NAHB’s Best in American Living Awards (BALA) celebrate residential design excellence across a range of categories. Entries are accepted in eight broad categories:
- Single-family production or builder spec homes;
- Custom homes;
- Multifamily;
- Affordable;
- Remodeling;
- Communities;
- Interior design; and
- Specialty (unique categories, such as design detail and healthy home).
For the 2022 awards, the 2021 categories have been retained. One new category has been added for single family for-rent communities, and the community facility category has been broken into divisions based on the number of units it serves. See categories/explanations.
Importantly, the same project may be entered for awards in multiple categories. For example, a home can be entered in both the single-family custom and specialty room categories. The application process makes it easy via the “duplicate” function. The only information needed for the additional room is a design statement that is specific to that room – e.g., why the kitchen within the 5,000-square-foot custom home deserves to win its own award.
If you are unsure which category is best suited for your project, please contact Sherin Sameh by email at ssameh@nahb.org or Kiera Gulley by email at kgulley@nahb.org or by phone at (202)266-8245. If the judges feel your project belongs in another category, they will move it during judging. (Your entry will not be penalized.) If you would like to change your entry to a different category after submitting, you can do so until the deadline by contacting either staff member mentioned above.
