A couple of weeks ago, the Greater Vancouver Home Builders' Association put out the Call for Entries for the annual Ovation Awards. For home builders, renovators, and residential designers in the Greater Vancouver area, this is one of a trifecta of award opportunities that happens every fall--the other two being the Georgie Awards, the results of which we're eagerly awaiting given the number of projects we put together for it; and the CHBA National Awards of Excellence, which should be dropping their call for entries soon.

We love the Ovations! They're a great way for smaller, more clever renovation projects (in particular) to get recognition, and because the requirements for a lot of categories are identical to that of the Georgies, once you've done the work for one, you're well on your way to doing the work for another. As a result, the Ovations are a good opportunity to enter projects that you didn't quite get done in time for the Georgies--giving you some good marketing juice if you place in the finals. There are also a couple of very fun parties at the end of the whole process, and who doesn't love a good excuse to dress up and eat, drink, and be merry with your colleagues?

Resources

We've put together several resources to help you on your journey to making a successful awards entry:

  • This Friday I'm doing a workshop along with a couple of my favourite colleagues on award projects--namely, writer Susan M. Boyce and marketing extraordinaire Lynn Harrison, out at the GVHBA Office. I'm told there are still a few tickets available, so if you want a good two hours of tips, tricks, and exercises to get your creative juices flowing, go sign up while you still can.
  • We have special packages that wrap up all the photography and writing you need for your entry in one bundle for one price. Check out the Ovation Awards menu up top for both photography and photo + writing packages. Are you a first time entrant? Let us know and you'll qualify for our First Time Entrant Discount.
  • Does the online entry form confuse you? Are you dreading that run out to Surrey with a stack of plans? Would you just rather have Someone Else Do It? We get it...and we can be that someone. Ask us for pricing.

Last but not least, we're proud to announce

The Awards Entry Roadmap!

We've put together a checklist to help guide you through the process of submitting your project for an award, and we're sharing it with you for free! Just fill out your info and we'll email you a copy: