The Kitchen & Bath Business (KBB) Product Awards honor manufacturers for superior products that fulfill the following criteria: meeting market need, technological advancement, aesthetic merit and innovation. If you are a manufacturer that has unveiled a new kitchen or bath product between April 9, 2024 and July 11, 2025, that has not been previously entered, you’re eligible to enter the 2025 KBB Product Awards. It is an independently judged awards program recognizing superior products, and it is optional to participate.
In addition to the Kitchen and Bath Products of the Year awards, we expect additional product-specific awards in the following categories:*
- Air Quality (examples include, but are not limited to, ventilation, purifiers, fans)
- Bath & Kitchen Accessories (examples include, but are not limited to, towel bars, mirrors, soap dispensers)
- Bath & Kitchen Faucets
- Bath & Kitchen Sinks
- Bath Storage & Furniture (examples include, but are not limited to, vanities, shelving, seating, medicine cabinets)
- Cooking Appliances
- Countertops
- Decorative Hardware
- Dishwashers (can also include dishwasher drawers)
- Flooring & Flooring Components
- Functional & Storage Hardware
- Kitchen Cabinetry
- Laundry Products (examples include, but are not limited to, appliances, storage, plumbing fixtures)
- Lighting (examples include, but are not limited to, task, smart, recessed, decorative)
- Luxury Products (examples include, but are not limited to, cold-plunge tubs, workstation sinks, custom cabinets)
- Outdoor Offerings (examples include but are not limited to furniture, appliances and storage, showers, lighting)
- Refrigeration
- Shower Components (examples include, but are not limited to, showerheads, benches, drains)
- Smart Innovations (examples include, but are not limited to, connected fixtures, lighting and appliances)
- Sustainable Offerings (examples include, but are not limited to, low-flow fixtures, products made with recyclable materials, energy-saving appliances)
- Toilets
- Tubs
- Wallcoverings
- Water Quality (examples include, but are not limited to, water filtration, all-in-one tap, water-filling station)
- Wellness Products (examples include, but are not limited to, bathing therapies, low-VOC cabinets, refrigeration with preservation)
*The judges have the final say on the category awards and will reserve the right to assign products to specific award categories at their discretion. One winner will be named in each category, and certain categories may not be awarded due to limited or insufficient entries. Decisions by judges are final.
This page is to familiarize yourself with the rules of the competition prior to submitting your entry.
Timeline
The 2025 KBB Product Awards will open at 8:00 a.m. EST on April 9, 2025, and will end July 11, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. EST (the "Entry Deadline"). All entries must be received by the Entry Deadline.
Fees
The early-bird competition fee is $375 per entry/product through May 9, 2025. After that, through July 11, the pricing will increase to $525 per entry/product. Each product must have its own entry form. No refunds of entry fees will be issued.
Judging Criteria
Products must have been introduced for regular production (no prototypes) in the last 12 months. Entrants may only submit a single product with each entry, not a line of products in different categories. For example, a surfaces collection with various colors would be acceptable, but a bath collection with multiple types of fixtures would not. Judges will base their decisions on such criteria as innovation, aesthetics, function and technical advancements, which will be ranked on a scale from 1 to 5.
Jury Info
Entries will be judged after the contest is officially closed by a panel of industry professionals chosen by KBB and Sponsor.
Winners Announcement
The winners will be announced and featured in the September/October 2025 issue of KBB magazine and on kbbonline.com once the September/October issue has mailed. We will also feature an online gallery that will include ALL product submissions, as long as the photography guidelines are followed. All product submissions will be considered by KBB editors for future placement and/or promotion in the magazine, online, in affiliated newsletter or on social channels. There are no monetary prizes.
Rules
1. Products must have been unveiled to the market between April 9, 2024, and July 11, 2025. Products that have been submitted to past competitions will not be considered unless there has been a significant update, to be determined at the sole discretion of the judges.
2. All questions on the entry form must be answered fully to help judges better understand the product and how it is innovative. Failure to fill in required fields or to submit incorrect information may result in disqualification.
3. Entrants may submit forms for as many different products as they like, one category per product.
4. All decisions made by KBB are final.
5. Professional-quality, high-resolution photography (under 5MB please) must be submitted with each completed entry form. At least two color images of each product must be submitted, and five are permitted. Multiple views (other angles) and technical information/specification sheets are encouraged. You can upload .JPG .PNG .GIF files only. Each photo must be 300 DPI in resolution, and each image must be under 5 MB. By submitting photography, you are granting KBB the right to publish it free of charge. Any photographer’s fees/usage rights are the responsibility of the submitter.
6. By submitting photography, you (a) represent and warrant that you own the exclusive rights and/or have obtained all necessary third-party consents to submit such images for use, (b) grant Sponsor and its designees, licensees or affiliates a fully paid, worldwide license to use, distribute, display, reproduce, publish, republish and create derivative works of the entry in any media now or hereafter known, including but not limited to, print or digital publication in KBB magazine at no further cost and with no additional approval and (c) agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless Sponsor and its partners, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising agencies, agents and their employees, officers, directors and representatives from any and all third-party claims, including but not limited to copyright claims, arising from the entry and use of any such images submitted in connection with the competition.
7. Employees of KBB and Sponsor, and each of their affiliates, subsidiaries and agents and their immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, sibling and their respective spouses, regardless of where they live) or persons living in the same households of such individuals, whether or not related, are not eligible to enter. Entrants must be at least 18 years of age as of the date of entry.
8. By participating, participants release and agree to hold harmless Sponsor, its parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, advertising and promotion agencies and all of their respective directors, officers, employees, representatives and agents from any and all liability for any injury, loss or damage of any kind to persons (including, without limitation, death) or property, arising directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from or in connection with the acceptance, possession, use or misuse of any prize, participation in this competition, or any competition-related activity. NOTWITHSTANDING THE FOREGOING, IN THE EVENT THAT THE PRECEDING RELEASE IS DETERMINED BY A COURT OF COMPETENT JURISDICTION TO BE INVALID OR VOID FOR ANY REASON, THE PARTICIPANT AGREES THAT, BY ENTERING THE COMPETITION, (I) ANY CLAIMS, JUDGMENTS AND AWARDS SHALL BE LIMITED TO ACTUAL OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS INCURRED, BUT IN NO EVENT ATTORNEYS’ FEES; AND (II) UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL ANY PARTICIPANT BE PERMITTED TO OBTAIN ANY AWARD FOR, AND PARTICIPANT HEREBY WAIVES ALL RIGHTS TO CLAIM, ANY OTHER DAMAGES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES.
Entrants agree (a) to be bound by these Official Rules and (b) that the decisions of the judges and KBB are final on all matters relating to the KBB Product Awards.
Governing Law
By entering, participants agree that all issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of participants and Sponsor in connection with the competition, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the substantive laws of the State of California without regard to its conflicts of law provisions. All participants hereby consent to the jurisdiction and venue of the federal or state courts located in New York, N.Y.
Contest Sponsor
The sponsor of the KBB Product Awards is Emerald LLC, 100 Broadway, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10005