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Jump to sections by clicking the links below:

Entries FAQ

Judging FAQ

Winning FAQ

Whole Home Design Categories FAQ

Interior Decoration Categories FAQ

Kitchen & Bath Design FAQ

Emerging Professional Category FAQ

Commercial Space Category FAQ

Entries FAQ

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• What is the minimum scope of involvement I must have had in the project to enter it in the competition?

  The competition aims to accommodate the wide range of service models our members offer, from edesign to turnkey services. The scope of your involvement in the project must be significant enough that you are the principal design professional on the project, and that the project is your principal work. In addition, the final outcome of the project must reflect your design plan and vision. This is particularly relevant in projects where you were not present on site and couldn’t ensure that the project was implemented to your satisfaction. So long as you are the principal design professional on the project, the project is your principal work, and the outcome follows your design plan and design vision to your satisfaction, you may enter it. The minimum scope of involvement is open to some interpretation:
  
  If you’d like guidance on whether your project meets the minimum scope of involvement, contact Robin Boles, Awards Chair, awards@ddacanada.com.

• Can I let the judges know my name, or the name of my company?

  components that go before the judges would compromise that anonymity, and would likely result in the entry being disqualified without notice or refund before the judging stage.

• In the past, I couldn’t identify my project’s client or location to the judges. Is that different this year?

  Yes. This year, you are not required to conceal this information from the judges.

• Last year, I had the chance to resubmit my entry after the competition closed, and before the judging. Will there be a chance to do so this year?

  No, you will not be able to resubmit this year. Last year helped our new Awards Chair and Awards Committee get clarity around what’s truly critical to the smooth operation of the competition. This year, we’ve simplified the entry process, and removed some components that were required in the past (such as submitting a detailed budget and ensuring that the project location was not disclosed to the judges).

• I’d like to enter a project but am missing some of the required components of the competition. Can I enter anyway?

  You might be able to, but your entry can be disqualified from the competition if required components are not included. Unless the component is optional, be sure to include it in your submission.

• May I submit a room in my own home?

  Yes, as long as it fits the eligibility criteria of the category, and the minimum scope of member involvement.

• May I enter a spec or model home?

  Yes, as long as it fits the eligibility criteria of the category, and the minimum scope of member involvement. The goals of the project should be explained in the design statement.

• May I enter a staging project?

  Yes, as long as it fits the eligibility criteria of the category, and the minimum scope of member involvement. The goals of the project should be explained in the design statement.

• May I enter an edesign project?

  Yes, as long as it fits the eligibility criteria of the category, and the minimum scope of member involvement. The goals of the project should be explained in the design statement. All required components (including photos of the finished space) must be included in your submission.

• May I submit photo-realistic renderings rather than site pictures for my project photos?

  No. Project photos must be photographs of the finished space. 3D renderings may be submitted as part of the Drawings Package, but are entirely optional.

• I’ve used some Photoshop tools on my project photos. Is that permitted?

  Post-production photo editing, such as making minor adjustments and removing small flaws, is permitted. Photoshopping edits that significantly alter the outcome of the project are not permitted.

• Does the competition provide guidelines for the drawings package?

  Yes! New this year, the competition has created some basic drawing standards to guide entrants. The standards are downloadable within the entry forms. As these standards provide a basic guide, to score well on the drawings package, your drawings should exceed these basic standards.

• I collaborated with a supplier/partner for my project’s drawings. Can I submit my supplier’s drawings, or do I need to redraw them?

  The source of the drawings can be your company, or your partners/suppliers (e.g., kitchen manufacturer, architect etc). If you are not the creator of the drawings, you should have the author of the drawings’ permission to submit them to the competition. Note that DDA reserves the right to use submissions in a few ways, including promotion and education. Regardless, make sure your drawings include all necessary components and that you have not included any information that could identify you or your company (or the name of an alternative drawings’ author) in your drawing submission.

• What kind of project budget information is required?

  All categories require a total approximate project cost to the client, excluding any taxes, design fees, and appliances. In past years we’ve required a detailed break-down, but that is no longer required.

• I was hired to do the design for the project, and the client hired the trades directly. Do I still need to submit a project budget info for the project?

  Yes. You are required to indicate the approximate overall project costs to the client (excluding design fees and any appliances), regardless of whether you or the client paid suppliers directly.

• My project didn’t win last year, but I’d like to try again. Is that allowed?

  Yes. If your project didn’t win, but you still think it’s a potential award winner, you may enter it again. We recommend reviewing it with a trusted peer to see what could be improved before you resubmit. Aggregate judging scores for each of your judged 2021 entries are available for your viewing on DDA’s online awards portal. Unless your judging score was truly outstanding, we recommend improving your entry before resubmitting to this year’s competition.

• My project won Bronze in the competition, but I’d like to try again for Gold. Is that allowed?

  No. Once your project has won any DDA award, you may not enter it again.

• Some portion of my project has won in the past. What does that mean for entering it again this year?

  You are only permitted to enter components of a project that have not won in the past. For example, if a project’s family room won last year, you may enter the same project’s kitchen this year, but not the family room.

• I’m a board member at the local or nation level. Can I enter the competition?

  Yes! DDA Canada could not exist or function without the dedication, hard work, and professionalism of our board members. They volunteer their time generously for DDA, working tirelessly on the membership’s behalf to foster the growth of the industry, advocate on policy matters, and promote a positive image of the industry through proactive activities and events, including facilitating the development and support of the many membership benefits we all enjoy. To reduce bias, the competition relies on anonymous entries, a judging orientation, judging in isolation to avoid groupthink and abstaining from judging if a judge recognizes a member’s work. Board members are encouraged to access as many membership benefits as they are able, including the competition, as we encourage all members to do.

Judging FAQ

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• What does the judging process look like?

  Judges provide their subjective expertise and an essential human component to the competition evaluation process. They are selected by the Award Committee and assigned to judge specific award categories based on their areas of expertise. Judges receive a training webinar and are required to adhere to the competition’s judging code of conduct, and to abstain from judging any entries for which they have a conflict of interest (including cases where they recognize a specific member’s work). All competition entries are screened for eligibility and completion by competition administrators. Qualifying entries then move to the judging round, where they are evaluated by a panel of judges. To avoid influencing each other’s scoring, judges work remotely and in isolation from each other. Judges are provided with the competition rules, the judging criteria, and each assigned entry’s project name, project photos, before photos, drawings package and design statement. The scores from individual judges are automatically averaged to determine the entry placements. Following the award ceremony, entrants whose entries qualified for the judging round may choose to view their aggregate judging scores. Accredited member judges are permitted and encouraged to enter their own projects into the competition. They are not assigned to judge an award category for which they or their employees have submitted entries.

• I’d really like to receive feedback from the judges on my project. Is there a way to do so?

  Yes! Following the award ceremony, entrants whose entries qualify for judging will have the option to view their aggregate judging score, as well as the category average. Use this info to improve your chances of winning next year!

Winning FAQ

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• How can I improve my chances of winning?

  Attend our “Behind the Curtain” competition webinar series! Attend the live webinars, or members may view them at their leisure on-demand. Stay tuned for details. To get you started, we asked past judges to tell us the biggest pitfalls they see year after year, and they were only too happy to pass along these tips: • Don’t be afraid to enter! The biggest mistake is missing out on the opportunity to show off your work and learn something from the competition. Last year, 41% of the winning entries were submitted by first-time winners! • Be thorough in your entry preparation. Include all required info, submit as many images as possible, ensure that you do not identify yourself to the judges, and have a trusted friend proof read your entry. • Tell a story with your entry. Winning entries draw the judges in, and lead them through the why’s of the project, as well as how the client’s needs and project goals were met. After the award ceremony, you may use your judging score feedback to focus your improvement efforts for next year.

• How common is it that first-time entrants are winners?

  Last year, 41% of the winning entries were submitted by first-time winners! Regardless of whether you win, we’re confident that entering your project in the competition will be a fantastic learning opportunity. If you’ve been on the fence about entering, we highly encourage you to take the plunge!

• Where can I see past winners?

  Check them out here!

• What are the choice awards?

  Choice awards are an opportunity to celebrate decorating and design excellence with the wider community. Finalists for the choice awards are drawn from select winners and categories once the main judging has been completed. These finalists are automatically entered into the choice awards. This year, we’ve updated the People’s Choice Award, and introduced an Influencer’s Choice Award for the first time. We look forward to presenting the following choice awards in 2022: People’s Choice Award – selected by the general public from among the gold winners of each category. Influencer’s Choice Award – selected by a Canadian design influencer from among the winners of the Whole Home categories.

• Are winners notified in advance of the award ceremony?

  Yes. While the formal announcement of all winners is not made public until the awards ceremony, category winners are notified ahead of time, typically a month or two in advance.

• My project won Bronze in the competition previously, but I’d like to try again for Gold. Is that allowed?

  No. Once your project has won any DDA award, you may not enter it again.

• Some portion of my project has won in the past. What does that mean for entering it again this year?

  You are only permitted to enter components of a project that have not won in the past. E.g., if a project’s family room won last year, you may enter the same project’s kitchen this year, but not the family room.

• Last year, my entry received a good score. Why didn’t I win?

  Yikes, that’s a loaded question! There are so many details that go into your submission and the judging, and winning entries typically have outstanding scores from each judge in all criteria. Maybe your entry could use improvement (Clearer photos? More engaging story?). Maybe you forgot to include some key pieces of information (Floor plan dimensions?). Maybe other members’ work was extra strong this year. It can be disappointing to work hard on your entry, to be justifiably proud of your work, and yet still not win. We’ve all been there. Look at it as a learning opportunity and use the judging feedback to see where you could improve to strengthen your entry for next year.

Whole Home Design Categories FAQ

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• What kind of project qualifies as a whole home?

  To qualify for this category, the project must include (at minimum): a kitchen space, a full bath, an eating space, a living space, and a sleeping space. If the project does not include each of these, its components can be entered separately into other categories. Entrants are welcome to include any other spaces in addition to the minimum spaces listed above. Spec and model homes are welcome.

• What led to the decision to create the Whole Home Design categories?

  The Whole Home Design categories were created for many reasons, the most significant of which were: 1. To create a premium award category, focused on larger projects 2. To provide the opportunity to get a Canadian design influencer involved in the judging (via the Influencer’s Choice Award) – a members’ request for many years. 3. To break up the volume of entries previously found within the Interior Decoration categories, and allow each category to evolve apace with the scale of the competition. 4. To accommodate the many requests we’ve had to include spec and model homes. Historically, there hasn’t been enough spec/model home entry volume to warrant their own category. While these new categories aren’t spec/model specific, they do accommodate the scale of a spec/model home better than our previous categories. The competition administrators will continue to monitor the volume of spec/model home entries for future years. We are so excited for the inaugural year of this prestigious new award category! And we look forward to the winners being able to own the title of “national whole home design award winner”.

• Some portion of my whole home project has won in the past. What does that mean for entering into a whole home category this year?

  You may not re-enter any winning components. If your winning component was an optional room (e.g., secondary bedroom, powder room, etc) do not include it within your whole home entry. If you’re not able to include a non-winning kitchen, full bath, and eating/living/sleeping space, you cannot enter this project in the whole home category.

Interior Decoration Categories FAQ

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• Why are the Interior Decoration categories different this year?

  This year, the Interior Decoration categories have been reorganized. Whole Home Design projects (previously included within the Interior Decoration categories) have been separated into their own set of categories. The previous budget-based Interior Decoration categories have been replaced with fewer categories that sort by project scope, with single room projects further filtered by budget. These changes have been implemented for a few reasons. Primarily, there has long been confusion surrounding the previous Interior Decoration categories. In addition, the volume of entries some years made the previous categories challenging to judge. Additionally, the previous budget-focused category distinctions resulted in wildly differing project scopes competing head-to-head, with judges struggling with evaluating a whole home project next to a single room project. Making this change creates more clarity within the competition, and allows the volume of entries to scale well as the competition evolves. One of the barriers to making this change in previous years was the perception that the winners would be stacked near the top end of any budget range, and that consolidating categories would put lower budget projects at a disadvantage. Reviewing 3 years of competition data has shown that each category’s winners are typically evenly distributed throughout the budget range, and that well-executed lower budget projects are not disadvantaged.

• How do I know if my project should be entered into the open concept or single room category?

  To qualify as an open concept project, your project must contain: 1. multiple functions within a single open space (e.g., an open concept basement, an open concept family & dining room), or 2. multiple functions must be directly adjacent to each other and flow together stylistically (e.g., a living room and front hall, a bedroom with a dressing room). If your project does not meet either of these criteria, you may enter one room into the corresponding single room category.

• I decorated a bedroom and a dining room in the same house. Can I enter them together as a single entry?

  Likely not. Unless the bedroom and dining room are directly adjacent to each other a flow together stylistically, they should be entered as two separate projects within the appropriate single room categories.

• My interior decoration project included a kitchen and bath. May I enter the whole project (including the kitchen and bath) in an interior decoration award category?

  No. You cannot enter kitchens or bathroom projects in these categories.

Kitchens & Bath Design FAQ

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• I’d like to enter an open-concept kitchen I designed. Can I include photos of the adjacent spaces?

  Yes. While the judging will focus on the kitchen area, providing a limited number of additional photos of the surrounding space will provide valuable context for the judges.

Emerging Professional Category FAQ

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• I’d like to enter a project in the Emerging Professional Category. How can I be sure I’m eligible to do so?

  To be eligible to enter in the Emerging Professional Category, you must have graduated from a DDA-recognized program within the last 5 years (proof is required with your entry). The project must be your original design concept, and must have been executed without a more experienced design professional’s supervision.

• Why is there only one Emerging Professional category this year?

  When the Emerging Professional categories were introduced last year, the volume of entries was not enough to warrant two separate categories, so they were collapsed. The competition administrators will continue to monitor the number of entries in this category for future years.

• What exactly is considered an acceptable project type in the Emerging Professional categories?

  First, confirm that you are eligible to enter in the Emerging Professional categories, above. Any residential or commercial decorating and/or design project can be entered into this category. Note that you may enter a specific project in only one category during any given competition year (ie you cannot enter the same kitchen in the Emerging Professional category and the Kitchens category this year).

Commercial Space Category FAQ

• In previous years, I wasn’t allowed to identify my client by name or logo. What are the rules this year?

  This rule has been removed this year, and you are permitted to identify your client in your submission. Be sure that you do not identify yourself or your business in the information shown to the judges.

Need Help?

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