Awards guide · British Columbia
Okanagan Housing Awards Photo Guide: Image Rules, Deadlines and How to Enter
For entrants planning the photography for Okanagan Housing Awards of Excellence. Checked against Canadian Home Builders’ Association of the Central Okanagan (CHBA-CO)’s published rules on November 1, 2026.
The Okanagan Housing Awards of Excellence are CHBA Central Okanagan’s annual awards for homes, renovations, design and marketing, open only to CHBA-CO member companies. Entries for the 2027 awards closed at 11:59 pm on October 30, 2026, and the next call is not published. Most project categories take exactly 12 JPEG photos at 300 dpi and up to 5 MB each, and exterior night shots, virtual staging and AI-enhanced images are not judged.
At a glance
| Okanagan Housing Awards | |
|---|---|
| Organiser | Canadian Home Builders’ Association of the Central Okanagan (CHBA-CO), Kelowna |
| Who can enter | CHBA-CO member companies in good standing, including every project partner listed; individuals without their own membership cannot be named. Single-family categories 26–32 also need a current BC Housing licence and third-party home warranty enrolment. |
| Eligible projects | Built, renovated, developed, created or marketed between January 1, 2025 and September 30, 2026 (2027 awards); categories 1–11 and 26–37 must be substantially complete. |
| Entry platform | Awardify at chbaco.awardify.io |
| Fee | 2027 awards: $325 + GST per entry in categories 1–37, $500 + GST in categories 38–46; Visa, Mastercard or AMEX |
| Next deadline | 2027 awards closed October 30, 2026, 11:59 pm; the 2028 call is not published. |
Source: Okanagan Housing Awards overview, Okanagan Housing Awards submission documents.
Key dates
| Date | |
|---|---|
| Entries open (2027 awards) | August 10, 2026 |
| Deadline | October 30, 2026, 11:59 pm, no extensions |
| Project partners added by | November 3, 2026 |
| Finalists announced | December 4, 2026, at the Builders Ball |
| Gala | January 30, 2027 |
Photo requirements
| Rule | |
|---|---|
| File format | High-quality JPEG only; no PDF, TIFF, GIF, PSD or other formats. |
| Size and resolution | Saved at 300 dpi, 5 MB maximum per photo. |
| How many | 12 images in most categories. 14 images in category 8 (outdoor living). 14 images, 4 before and 10 after, in categories 6–7 and 19–25. The upload stops at the number each category requires. |
| Required shots | Categories 26–32: 2 exterior, 6 interior and 4 of your choice. Categories 33–37: 4 of the setting, architecture and entrance, 4 of principal living areas and 4 of your choice. |
| Before and after | Categories 9–10 need before and after photos even for new builds, with at least 2 before photos. Black-and-white before photos are not judged, and a before photo should not be the cover photo. |
| Staging, renderings and AI | No renderings, virtual staging, or digitally or AI-enhanced or “high-definition” images, except in categories 12–13, which accept only renderings and technical drawings. Entries in categories 9–10 with virtual staging are not judged. |
| Editing | No black-and-white or greyscale images, and no images cropped and layered with borders or frames. Exterior night-time images are not judged; dusk is allowed but not recommended, as long as exterior features are visible. |
| Logos, names and people | Images must be anonymous in categories 1–13 and 17–37: no company names or logos. No people unless the category requires them (this does not apply to renovation before photos). |
| File names | CategoryNumber-ProjectName-PhotoNumber, for example 01-Lakeside-01, 01-Lakeside-02. Use a project name, not a street address. |
| Credit and permissions | The chosen cover photo is shown on the awards website if the entry is a finalist. All materials become CHBA-CO property for promotion. Homeowner, Builder/Developer or Renovator permission forms are required as each category states; the homeowner form accepts that photos may be used for marketing and cannot be revoked. |
Categories
The 2027 awards have 47 categories: 13 for interior, building and landscape design, 3 for sales and marketing, 1 special achievement, 8 for renovation, 12 for new homes and developments, and 10 Grand Housing Awards such as Home of the Year and the three Home Builder of the Year volume classes. Photo-heavy ones include the kitchen, interior design and outdoor living categories, the single-family home price classes (26–32) and the renovation categories (19–25).
How to enter
- Read the Call for Entries and confirm your company and every project partner are CHBA-CO members.
- Create an awards profile at chbaco.awardify.io and start an entry in the right category.
- Write each project description in 300 words or fewer per text box, in bullet form, against the category criteria.
- Upload the required number of JPEG photos, named CategoryNumber-ProjectName-PhotoNumber, and choose the cover photo.
- Upload anonymous floor or site plans as PDF, the permission forms and the budget sheet where required.
- Pay all fees by card before the deadline (October 30, 2026 for the 2027 awards).
How entries are judged
- Entries are judged only on the materials submitted, by a panel of judges from outside the Okanagan.
- An accounting firm chosen by CHBA-CO monitors the judging, and no observers are allowed.
- Each category lists its own criteria, for example exterior character, interior use of space, floor plan, environmental considerations and construction best practice for new homes; no weights are published.
- Supplier and Trade of the Year are 50% judges’ score and 50% member vote; other Grand Awards average the entrant’s two highest category scores with further criteria.
- CHBA-CO can disqualify entries that do not meet the digital image specifications.
Planning the photography
- Shoot exteriors in daylight or early dusk with features visible, because night-time exterior images are not judged.
- Plan exactly 12 frames for most categories and match the required mix, such as 2 exterior, 6 interior and 4 free choices for single-family homes, since the upload stops at the required number.
- For renovation entries, take 4 colour before photos before work starts; black-and-white before photos are not judged.
- Deliver colour JPEGs at 300 dpi and under 5 MB, with no virtual staging, AI enhancement, borders, people or visible logos.
- Save files with the required names (for example 26-Lakeside-01) and pick the strongest after photo as the cover.
Not in the published rules
As of November 1, 2026 the organiser’s public documents do not state:
- Minimum pixel dimensions
- Orientation rules
- Photographer credit requirements
- Scoring weights for the category criteria
- Dates and fees for the 2028 awards
Check the entry platform or ask the organiser before the shoot.
How I photograph awards entries
I’m an architectural and interior photographer based in Richmond, working across Metro Vancouver and, with published travel fees, the rest of BC. For an awards entry the brief comes from the rules:
- A shot list built from the categories you are entering, with an image for each thing the judges score.
- Real spaces, no virtual staging, and edits limited to normal correction of exposure, colour and verticals.
- Files delivered to the programme’s spec: files exported to the Okanagan Housing Awards rules (Saved at 300 dpi, 5 MB maximum per photo).
- A ready credit line (“Photography: Travis Zhang”) and a licence that covers the organiser’s promotional use of winning images.
- Published prices: CA$1,100 for a half day with 12 finished images, or CA$2,000 for a full day with 20 images including twilight, plus 5% GST. Details are in the cost guide.
Frequently asked questions
How many photos does the Okanagan Housing Awards entry need?
Most categories of the 2027 Okanagan Housing Awards of Excellence take 12 digital images. Outdoor living takes 14, and interior design renovation and the renovation categories take 14, split 4 before and 10 after.
What file specs do the Okanagan Housing Awards require?
The Okanagan Housing Awards of Excellence accept high-quality JPEG files only, saved at 300 dpi with a 5 MB maximum per photo. Files must be named CategoryNumber-ProjectName-PhotoNumber, such as 01-Lakeside-01.
Are twilight or night photos allowed in the Okanagan Housing Awards?
Exterior night-time images are not judged in the Okanagan Housing Awards of Excellence. Dusk images are allowed but not recommended, as long as the judges can see the exterior features.
When is the next Okanagan Housing Awards deadline?
Entries for the 2027 Okanagan Housing Awards of Excellence closed at 11:59 pm on October 30, 2026, with the gala on January 30, 2027. CHBA Central Okanagan has not yet published the next call for entries.
This guide summarises Canadian Home Builders’ Association of the Central Okanagan (CHBA-CO)’s published rules and is not affiliated with Canadian Home Builders’ Association of the Central Okanagan (CHBA-CO). The official documents take precedence.