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The BobVila.com team regularly celebrates tools—the solutions that make a difference in everyday passions, projects, and even problems. Now, the team is setting out to find and name the best of the best in new tools. Come November, we’ll recognize the handiest products for everyone from the DIY-minded homeowner to the veteran professional contractor.
About the BobVila.com Tool of the Year Awards
This marks our very first Tool of the Year Awards, and we’re excited to put a little pomp and circumstance around something we like to do all the time: shop talk. This new program will help our team spotlight the newest, most useful products to market. We’re looking for products that prioritize utility, quality construction, and the spark of innovation.
If that sounds like one of your products, you can guarantee that we see it with an application to the Awards. We’re now accepting applications for products either A) put into use or B) announced with a first sale date falling between October 19, 2023, and October 18, 2024. We will consider every product submitted for entry, though BobVila.com judges may also consider products that have not been formally entered. The inaugural program will include 7 categories with 5 winners in each and one category with a single winner (see below).
Multi-Winner Categories
Applications are now welcome in each of the following categories.
Hand Tools
Hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches, and other no-nonsense implements that continue to improve upon an age-old design
Power Tools
Electric and gas, cordless and corded tools designed and equipped with the oomph to efficiently tackle big jobs
Outdoor Tools
From mowers to weeders, the lawn and garden essentials that keep your yard lush and exterior maintained
Multitools
The most impressive multitaskers that earn their keep in two or more ways
Gadgets and Tech
The mechanical and electronic products—from emergency radios to power banks—that simplify your life through innovation, automation, and highly intuitive design
Cleaning Tools
The scrubbers, vacuums, and mops that substitute for elbow grease and take cleanser to the next level
Hobbyist Tools
Everything you need to hone your craft: woodworking, welding, and beyond
Single-Winner Category
This category is closed to direct applications. In selecting a winner of this designation, our judging panel will review all applications received before the submission deadline and will consider these alongside all known qualifying products.
DIY Game-Changer
A single outstanding, innovative solution that streamlines a project or otherwise answers a common problem. No entry is required for this Award category.
2024 BobVila.com Tool of the Year Submission Guidelines
How to Enter
Submissions for the 2024 BobVila.com Tool of the Year Awards are officially open. To get your product in front of our editors, please complete this form by midnight (ET), on October 18, 2024. Products can only be submitted to one of the seven main categories, so please select the best fit for your application. Submit as many products as you like. There is a $300 submission fee per entry, payable within the submission form. There are no refunds, so please read the following criteria carefully before submitting.
The Submission Criteria
The product must have been launched between October 19, 2023, and October 18, 2024.
We’re looking for entirely new product launches only. All products must be available to purchase in October 2024.
Entry Form
Click here to access the entry form.
Deadline for Submissions
The deadline for all 2024 BobVila.com Tool of the Year Awards submissions is midnight ET, October 18, 2024.
Announcement of Winners
The 2024 BobVila.com Tool of the Year Award winners will be officially announced in early November. Winners will be notified prior to the announcement; we require that all winners sign a non-disclosure agreement not to reveal this information until the feature is published on the website. Due to the volume of entries, we ask that you do not contact us to check on your status.
Judging Details
The judging process will be overseen by BobVila.com Editor-in-Chief Kathleen Corlett and Executive Editor of Product Reviews Stephanie Cronk. Each category of product submissions is methodically reviewed by a team of staff writers and editors who pair industry expertise with deep experience and knowledgeability about homes and gardens.
Judges evaluate entries on the basis of functionality, quality of design and construction, performance, value for dollar, and innovation within the category.
Note that our initial evaluation focuses on the information provided via the initial entry form, so we encourage all entrants to be thorough. If you have photos or video files, please point us to a website where we may view them; do not e-mail them unsolicited.
Judges may contact you to request a test unit or demonstration of any entry after evaluating your entry. Products that cannot be shown may be disqualified without reimbursement of the entry fee. Please DO NOT send sample products unsolicited.
Award Value
By the time our search concludes, we’ll recognize approximately 36 winners. Winners of the BobVila.com Tool of the Year Award, will receive promotion across all of our channels, which is valued up to $15,000.
Winning includes:
- Inclusion in a shoppable feature
- Promotion across BobVila.com social and email channels
Other questions?
Please contact us at tooloftheyear@bobvila.com.
