2024 NARI CotY Award Project Entry Rules
Only NARI members in good standing are eligible to participate. Not a NARI member yet? No problem, click here to join!
The entrant company needs to be the NARI member that had complete oversight and supervisory responsibilities for the work completed (not applicable for specialty entries). Other NARI member companies that worked on the project may be included as Team Members (see below).
Projects must have been finished between December 1, 2021 and November 30, 2023.
Only entries that have never been submitted in prior NARI National CotY awards contests are eligible.
Client/Contractor and Photographer’s release forms must be completed and returned for each entry. These forms will not be seen by the judges and are the only area where the member’s identity (or anyone involved with the project) can be revealed. Forms are available during the submission process.
Entrants are required to provide a project summary, 100 words or less, in addition to their presentation. This summary will be collected via the online form and will be used to describe winning projects after winners are announced. Although the Judges will not see the summary included in this field, this information may be repeated in the presentation.
Team members may be included in the entry. Team members are other NARI member companies that also worked on the project. Team member details will be collected during the entry process.
The presentation must be submitted in PDF format and can be up to 30 pages long. The file can be up to 15MB. This presentation is the only file the judges will see. We suggest using PowerPoint, Publisher, Word, InDesign, or similar program to build your entry, and then save to a PDF file. If you don’t have a PDF creator on your computer you can search for a free version, which will convert any printable file to a PDF file. Be sure to include a project statement, drawings, images, and any descriptive text or captions that will help the judges understand the details of the transformation. ‘Before’ photos are required and are best used immediately preceding ‘After’ photos. Present photos from the same angle if possible. Don’t include the company name or any individual’s names in your presentation, or otherwise identify yourself or the client in any way. Don’t use photos with people in them.
We’ll also need the before and after images you included in your project presentation in .jpg, or .jpeg, format.
Do not include in-progress images. These images will be used for our presentation and promotion purposes and the judges will not view these. Each image must be a high-quality resolution of at least 300 dpi, a minimum of size of 4 x 6 (1200 x 1800 pixels), and no larger than 12 MB each. You can upload up to 20 images, but we require a minimum of 10. If you don’t have 10 photos from the project, repeat one of the images to meet the requirements.
Any photo enhancement is limited to brightness, contrast, or sharpness. No items may be added or removed through photo enhancement techniques. Do not add or subtract items, or change the image in a way that may increase or decrease the value of the project.
All projects entered in CotY categories must be an improvement or addition to an existing structure. Entries for new structures will not be accepted except where specifically noted in the category description.
The same project may be entered in one category or in multiple categories with additional fees. If you have a large, multi-area project, and would like to enter just a portion of it, it’s fine to break it down. For example, if your project included the remodel of an entire house, you can enter an Entire House category and enter a Kitchen category, an Interior category, and two Bathroom categories, etc. Keep in mind you will have to break out costs for each project on each entry form.
The Awards Committee and Judges reserve the right to disqualify, adjust the category, or deduct points from any entry that does not follow these rules and guidelines, without prior notice.
Entries that are submitted and are not complete will be offered an opportunity to correct these errors subject to an administrative fee as determined by the awards committee.
All fees are nonrefundable, non-transferable, and cannot be carried over to subsequent years.
Winners are selected by an impartial panel of judges who are experts from within the industry. The evaluation process is done without revealing company names. A CotY Award winner is an entry that demonstrates remodeling excellence. Entries are judged on functionality, problem-solving, aesthetics, craftsmanship, innovation, the degree of difficulty, and entry presentation.
All entries are judged against other submissions from the same region in the same category to select regional winners. All regional winning entries are then re-judged to select the national winner in each category. On rare occasions, no winner is selected in a particular category if NARI standards are not met, and the decision of the judges is final.
Regional Judging-(National Program Only) Judges begin by individually reviewing all the entries in a category within a region. They may take a preliminary review of that group of entries, and then score the entries one by one. They do not discuss the entries with each other during this phase of the process, and they do not see other judge’s scores. Once a category within a region is completed, a regional score for each entry is obtained by averaging the judge’s scores. The highest average score obtained, providing the project represents at least a “better than average approach or result,” determines the regional winner for each category. The process continues until all of the categories are judged on the regional level.
National Judging-(National Program Only) The judges will look at each of the regional winners within a category to determine a national winner. During this phase of the process, no score sheets are used, and the previous score sheets are not made available for reference. The judges discuss the projects, each of them sharing their opinions. As a group, they decide on the National winner for each category.
Local CotY Award judging is conducted by other NARI Chapters around the country, in accordance with Regional Judgment standards.
CotY judges will consider the following questions when reviewing the entries. Be sure your presentation addresses these points when applicable. Points will be awarded on a scale from 1-15. Scores will be made available to entrants after National Winner announcements are made.
To what degree were the expressed needs of the client met?
Did the entry describe the client’s needs and desires?
Did the contractor show that those needs were met?
To what degree does the project enhance the existing structures functionally?
Do the room’s new floor plans function well?
Is the counter space or work area adequate to perform necessary tasks?
Is there good traffic flow?
Is safety addressed adequately?
Are the materials functional?
Is lighting addressed – both general & task?
To what degree does the project enhance the existing structure aesthetically?
Is there evidence of superior craftsmanship?
Were innovative uses of material and/or methods of construction used in the project? o Are innovative uses evident, or were any described and noted?
Did the contractor overcome difficult obstacles?
Were difficult obstacles encountered as described by the contractor and overcome in a creative way?
Residential Historic Renovation/Restoration will also consider the following:
Were original uses of materials duplicated in the project?
Were methods of application used to improve or enhance the original style of the structure?
Photo Tips Since your project cannot be judged in person, good quality photos are key elements in your presentation. Whether or not you use a professional photographer, please keep the following in mind:
Take “before” photographs before the start of every project. If you make this a standard practice, you will be ready when the job you anticipated to be an average remodel turns out to be a CotY contender. Take these shots from many angles.
Take photos for work-in-progress if it will help show the complexity of the process or the obstacles encountered.
Take the “after” shots from the same angles as the before photos whenever possible. This helps give the judges a good perspective of the transformation and it’s helpful if the judges can see these photos consecutively.
Include both vertical and horizontal photos. If your project is published, it stands a better chance of being featured on a magazine cover if the editors have vertical shots from which to choose.
Only include photos that will enhance the project entry. Although you have 30 pages to display the project, you don’t need to use them all.