Awards guide · Ontario, Quebec & Atlantic Canada
OHBA Awards of Distinction Photo Guide: Image Rules, Deadlines and How to Enter
For entrants planning the photography for OHBA Awards of Distinction. Checked against Ontario Home Builders’ Association (OHBA)’s published rules on November 1, 2026.
The OHBA Awards of Distinction are Ontario’s province-wide awards for new homes, renovations, design and marketing, open to OHBA members with projects in Ontario. The 2027 entry window is not published yet; the 2026 window ran June 3 to July 3, 2026, with a final extension to July 15. Every photo must be at least 1,500 pixels in height or width, and renovation entries need 4–6 before-and-after sets taken from the same angle.
At a glance
| OHBA Awards of Distinction | |
|---|---|
| Organiser | Ontario Home Builders’ Association (OHBA) |
| Who can enter | OHBA members in good standing (cut-off June 30, 2026 for the 2026 awards). Builders and vendors must be licensed with the Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA). Architectural designers, interior specialists and marketing agencies may enter only in partnership with a builder, developer or renovator, in specified categories. |
| Eligible projects | Ontario projects open for sale or completed between June 2024 and June 2026 (2026 awards). Purpose-built rentals under construction that have gone or will go to lease by June 2026 also qualify. A project that won a category in the previous two years cannot re-enter the same or a similar category. |
| Entry platform | OHBA online submission portal at ohbaaod.ca (user account required) |
| Fee | $260 per entry (2026). Online payment only. If OHBA rules an entry ineligible before judging, the fee is refunded minus a $50 administration fee. |
| Next deadline | 2027 entry window not published as of November 1, 2026. 2026 window: June 3 – July 3, 2026, extended to July 15, 2026. |
Source: OHBA Awards of Distinction: Entry Window / Fees, OHBA Awards of Distinction: Eligibility & Judging.
Key dates
| Date | |
|---|---|
| Entry window (2026 awards) | June 3 – July 3, 2026 |
| Final extension (2026 awards) | Wednesday, July 15, 2026 (no time of day published) |
| Finalists announced (2026 awards) | Mid-August 2026 |
| Winners announced (2026 awards) | Tuesday, September 29, 2026, Blue Mountain Resort, Collingwood |
| Entry window (2027 awards) | Not published as of November 1, 2026 |
Photo requirements
| Rule | |
|---|---|
| Size and resolution | At least 1,500 pixels in height or width (every category page). OHBA’s ‘Tips for a Successful Submission’ post adds a maximum file size of 5 MB. No dpi requirement is published. |
| File format | Not stated for photos. Company and project logos are requested as EPS files. |
| Orientation | Horizontal and vertical images are both accepted. In each renovation before-and-after pair, both images must be landscape or both portrait, not a mix. |
| How many | Varies by category. Most new-home, custom, mid-rise, high-rise and green building categories: 3–10 interior and 3–5 exterior photos. Condo suites: 1–10 interior. New-home and condo kitchens and new-home bathrooms: 3–5 views. Amenity and outdoor living space: 3–10. Model home / suite: 5–10. Sales offices: 1–6 interior plus 1–6 exterior and entrance. |
| Required shots | Production-built home (categories 1–3), Attached Multi-Unit Home and High or Mid-Rise Green Building also require one exterior marketing project rendering, alongside the photos and a floor plan. |
| Before and after | Renovation categories 16–21 need 4–6 sets of comparative before and after photos, each pair taken from the same angle, plus before and after floor plans (hand-drawn sketches accepted). |
| Staging, renderings and AI | OHBA’s FAQ says renders are accepted if the project is not finished being built. No rule on virtual staging or AI-generated images is published. |
| Logos, names and people | No borders, frames, logos or watermarks on images. Judging is anonymous, so client names and addresses must not appear in the project or model name. No rule on people in photos is published. |
| Credit and permissions | The 2026 Awards of Distinction Program Committee reserves all publishing rights to the materials submitted. No photographer credit field is published. |
Categories
51 numbered categories in six groups: Architectural Design (1–15), Renovation (16–21), Room Design (22–27), Image & Advertising (28–36), On-Site Sales Presentation (37–43) and Prestige awards (44–51, including Project of the Year and Builder of the Year). Photo-heavy ones include the Custom Home, Home Renovation / Addition, New Home Kitchen, Amenity and Model Home / Suite categories.
How to enter
- Confirm that the entrant and every ‘credit to’ company are OHBA members in good standing, and that a builder or vendor entrant holds an HCRA licence.
- Create a user account on the OHBA Awards of Distinction submission portal.
- Choose the category and read its judging criteria and upload list.
- Answer the guided questions (200 words maximum per question in the architectural categories; point form is accepted).
- Upload logos, photos, floor plans and any required rendering, then drag the images into the order judges should see them.
- Pay online; you can keep editing a paid entry until the final deadline.
How entries are judged
- Entries are judged by a cohort of people from inside and outside the building industry, who sign conflict-of-interest and non-disclosure agreements.
- Each judging criterion is weighted equally. A typical architectural category is scored on functionality, uniqueness of exterior and interior design, use of space and written content.
- Judging is anonymous: client names and addresses stay out of project names, and OHBA asks that company logos on floor plans and renderings be removed or kept small in a bottom corner.
- A category needs at least three submissions to proceed, and no award is given where quality does not warrant a winner.
Planning the photography
- Take the before photos before work starts: renovation entries need 4–6 pairs, and each after view must match the before angle and orientation.
- Export each file at 1,500 pixels or more in height or width and under 5 MB.
- Deliver clean files with no borders, frames, logos or watermarks.
- Plan the sequence: entrants set the order in which judges see the images.
- Cover inside and out: most architectural categories require at least 3 interior and 3 exterior photos.
Not in the published rules
As of November 1, 2026 the organiser’s public documents do not state:
- 2027 entry window, deadline and fee
- Time of day and time zone of the deadline
- Photo file format
- File naming rules
- Rules on editing, virtual staging, AI-generated images or people in photos
- Whether judges visit projects
- Photographer credit
Check the entry platform or ask the organiser before the shoot.
Using this as a photo brief
I photograph architecture and interiors in British Columbia, so for a project outside BC this page works best as a brief for a local architectural photographer. Send them the photo rules above, the categories you plan to enter and the deadline, and ask for:
- A shot list built from the category criteria, one image for each thing the judges score.
- Files exported to the OHBA Awards of Distinction spec, already named and counted per category.
- A licence that covers the organiser’s promotional use of winning images, plus a ready credit line.
The awards photo calendar lists the other programmes the same photos can be re-exported for.
Frequently asked questions
What are the photo requirements for the OHBA Awards of Distinction?
OHBA Awards of Distinction photos must be at least 1,500 pixels in height or width, and OHBA’s submission tips set a 5 MB maximum per file. Most new-home categories take 3–10 interior and 3–5 exterior photos, and images must not carry borders, logos or watermarks.
When is the OHBA Awards of Distinction deadline?
The 2027 OHBA Awards of Distinction entry window had not been published as of November 1, 2026. In 2026 the window ran June 3 to July 3, with a final extension to July 15, 2026, and winners were announced on September 29, 2026.
How many before-and-after photos does an OHBA renovation entry need?
OHBA Awards of Distinction renovation categories require 4–6 sets of before and after photos. Each pair must be taken from the same angle, and both images in a pair must be landscape or both portrait.
Who can enter the OHBA Awards of Distinction?
The OHBA Awards of Distinction are open to OHBA members in good standing with projects in Ontario; builders and vendors also need an HCRA licence. Designers, interior specialists and marketing agencies can enter only with a builder, developer or renovator, and only that builder, developer or renovator receives the award.
This guide summarises Ontario Home Builders’ Association (OHBA)’s published rules and is not affiliated with Ontario Home Builders’ Association (OHBA). The official documents take precedence.