The EIFS Council of Canada has officially announced its new Architectural Design Awards Program to honour design professionals and firms that incorporate EIFS products into ground-breaking, inventive built projects.

In 1987, the EIFS Council of Canada was formed to represent the Canadian Exterior Insulation and Finishing Systems (EIFS) industry in Canada and all its user sectors.

“With this Awards Program, the EIFS Council of Canada wants to recognize and honour projects that have used EIFS in an innovative way,” said John Garbin, president and CEO of the EIFS Council of Canada, in a press release. “The goal of this Awards Program is to create a new benchmark in EIFS construction. The use of EIFS will help us realize Canada’s national objective of creating resilient, sustainable buildings.”

The Awards Program is open to all architects, architectural firms, builders or design professionals that have designed and completed a building in Canada using EIFS effectively. Eligible buildings must be occupied no earlier than January 1st, 2015 and no later than January 31, 2017. Applicants can submit a project in one of five categories: low-rise residential, high-rise residential, commercial/retail, recreational/institutional and renovation.

Registration is open until January 30, 2017. All applicants that have been deemed eligible must submit an electronic submission package by 12:01 am on April 7, 2017. Applications will be considered by a jury of industry experts across a variety of backgrounds, and finalists will be announced on May 7, 2017. The jury will name one Grand Award winner with a maximum of two honourable mentions per category. Award recipients will be honoured at the EIFS Council of Canada Annual General Meeting and Awards Reception on June 13, 2017.

For more information on the EIFS Council of Canada Architectural Design Awards Program, please visit http://eifscouncil.org/eifs-design-awards-program.