To qualify, buildings must have been completed in 2012, be located in the City of Toronto, and have an area greater than 50,000 square feet. Noteworthy buildings that do not fit these criteria may be considered by the Pug Awards Advisory Board.
To ensure each nominee was given an equal opportunity to present their building to the public, developers and/or architects were asked to supply their own building photography and description for inclusion on the online voting website. In the event that developers and/or architects were unable to provide the images, the photos were taken by a photographer appointed by the Pug Awards Executive Committee. Interactive images of the buildings with different angles/views are displayed on the new Pug Awards website with a LOVE IT, LIKE IT or HATE IT voting interface. Online voting will take place from April 30th – May 31st, 2013, and results for the competition will be announced June 26th, 2013 at a reception at the Shops of Summerhill, the 2012 Paul Oberman Award for Excellence in Adaptive Reuse and Heritage Restoration category champion.