CHBA National Awards for Housing Excellence 2025–2026: 48 categories / 1,000+ entries (2025 record) → 49 categories / 900 entries (2026); ~300 judges; three best-overall trophies (Design / Renovation / Marketing Excellence)

Claim: CHBA National Awards for Housing Excellence.

2025 program:

• 48 categories
• 1,000+ entries (record)
• ~300 industry volunteer experts as judges
• Gala held May 15, 2025 in Victoria BC

Selected 2025 winners:

• Devron Developments (Marketing Excellence Award, North York, ON, for 101 Spadina with II BY IV DESIGN and Gladstone Media) — note the cross-tier consistency with the OHBA AoD 2024 People's Choice for the same project
• Vicky's Homes Inc. (Renovation Excellence Award, Edmonton)
• Gordon Tobey Developments (Brighton, ON; Best Detached Production Home 1,800–2,100 sq ft for "The Serviceberry")

Source: chba.ca/2025/05/16 release. Confidence: Verified.

2026 program:

• 49 categories (a new Adaptiv Home Award was added in 2026)
• 900 entries
• Gala held May 8, 2026 in Quebec City

Source: chba.ca/2026/03/19 release. Confidence: Verified.

Three "Best Overall" trophies

CHBA Nationals awards three top-tier prizes:

1. Design Excellence Award (new homes)
2. Renovation Excellence Award
3. Marketing Excellence Award

These are the single most leverageable awards in the entire HBA stack for marketing purposes — they're national, peer-judged, and category-level rather than tied to a specific size/type. Winning one is the strongest credential signal a Canadian builder or renovator can earn through the HBA channel.

Why this matters for Candid use

For client positioning, the Marketing Excellence Award is the most directly aligned with Candid Creative's service offering — it explicitly recognizes craft in builder/renovator marketing. Devron Developments' 2025 win for 101 Spadina (with II BY IV DESIGN and Gladstone Media) is the worked example to study for any client positioning a marketing-led campaign for national award eligibility.