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STARRSM Awards Criteria


Click on the tabs below to see Criteria, Nominees and Winners!

STARR Awards Event Details STARR Award Criteria & Forms STARR Award Nominees STARR Award Winners

SUCCESS, TRANSFORMATION, ADVANCEMENT IN RETAIL REAL ESTATE
CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE ACROSS RETAIL REAL ESTATE

The annual STARRsm Awards are all about celebrating our community - highlighting the people, partnerships, and projects that make retail real estate stronger. We encourage you to nominate those who inspire, lead, and deliver exceptional results. Let's come together to recognize the achievements that move our industry forward.

The 2026 STARRsm Awards entries are reviewed and judged by a group of industry specialists, professionals and peers closely involved with retail real estate. Projects within the metropolitan area will be reviewed on-site, while remote locations will be judged from submitted documentation. If only one entry is submitted in a category, it is up to the judges discretion for meriting an award. Judging will take place mid-September. Only one award will be given per category. Failure to comply with these guidelines will result in rejection of the submission.

Projects completed by:  September 1, 2025 through August 31, 2026. Projects must be within the state of Minnesota.

Call for Nominations deadline:  Tuesday, July 14, 2026

Submission Forms & Criteria

Click on the tab below to get a PDF of the applicable submission form.

2026 Call for Nominations Submission Form 2026 Hall of Fame Submission Form 2026 Transaction of the Year Submission Form


ENTRY FEES: Retail Real Estate Network members $225 per entry (non-refundable)
Non-members $425 per entry (non-refundable)
Official submission deadline is Tuesday, August 11th.

For additional information or full submission package, contact Karla Keller Torp at (952) 292-2414.

CATEGORY/JUDGING CRITERIA:

PROJECT AWARDS:

INTERIOR DESIGN:
Honors exceptional architectural interior design for retail real estate spaces and elevates aesthetics, functionality, and customer experience.

JUDGING CRITERIA:
Judging will focus on general aesthetics and design,innovative use of materials, functionality of layout, concept implementation, construction issues, interior lighting and overall image.

INTERIOR DESIGN: 
QUICK SERVICE/FAST CASUAL/FAST FOOD: Limited menu and does not offer table side service.

JUDGING CRITERIA:
Judging will focus on creativity and innovation in design, impact on customer engagement and overall experience, quality of execution and attention to detail, and incorporation of sustainability and accessibility.

EXTERIOR DESIGN:
Honors exceptional architectural exterior design for retail real estate spaced and elevates aesthetics, functionality, and customer experience.

JUDGING CRITERIA:
Judging will focus on creativity and innovation in design, impact on customer engagement and overall experience, quality of execution and attention to detail, and incorporation of sustainability and accessibility.

CONSTRUCTION: 
Recognizes exceptional execution of a retail real estate construction project of new builds, renovations, or tenant buildout that showcases quality, efficiency, and collaboration.

JUDGING CRITERIA:
Judging will focus on complexity and challenges overcome, quality of construction and adherence to timelines, exterior finishes and signage and impact on tenant/customer experience and property value.

DEVELOPMENT:
Honors a retail real estate development or redevelopment that demonstrates strategic vision, innovation, and market impact.

JUDGING CRITERIA:
Judging will focus on alignment with market needs and trends that have a market impact (lease-up), collaboration among stakeholders, economic impact and community benefit, complexity and challenges overcome, and sustainability and long-term viability.

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT:
Recognizes an outstanding achievement in property management, whether by an individual professional, a team, or an entire company. The achievement demonstrates exceptional leadership, problem-solving, operational excellence, or above-and-beyond management of a retail asset(s). 

JUDGING CRITERIA:
Judging will focus on impact and results (evaluating how meaningful and measurable the achievement was), complexity and challenge (assessing the difficulty of the situation or scope of work), execution and professional (how well the work was performed), and innovation of best practices (rewards creative and forward-thinking approaches.

INNOVATION & MARKETING: 
Creates an initiative, campaign, or concept that demonstrates forward-thinking strategy, creativity, and measurable impact within retail real estate.

JUDGING CRITERIA:
Judging will focus on originality and creativity, strategic alignment, results/measurable impact, innovation and integration, and scalability and long-term value.

Final submissions will be submitted electronically! Information will be provided via email when submittal packages are sent out.

All entries must be completed and submitted on Retail Real Estate Network templates with complete narrative of the applicable key points of 100 words or less for each of the above judging criteria. In addition, entries must include the following checklist.

All Design, Construction, and Development categories must include:

  • 3 - 6 color images at 300dpi, JPEG or TIF format. Please label one image as "project name-display" that you want used for display board and presentation. If no image is noted one will be selected for you.
  • If submitting a renovation/redevelopment project - 3 before and 3 after renovation/redevelopment color images at 300 dpi, JPEG or TIF format. Please label one image as "project name-display" that you want used for display board and presentation. If no image is noted one will be selected for you.
  • Documents of submission photography. No more than 3-8.5”x11” pages with only 4 images per page.
  • Completed project and criteria forms.
  • Site/floor plan (if applicable).
  • Mandatory award statement in three sentences or fewer. This statement will be read aloud if your project is selected as the winner in its category.
  • $225 member/$425 non-member submission fee (non-refundable).

    Property Management and Innovation & Marketing categories must provide:

    • 4 - 6 color images that support your entry submission detail at 300dpi, JPEG or TIF format. Please label one image as "project name-display" that you want used for display board and presentation. If no image is noted one will be selected for you.
    • Documents of n photography. No more than 3-8.5”x11” pages with only 4 images per page.
    • Completed project and criteria forms.
    • Mandatory award statement of 3 sentences or less. This will be read to introduce your project as a nominee and must highlight specific judging criteria relevant to your project.
    • $225 member/$425 non-member submission fee (non-refundable).
       

    NOTE TO OUTSTATE SUBMISSIONS:
    If you are submitting an outstate project, you may submit a video featuring your project covering the judging criteria.  Please upload video in an .avi or .wmv format and the video may not be longer than three minutes.