, or artwork. It cannot be used for hard goods such as light fixtures, faucets, appliances or flooring.
When will the Awards platform be open for submission?
The platform will open in April. All members subscribed to our newsletter will be notified.
When is the deadline?
Entries will be accepted until Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at noon.
I’m a new member. Can I enter?
You must have been a member as of December 31, 2024 to be eligible for this year’s award program.
Can I enter my project if I am not a member of the local BILD in the area in which the project is located?
No. Being able to enter a project in the BILD Alberta Awards is a benefit of membership. Therefore, you should contact the local BILD in the area (or closest to) in which your project is located and consider membership.
Can I enter my project if it is located in an area not served by any local BILD?
Yes. If there is no local BILD where the project is located in Alberta, you may still enter it if you are a BILD Alberta member.
Are projects located outside Alberta eligible for the BILD Alberta Awards?
No.
Are renderings acceptable as image uploads?
No. Renderings are only accepted where specified on the category document.
Can logos be on images and floor plans?
This is a blind competition. Failure to remove any reference of company (photos, floor plans and comments) may result in a penalty. This applies to all categories except the Developer, Innovation and Community Service categories.
I’ve got two great projects/homes in the same category. Can I enter both?
Yes. You can enter up to THREE projects/homes per category for each local BILD membership. Projects correspond to the market area served by the local BILD. If you have two local memberships (e.g. Edmonton & Central Alberta) you can enter three projects in each category for each membership.
What do you consider a Multi-family?
All units built as a part of a multi-family project must be entered into the Multi-family categories. This includes duplexes, townhomes, and apartment-style condominiums which all share at least one common wall. Definition for each product is as follows:
- DUPLEX – semi-detached homes or two units attached
- TOWNHOME/ROW HOME – three or more attached homes
- APARTMENT – four or more attached units with a common entrance
If they do not share a common wall they must be entered into the appropriate Single Family category.
What’s the difference between Multi-family Apartment and Multi-family Rental Unit?
Entries in the Multi-family Apartment category must be a unit that has been sold or is for sale to a homeowner(s). Entries in the Multi-family Rental Unit category must be a unit from a purpose-built apartment or townhome.
Where can I enter an INFILL home?
An infill home is defined as a new home constructed on vacant, underused lots interspersed among older, existing properties in an established urban neighbourhood. Infill homes must be entered into the appropriate infill category. They can only be entered once and cannot be entered in the single family categories.
If the home is still in the builder’s possession, do I need to submit a homeowner permission form?
No, you are not required to submit a homeowner permission form.
I have more questions or need clarification, who do I contact?
Email: awards@bildalberta.ca Call: 780-424-5890
ABOUT RENOVATIONS
What should be included in the renovation cost?
To determine which category your renovation should be entered in, the cost of the renovation must include your estimate of the dollar value of any materials the homeowner self-supplied. This must include any project management fees. See the specific pricing information on the criteria and submission requirements documents.
Can I enter a kitchen or bathroom renovation in the Kitchen and Bathroom categories, and also enter them as part of a Whole House submission?
Yes.
Where can I enter a basement renovation?
Basement can be entered in the NEW Basement Development category. No before photos are required.
Tips for photos?
When taking “before” and “after” pictures of a renovation, photograph from the same location or angle to help the judges understand the “transformation”.
Award Finalists & Winners
Finalists will be notified via email in late July 2025. Winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony in September at the BILD Alberta Fall Conference.
Admission to the awards ceremony is included with a Fall Conference registration. If you choose not to register for the conference, a limited number of tickets may be available for finalists to the ceremony only which will go on sale at the end of July. Due to the conference's popularity, there will be no access to the BILD Alberta Conference room block, it is reserved for full conference registrants only.
Judging
The BILD Alberta Awards judges will view and judge all submissions online. They rely 100% on the information you provide in your answers to the online entry questions, along with photographs, drawings and other materials that you upload.
- BILD Alberta reserves the right to cancel, combine or split any category due to numerous or insufficient number of entries.
- Competition is blind in all categories except for the Developer, Innovation and Community Service categories.
- Entrants are required to remove any reference to their company in all images and floor plans. Failure to do so may result in a penalty applied to the Pinnacle calculation.
- Entries will be judged according to the criteria (answers to questions, images, uploaded plans, etc.) set out for each award.
- Entries will be handled confidentially. Judges agree not to disclose information concerning entries.
- All information submitted online is considered complete. Incomplete entries will not be disqualified due to insufficient information and materials however it may result in a deficient evaluation. Entrants will not be notified of missing components.
- A minimum of THREE entries (from two different companies) are required to stage a competition in each category.
- Additional documentation may be requested for verification.
- All decisions of the judges are final.