FAQ
Can any company enter the Okanagan Housing Awards?
Participation in the Okanagan Housing Awards is limited to CHBA-CO Members. Interested companies can apply here.
What's new this year?
- *NEW FOR 2025* Only Member companies may be recognized in the Okanagan Housing Awards of Excellence®. Entries must be submitted using the company name as listed on the membership. Individuals without their own CHBA-CO membership are no longer eligible for award recognition by name. (ie: Jane Doe of ABC Design)
- *NEW FOR 2025* A new award, 'Residential Building Designer of the Year' has been added to the Grand Awards
Several categories have been revised to reflect current market pricing or square footage based on consumer trends. These include:
- Excellence in Kitchen Design - New Home - Budget over/under increased to $125K
- Excellence in Interior Design - New Home - Square footage increased to over/under 3,600 Square feet
- Excellence in Interior Design - Renovation - Square footage decreased to over/under 2,500 Square feet
- Excellence in Residential Building Design - Conceptual - Square footage decreased to over/under 3,600 Square feet
- Excellence in Show Home - Budget over/under increased to $900K
- Designer of the Year - has been updated to Design Firm of the Year and clarifies that an entrant must offer design services as their primary service offering. Suppliers are no longer eligible to enter this category.
How do I create an account?
Click here to find the "create account" form. Fill in your name, contact information, and email and password, and you're set! When you sign up, you'll be logged in automatically and can start creating your entries right away.
Where do I go to submit entries?
When you first log into your account, you'll see a "Start a new entry" form. Simply choose which category you want to enter, give your entry a title, and click the "Start" button. In the form that loads, you will find all the information you need in order to submit an entry to your selected category. You don't have to complete your entry all in one sitting. Hit the "Save" button any time, and come back to it later.
When you're finished, tap the "Add to cart" button at the bottom of the entry form. Your entries are considered "officially entered" once payment for your entry fees has been received.
How do I pay?
There are two payment options: by credit card at checkout or invoice. If an invoice is preferred click the "Invoice me" button. This will send an email to us automatically informing us that you'd like to pay by invoice. You'll receive an email, too, as a record of your invoice request. Once you have your invoice, payment can be made accordingly.
Once we've received your payment, your entries will be available to our judges. Submissions will not be judged if payment is not received.
Can I make changes to my entry after I've submitted it?
Yes, you can continue to edit your entries until the submission deadline. After the deadline, you will be able to view your entries, but the editing controls will be disabled.
Do I need any kind of special software to make my entries?
This awards system is entirely web-based. You can create your entries on your phone, iPad, laptop, or any computer. All you need is a browser.
How do you protect my information?
Your account is protected by industry-leading 4096-bit encryption, and the entire system is backed up every day.
