CRRA Annual Awards Gala
Official Awards Nomination Guidelines

Important Notice

All nominations must follow the submission guidelines outlined below. Incomplete submissions or those that do not follow the stated requirements may be disqualified from the evaluation process.

Nominees and nominators will only be contacted if a submission is shortlisted or if additional clarification is required by the Awards Committee.

For categories involving physical properties or building operations, nominees may be required to participate in a site visit or virtual review as part of the evaluation process. Nominees should be prepared to accommodate scheduling requests from the Awards Committee if shortlisted.

1. Purpose of the Awards

The CRRA Annual Awards Gala recognizes and celebrates excellence among CRRA members and leaders in Alberta’s residential rental housing industry.

The awards celebrate leadership, innovation, service excellence, community impact, and operational success across multiple categories.

2. Eligibility Requirements

• Nominee must be a current CRRA Member at the time of nomination.
• If credential-specific, the nominee must hold the required designation or qualification.
• Nominee must meet any category-specific thresholds (for example: building age, portfolio size, or operational metrics).
• Only one category may be selected per nomination form.
• Nominations must be submitted by the published deadline.

Self-nominations are welcome. CRRA encourages members to recognize their own organizations, teams, and achievements where they meet the award criteria.

3. Submission Requirements

All nominations must include:

• A completed nomination form with all required fields.
• Clear narrative responses aligned directly with the published category criteria.
• Supporting documentation where applicable, such as:
  • Photos
  • Testimonials
  • Operational data
  • Case studies
  • Before-and-after examples
• All attachments must be clearly labeled and submitted in acceptable formats (PDF, JPG, PNG).

Incomplete submissions will not proceed to judging.

4. What Makes a Strong Nomination?

Successful nominations typically demonstrate:

• Specific measurable outcomes supported by data where possible (for example: tenant satisfaction results, retention rates, operational improvements, renovation outcomes, cost savings, or community impact).
• Clear alignment with the published award criteria.
• Demonstrated impact and sustainability of the initiative or achievement.
• Testimonials or third-party validation where appropriate.
• Concise but comprehensive narrative responses that clearly describe the nominee’s achievements.

Where quantitative data is not available, nominees are encouraged to provide clear qualitative evidence or examples that demonstrate impact.

5. Tips for Preparing a Strong Nomination

To help the Awards Committee fully understand the nominee’s achievements, nominators are encouraged to:

• Provide specific examples rather than general statements.
• Highlight measurable results where possible (for example: tenant satisfaction improvements, occupancy rates, renovation outcomes, operational efficiencies, or community impact).
• Clearly explain what makes the nominee stand out compared to others in the industry.
• Include supporting documentation such as photos, testimonials, or case examples where relevant.
• Focus responses on the published award criteria, ensuring each criterion is clearly addressed.

Strong nominations are typically clear, concise, and evidence-based, allowing the judging committee to easily understand the nominee’s accomplishments and impact.

6. Evaluation Process Overview

All nominations undergo a structured multi-stage review process:

Administrative Screening
CRRA staff review all submissions to confirm eligibility and completeness.

Category Committee Review
A review committee evaluates eligible nominations using a standardized scoring framework aligned with the published award criteria.

Shortlist Creation
The top three nominees in each category may be shortlisted based on committee scoring.

Committee Confirmation
The Awards Committee reviews final scoring results and confirms category winners.

Finalist Notification
Shortlisted nominees may be contacted for clarification, additional information, or potential site review if applicable. Winners are formally announced at the CRRA Annual Awards Gala.

7. Judging Criteria and Scoring

Each award category is evaluated using a standardized scoring framework aligned with the published award criteria.

Judges evaluate nominations based on how clearly the submission demonstrates excellence in the areas identified for that category.

Scoring may consider factors such as:

• Demonstrated impact or results
• Alignment with the category criteria
• Innovation or leadership within the residential rental industry
• Quality of supporting documentation or evidence provided

Nominations that provide clear examples, measurable outcomes, and supporting evidence will typically score more strongly.

Final scores are determined through independent evaluation by members of the Awards Committee.

8. Conflict of Interest Policy

Committee members must declare any real, perceived, or potential conflict of interest related to a nomination.

Examples of conflicts may include:

• Employment or contractual relationships with the nominee
• Direct financial interest in the nominee organization
• Immediate family or close personal relationships
• Direct involvement in preparing the nomination submission

Where a conflict exists:

• The committee member must declare the conflict to the Awards Committee Chair or CRRA staff prior to evaluation.
• The member must recuse themselves from scoring, discussion, and decision-making related to that nomination.
• The member must not attempt to influence other reviewers regarding that nomination.

If a conflict results in insufficient reviewers for a category, CRRA may assign an alternate reviewer to ensure a fair and balanced evaluation process.

All declared conflicts will be documented for transparency within the Awards Committee process.

Committee members are expected to maintain confidentiality regarding all nomination materials and judging discussions.

9. Final Decisions

All judging decisions are final.

Scores, deliberations, and evaluation discussions remain confidential.

CRRA reserves the right to decline incomplete or non-compliant submissions.

CRRA also reserves the right not to present an award in any category if the judging committee determines that submissions do not meet the required standard of excellence.