Calgary Renovation Awards: The Hard Facts Behind “Award‑Winning” Claims (and What Homeowners Should Know)

If you’ve searched for a renovation contractor in Calgary, you’ve seen it everywhere:

“Award‑winning renovator.”“Best renovation company.”“Trusted by the industry.”

How Calgary Renovation Awards Really Work

Those badges can look convincing — especially when you’re about to spend serious money on a kitchen, basement, or full-home reno.

But here’s the reality: many well-known “industry awards” are not a city-wide ranking of the best renovation companies. They’re usually competitions with entry fees, membership requirements, and judging based on what gets submitted (photos, descriptions, documents, and sometimes marketing metrics).

This post isn’t a hit piece about any one company — and it’s not claiming these organizations are scams. Everything below is based on published fee schedules, rules, and judging descriptions from major Calgary-area awards programs. The goal is simple: help homeowners understand what these awards actually measure — and what they don’t.

Hard Fact #1: Many “top” industry awards are member-only and pay-to-enter

Example: BILD Calgary Region Awards (includes renovator categories)

BILD Calgary Region’s awards materials clearly show:

• Entry fee: $285 + GST per entry (and Partner Awards: $450 + GST per entry).

• Entries aren’t complete until payment is received.

• You can’t enter if you’re not a member — BILD says entry is a membership benefit.

That means the “competition pool” is not every renovation company in Calgary. It’s the subset of member companies that choose to enter (and pay to enter).

Example: CICBA CUBE Awards (inner-city builders + renovation categories)

CUBE Awards’ own FAQ page states:

• Primary submission fee: $275

• Partner submission fee: $150

• Only valid CICBA members may enter (not consumers/homeowners).

Again: not a city-wide ranking. It’s a members-only competition.

Hard Fact #2: These awards are often judged on the submission — not on your jobsite experience

This matters a lot, because a renovation’s real quality shows up in places awards submissions often can’t fully capture:

• Scheduling + communication

• Change order clarity

• Dust control / site protection

• How problems get solved mid-project

• Warranty response when something needs fixing

BILD Calgary Region: judged on what you submit

BILD states that:

• Each entry is judged “based solely on entry materials provided.”

• Entries in multiple categories must be “blinded” (no logos/identifying marks) to reduce bias.

• Judging is monitored by an accounting firm (Doane Grant Thornton LLP).

That’s not “fake.” It’s just important context: a beautiful, professionally packaged entry can outperform a better-built project that’s submitted with weaker photos or less polished storytelling.

CUBE Awards: anonymous entries + audited judging, but still submission-based

CUBE Awards rules also emphasize:

• No company logo in submission materials and entries are anonymous to judges

• Full payment required at submission

• Entries and judging are audited by the CICBA accounting firm

• Judging criteria focus on things like curb appeal, functionality, features, value, overall impact — again, as presented in the submission.

So: there are safeguards, but it’s still a judged competition based on documentation and visuals.

Hard Fact #3: “Grand” titles can be a points game — and points often reward marketing

This is one of the biggest “wait… what?” moments for homeowners.

BILD’s “Grand Awards” are calculated from other awards

BILD describes its Grand Awards as:

• Based on finalist results from a combination of entries set by the Awards Committee 

• “No entry forms are required” for Grand Awards — meaning they’re derived from other results 

And BILD also lists minimum entry requirements to qualify for certain Builder of the Year calculations, including marketing categories (more on that next). BILD Calgary

Renovator of the Year is explicitly a point accumulation outcome

BILD states that:

• To qualify, you must be a BILD Calgary Region renovator member and RenoMark member in good standing.

• You must win an award in the Renovator category to qualify.

• The renovator with the highest point accumulation earned by Renovator Awards entries wins Renovator of the Year.

Read that again: highest point accumulation.

That creates a totally legal, totally “within the rules” advantage for companies that can afford to enter more categories, more projects, and more submissions.

Hard Fact #4: Some awards are literally marketing awards (and marketing points can matter a lot)

Homeowners often assume awards are all about craftsmanship.

Not always.

BILD has categories that judge marketing itself

For example, BILD’s “Best Advertising Campaign” category states its purpose is:

• “To examine a marketing campaign and its strategy as a whole.” BILD Calgary

And BILD’s own rules show that:

• There can be up to eight (8) entries in Advertising & Marketing Awards per company in certain membership groups.

• For Builder of the Year qualification, BILD lists Advertising & Marketing Awards as a required component with a minimum number of entries and a high weighting (example: 80% of points awarded listed in the Grand Awards section).

Even BILD’s sponsorship guide lists categories like Best Website and Best Digital Marketing Campaign, right beside construction categories.

None of this is “wrong.” But it’s a reality check:

If a company is great at marketing, and marketing awards contribute to major titles, then awards can reflect marketing strength — not just renovation quality.

Hard Fact #5: Submissions can be used for promotion — awards are also a marketing machine

Awards programs aren’t charities. They’re events, brands, and ecosystems. They need entries, sponsors, and attention.

BILD: submitted materials can be used for promotional purposes

BILD’s competition conditions state that submitted information and images may be used publicly by BILD for promotional purposes across its platforms.

CUBE Awards: entries may be displayed/advertised

CUBE Awards rules similarly say entries are the property of CICBA and that entries may be displayed/advertised at CICBA’s discretion.

Sponsorship is a major component

BILD’s sponsorship guide lists sponsorship tiers and benefits — including high-dollar options like:

• Platinum Sponsor: $15,000

• Category “Awards Sponsor” options and “Grand Awards Sponsor” options (with branding on plaques and the chance to present awards).

And this isn’t unique to BILD. Industry awards commonly include ticket sales, sponsorships, and gala revenue. For example, CREW Calgary’s awards gala listed ticket pricing ($195 early bird / $225 regular).

Again — not “fake.” But it helps explain why awards are everywhere: they’re built to generate visibility.

How large renovation firms win a lot (without breaking any rules)

When you see one or two big firms collecting a pile of trophies, homeowners often assume:“They must be the best.”

But there’s a simpler explanation:

1) They can afford more entries

If each entry costs hundreds of dollars, and you add pro photos, video, copywriting, and admin time… it becomes a budget item.

A firm that submits 15–30 entries can dramatically increase the odds of winning something versus a smaller company that submits 1–2.

Here’s the basic math principle (not award-specific, just probability):

• If one entry has a chance of winning, entering more times usually increases the chance of at least one win.

2) They have professional marketing assets ready to go

Remember: judges are scoring what’s submitted.The firms with the best photography, staging, and submission writing often look “best” on paper.

3) They play categories and point systems

When an award title is based on point accumulation (BILD’s Renovator of the Year is explicitly this), firms that can enter more projects have a built-in advantage.

4) They’re active inside the industry network

BILD explicitly says people can judge as long as they judge categories their company didn’t enter. Industry ecosystems tend to be tight-knit — not necessarily corrupt, but insular.

How awards turn into website traffic and instant trust

This is the part homeowners don’t see — but it’s exactly why awards matter to big renovation firms.

Awards = backlinks + brand mentions

When an awards organization posts finalists/winners, those pages can create:

• Brand mentions across the web

• Sometimes links (backlinks)

• Search visibility from people Googling “BILD Renovator of the Year” etc.

And yes, links matter. Google’s own documentation says Google uses links as a signal for relevance and discovery/crawling. Google for Developers

Awards = trust badges (a psychological shortcut)

People often use shortcuts when choosing a company online.

Nielsen Norman Group (a major UX research firm) lists “connection to the rest of the web” as one credibility factor users use to decide whether a site/business seems trustworthy. Nielsen Norman Group

And while Baymard’s research is on ecommerce checkouts, it reinforces the broader point: trust badges and “seals” can change how safe or credible something feels — even when it doesn’t change the underlying reality. They even discuss testing a fake seal in their trust-seal research context. Baymard Institute

So when a renovation company adds:

• “Award‑winning” banners

• Trophy icons

• “As seen in…” logos

• Landing pages built around awards

…it can increase conversions simply because it makes people feel safer clicking “Request a Quote.”

That’s marketing. Not necessarily a lie — but often a stretch.

So… are these awards “fake”?

Here’s the honest answer:

• The competitions themselves can be real: published criteria, judging panels, blinded entries, audits, permit requirements, homeowner waivers, etc. BILD Calgary+1

• But the way “award-winning” is used in renovation advertising can be misleading.

The “fakeness” usually isn’t a secret backroom deal.

It’s this:

A pay-to-enter, member-only, submission-judged competition is not the same thing as “best renovation company in Calgary.”

Those are two totally different claims.

What to look for instead of awards when hiring a renovator in Calgary

If you’re a homeowner trying to avoid a nightmare renovation, here’s what actually predicts a good outcome:

1. Permits + inspections

   • Ask who pulls permits and how inspections are handled.

2. Proof of insurance

   • Liability insurance, WCB coverage where applicable, and clear subcontractor relationships.

3. Detailed scope of work

   • Materials, allowances, exclusions, who does what, change order process.

4. Clear timeline + communication plan

   • Who is your daily contact? How often do updates happen?

5. References you can actually call

   • Not just curated testimonials.

6. Warranty terms in writing

   • What’s covered, how long, what response time looks like.

Awards are easy to paste on a website.

A transparent process is harder — and way more valuable.

Learn more about are process here

Where Elevation Renovations stands

At Elevation Renovations, we’d rather earn trust with clear documentation, real workmanship, and a straightforward process than ask you to rely on a badge you can’t easily verify.

If you ever see an “award-winning” claim (from anyone), the smartest homeowner question is:

“What did you have to do to win — and what does that award actually measure?”

If the answer is vague, that’s your answer.