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Koerner Hall, part of the 2010s winning Telus Centre project
The Pug Awards were a Toronto architecture award that rated buildings based on popular votes, awarded annually from 2004 to 2014. Each spring, the Pug Awards website listed all buildings completed the previous year in Toronto that either had more than 50,000 feet of floor space or were deemed noteworthy by the Pug Awards Advisory Board and Executive Committee, with voters able to “Love”, “Like” or “Hate” new developments. In 2009, buildings outside the Old City of Toronto (including North York and Etobicoke) became eligible for awards.[1]
The awards were founded in 2004 by Gary Berman, president of real estate financier Tricon Capital Group, and Anna Simone, principal of design firm Cecconi Simone.[2] They were originally named the "Fugly Awards" and highlighted the ugliest buildings completed, but the name was then softened to the Puglies, and finally to the Pugs, with a Pug dog as the mascot.
In 2008 the awards introduced the "Pug Cup", which was carved each year with the winning building and displayed at City Hall.
The goal of the award was to inform the public about excellent designs and contribute to the growth of Toronto.[2]
