2026 Categories
We're delighted to announced that entries for the Architect of the Year Awards are now open, featuring three brand new accolades for 2026. These awards celebrate the very best in architectural excellence, and we invite you to showcase your most impactful work from the past year.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTRY CRITERIA AND ELIGIBILITY PDF.
Best Architect Employer of the Year
This award rewards architectural practices that promote a high-quality work environment for their employees. The judges will be looking for evidence that employers are providing opportunities for career advancement including training and development initiatives. Employers should also have policies that promote wellbeing and a healthy work life balance including flexible working, a quality work environment, maternity and paternity leave and efforts to tackle a long hours culture. Good employers will promote equal pay and have policies that have initiatives that ensure women are not disadvantaged in the workplace. Previous entrants to this category should focus on new initiatives and changes since the last entry to this award.
Creative Conservation Architect of the Year
This award is open to architects working on the conservation and sensitive adaption of buildings of historic interest. Your entry should include one built project completed in the year from 1 December 2024 – 1 December 2025 and a minimum of 1 other project either built or unbuilt. No more than four projects, in total, should be submitted and built projects should have been completed in the past three years. The judges will be looking for evidence of all round design excellence and sensitive adaption of buildings of historic interest for the modern age whilst retaining their essential character over a body of work. The judges will also be looking at ability to delight building users, sustainability and the promotion of wellbeing and fitness for purpose. The size of the projects featured will not be a factor in their deliberations.
Digital design innovation and optimisation award
This award rewards architects who have made innovative use of digital technologies to pioneer techniques to enable more effective and efficient designs that deliver better outcomes for clients.
Initiatives can include, but in no way limited to those that help architects evaluate multiple design options to meet client and regulatory needs. This could include tools to help clients to gain a fuller appreciation of what the finished project will be like. This award also recognizes the use of digital methodologies that save time and help deliver more predictable, better quality results for those in the supply chain.
This award is also open to those who have developed digital tools to automate administrative and other business related tasks that help practices function more efficiently and free up staff to focus on more creative and productive work.
Please state what the initiative is and why it was introduced, how it was developed and successfully implemented. Please also state the benefits for the practice including time and financial savings and the benefits for the supply chain and the client/end user.
Education Architect of the Year (nursery - 6th)
This award is open to architects working on buildings - whether residential or teaching facilities – in the nursery, primary and secondary education sector including sixth form colleges. Your entry should include one built project completed in the year from 1 December 2024 – 1 December 2025 and a minimum of 1 other project either built or unbuilt. No more than four projects, in total, should be submitted and built projects should have been completed in the past three years. One project may be international. The judges will be looking for evidence of all-round design excellence including the ability to delight building users, an appropriate response to context and positive contribution to the community, sustainability and the promotion of wellbeing and fitness for purpose over a body of work. The size of the projects featured will not be a factor in their deliberations
Higher Education Architect of the Year
This award is open to architects working on buildings - whether residential or teaching facilities – in the higher education sector. This can include further education colleges, technical colleges, post 18 community colleges and universities. Your entry should include one built project completed in the year from 1 December 2024 – 1 December 2025 and a minimum of 1 other project either built or unbuilt. No more than four projects, in total, should be submitted and built projects should have been completed in the past three years. One project may be international. The judges will be looking for evidence of all-round design excellence including the ability to delight building users, an appropriate response to context and positive contribution to the community, sustainability and the promotion of wellbeing and fitness for purpose over a body of work. The size of the projects featured will not be a factor in their deliberations
Housing Architect of the Year
This award is open to architects working on all forms of housing development from a minimum of two homes up to large-scale multi-unit housing developments. This includes homes for sale, social housing and market rate rental homes. Your entry should include one built project completed in the year from 1 December 2024 – 1 December 2025 and a minimum of 1 other project either built or unbuilt. No more than four projects, in total, should be submitted and built projects should have been completed in the past three years. One project may be international. The judges will be looking for evidence of all-round design excellence including the ability to delight occupiers, sustainability and the promotion of wellbeing and fitness for purpose over a body of work. The size of the projects featured will not be a factor in their deliberations.
Individual House Architect of the Year
This category is intended for one-off family houses of any budget. Your entry should include one built project completed in the year from 1 December 2024 – 1 December 2025 and a minimum of 1 other project either built or unbuilt. No more than four projects, in total, should be submitted and built projects should have been completed in the past three years. The judges will be looking for evidence of all-round design excellence including the ability to delight the occupiers, sustainability and the promotion of wellbeing and fitness for purpose over a body of work.
Industry/Manufacturing Partner of the Year
This award recognises the suppliers who have really gone the extra mile in their partnerships with architects. Any organisation that supplies a product, software or service to the architectural industry is eligible to enter. The industry partner will show an exemplary record of customer service by demonstrating how challenges faced by architects are solved by proactively offering initiatives, products or services that deliver success for their clients.
Judges will be looking for innovative solutions and evidence of how these helped serve the architectural industry. Evidence can include metrics, product development information to solve a specific issue and testimonials from satisfied customers. Your entry should be displayed across one PDF board (no larger than A1) and including as many pictures as you see fit. Please include up to 1000 words as to why you should win this award.
Interior Architect of the Year
This award is open to architects working on the design of interiors – whether those of shops, restaurants, hotels, houses or offices. Your entry should include one built project completed in the year from 1 December 2024 – 1 December 2025 and a minimum of 1 other project either built or unbuilt. No more than four projects, in total, should be submitted and built projects should have been completed in the past three years. One project may be international. The judges will be looking for evidence of all-round design excellence including the ability to delight building users, sustainability and the promotion of wellbeing and fitness for purpose over a body of work. The size of the projects featured will not be a factor in their deliberations.
Lifetime Achievement Award
This category is not open to entries/nominations. The winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award will be decided by our esteemed judging panel/editorial team and announced on the night.
Office Architect of the Year
This award is open to architects working on the design of offices, whether newbuilt or refurbishments of existing structures. Your entry should include one built project completed in the year from 1 December 2024 – 1 December 2025 and a minimum of 1 other project either built or unbuilt. No more than four projects, in total, should be submitted and built projects should have been completed in the past three years. The judges will be looking for evidence of all-round design excellence including the ability to delight building users, an appropriate response to context and positive contribution to the community, sustainability and the promotion of wellbeing and fitness for purpose over a body of work. The size of the projects featured will not be a factor in their deliberations.
One Off Small Project of the Year under £5 million – open to one off individual projects
This award recognises architects who are undertaking projects of a relatively small scale, whether new build or refurbishment, and is open to one off small-projects. Your entry should include one built project completed in the year from 1 December 2024 – 1 December 2025, and your project must be under £5 million in value. The judges will be looking for evidence of all-round design excellence including the ability to delight building users, sustainability and the promotion of wellbeing and fitness for purpose over a body of work.
One off Major Project of the Year over £100m – open to one off individual projects
This award is open to architects working on large, one off projects from any sector, whether new build or refurbishment, with a value of over £100m. Your entry should include one built project completed in the year from 1 December 2024 – 1 December 2025. The judges will be looking for evidence of all-round design excellence including the ability to delight building users, sustainability and the promotion of wellbeing and fitness for purpose over a body of work.
Public Building Architect of the Year
This award is open to architects working on any project of public function, including theatres, galleries, libraries, visitor centres, civic and religious buildings. Your entry should include one built project completed in the year from 1 December 2024 – 1 December 2025 and a minimum of 1 other project either built or unbuilt. No more than four projects, in total, should be submitted and built projects should have been completed in the past three years. The judges will be looking for evidence of all-round design excellence including the ability to delight building users, sustainability and the promotion of wellbeing and fitness for purpose over a body of work. The size of the projects featured will not be a factor in their deliberations.
Public Realm and Placemaking Architect of the Year
This award is open to architects working on projects that include public realm interventions to improve the overall quality of a place including the wider area beyond the boundaries of a development. Projects from any sector such as housing, mixed use, commercial and retail are eligible. Your entry should include one built project completed in the year from 1 December 2024 – 1 December 2025 and a minimum of 1 other project either built or unbuilt. No more than four projects, in total, should be submitted and built projects should have been completed in the past three years. The judges will be looking for evidence of all-round design excellence and interventions over a body of work that have improved the overall quality of schemes to delight and promote the wellbeing of all those who interact with these. Consideration will also be given to the wider, social, economic and cultural impact of the projects. The size of the projects featured will not be a factor in their deliberations.
Radical retrofit and reinvention Architect of the Year
This award is open to architects working on the remodelling of existing structures. Your entry should include one built project completed in the year from 1 December 2024 – 1 December 2025 and a minimum of 1 other project either built or unbuilt. No more than four projects, in total, should be submitted and built projects should have been completed in the past three years. The judges will be looking for evidence of all round design excellence and creative reinvention of existing structures to meet modern needs over a body of work. The judges will also be looking at ability to delight building users, sustainability and the promotion of wellbeing and fitness for purpose. The size of the projects featured will not be a factor in their deliberations.
Regenerative Design Architect of the Year
This award recognises architects who have made an outstanding contribution towards reducing carbon emissions from the built environment. This includes the emissions from the construction, operation, and deconstruction of buildings. Your entry should include one built project completed in the year from 1 December 2024 – 1 December 2025 and a minimum of 1 other project either built or unbuilt. No more than four projects, in total, should be submitted and built projects should have been completed in the past three years. Projects from any sector can be entered and one project may be international. The judges will be looking for evidence of all-round design excellence including the ability to delight building users, and the promotion of wellbeing and fitness for purpose over a body of work. Above all else, the judges will be examining how the environmental impact of projects have been minimised including embodied and operational carbon and the promotion of a circular economy. Extra weight will be given to architects that include environmental performance data to back up entries. The size of the projects featured will not be a factor in their deliberations.
Retail and Leisure Architect of the Year
This award is open to architects working on retail and leisure facilities of all scale including sports facilities, shops, cinemas, leisure centres, restaurants, hotels and spas. Your entry should include one built project completed in the year from 1 December 2024 – 1 December 2025 and a minimum of 1 other project either built or unbuilt. No more than four projects, in total, should be submitted and built projects should have been completed in the past three years. The judges will be looking for evidence of all-round design excellence including the ability to delight building users, sustainability and the promotion of wellbeing and fitness for purpose over a body of work. The size of the projects featured will not be a factor in their deliberations.
The Gold Award
This category is not open to entries/nominations. The winner of the Gold Award will be decided by our esteemed judging panel from the winners across all of our categories. It is the Award to determine our ‘best of the best’.
Young Architect of the Year
This award is open to fully qualified architects who have been practicing for less than 12 years on the deadline for award entries. Entries will also be accepted from practices where the majority of principals have been practicing for 12 years or under. If there are only two principals, both need to have been practicing for less than 12 years on the deadline for award entries. Entries from architects with a strong philosophy but without the back-up of much built work are encouraged, as are entries from previous YAYA entrants. The award is open to UK and European architects. Architects should be registered with ARB or the relevant architectural body in their country.