RIBA UK Awards information and entry guidelines

Entry for the RIBA UK Awards 2025 is now closed.

Please read our current entry criteria below. For entrants planning to enter the 2026 Awards, please email awards@riba.org for updates to these requirements.

Entry Criteria

To enter, the project director must be a current RIBA, RSAW, RIAS, RSUA Chartered member or RIBA International Fellow.
The project must have been completed between October 2021 and December 2023.
The project must have been occupied by December 2023 (12 months before entries to the 2025 UK Awards close). Partially-occupied commercial and housing projects are subject to RIBA approval.
Projects must meet the requirements outlined in the updated sustainability criteria, including actual energy data, water usage and relevant carbon calculations. See RIBA Awards Sustainability Guide for full details.
The project director must have the client's permission to submit the project.

Deadlines

Entry for the RIBA UK Awards 2025 is now closed.

For all key dates see the RIBA Awards timetable.

Who can enter?

UK Awards

To create an account for the RIBA Awards for projects in the UK, you must have a current individual RIBA Chartered Membership number or RIBA International Fellowship.

The project director must be a current RIBA Chartered Member - learn how to join RIBA.

Buildings in Scotland

To enter projects in Scotland, please see the RIAS Awards. Entries which have been unsuccessful at RIAS shortlisting stage in the preceding year can be re-submitted and will be considered for both RIAS and RIBA (National) Awards provided that:

the project must have been completed between October 2021 and January 2024
the project must have been occupied by January 2024 (one year before entries to the 2025 RIAS Awards close). Partially-occupied commercial and housing projects are subject to approval
the full entry fee for RIAS Awards is paid

The scheme will be judged by a separate jury, which will include a RIBA Representative, chaired by a RIAS member.

If you have an eligible project you would like to enter, but are not a member, please see more information on becoming a RIBA Member.

To be eligible to enter the RIBA Awards 2025, new members must have successfully applied for membership no later than Thursday 14 November 2024 in line with the final admissions intake before the awards close for entries.

How to enter

All of the following information will need to be provided in order to complete your awards submission:

Project information

project name
project address (including county for UK projects) and postcode if applicable
gross internal area in sq m, in the case of largely landscape/ urban design projects gross external area in sq m
net internal area in sq m
contract value / building cost of the project including build and fit-out if done/overseen by the architect (excluding land costs and fees)
contract type (for UK projects), planning approval date and occupation date of the project
credit line (i.e. the architect(s)/practice(s)/designer(s). If you worked in collaboration with another practice or architect, you must all be in agreement on the entry and how the project should be credited)

Contact details

architect practice / studio name
architect practice / studio address
contact details for project director/architect, client and contractor
contact for jury visits
press contact
photographer details

Project description

100 word project summary, giving an overview of the project written in the third person. This should help people understand the project immediately, giving necessary context, including;

typology or use
location or setting
who is the client or end user?
is the scheme a reuse or renovation project?
who made up the design team?

A further 350 words describing the key elements of the project, setting out:

the client’s brief
materials and method of construction
summary of timetable, programme, planning and budget constraints
how the project contributes to its environment, the experience of occupants and wider society
how the needs of users have been met based upon the principles of inclusive design

This project description will be used in jury meetings and to influence press coverage, so please ensure it fully encapsulates the key elements of your project.

Key consultants

Please include:

a list of all key consultants to be credited, e.g. structural engineer, services engineer, landscape architect(s) etc, with contact details

These consultants will be credited on all of our online content, press releases and awards certificates, so please ensure they are listed correctly.

Images

Entrants are required to submit the following:

a minimum of five and up to ten JPEG images of the project, exceeding 1000 pixels in width, and 700 pixels in height (max file size is 10MB)
up to five additional JPEG images showing existing buildings or site photographs (max file size is 10MB)

Entrants must:

select five of these project images to be used for press purposes - we recommend press images to be at least 2000 pixels in height or width and 300dpi
include a mixture of external and internal shots of the project
upload each image as single image files, not composite boards - an exception to this rule would be to upload existing site images side by side which show the before and after of a refurb project, uploaded as one file
convey the way in which the project relates to its context, as these images are used for judging purposes
include both wide shots and close-ups, and show the building in use, if possible
not include company logos or text on any images
include the photographer credit for each image

Drawings

Entrants must also upload:

a minimum of one and a maximum of six drawing files as JPEG format only (max file size is 2MB)

This should typically include:

a location plan (showing the project in context, eg 1:1250)
a site plan
a ground floor plan (showing main access)
a typical floor plan
two sections

You may upload up to six separate files. These can be configured as one to two drawings per page, if necessary. Please bear in mind the jury will be reading the drawings on A4 pages and on screen, so landscape orientation is preferred if possible.

Photographers

Entrants will need to include:

the name and contact details of photographer(s)

Please bear in mind:

RIBA will only use the photographs or other media submitted for the purposes of the RIBA Awards
RIBA will require confirmation that the relevant copyright owner of the photograph or other media submitted has licensed the right to use the photograph or other media of your scheme for all purposes related to the RIBA Awards (in print, social and digital media). This might include publicising an exhibition (of winning entries), a lecture series (featuring the winning architects), or promoting the award itself
photographers will always be credited on their images, so supplying us with the correct information on each photograph is essential

Sustainability

Our awards criteria is aligned to support the 2030 Climate Challenge and the measures articulated within the challenge are increasingly being used to define the standards expected of RIBA Award-winning projects
For 2025: All projects are expected to meet statutory targets in achieving sustainable outcomes and measure and verify how they perform. Please complete as many questions as possible so that we can understand the credentials of your scheme
You may find it helpful to refer to our RIBA Awards Sustainability Guide for further guidance about how to answer these questions. The guide also lists all questions in the sustainability section of the form, should you wish to download and send to any external consultants to fill in and send back to you. But please note that all figures must then be completed in the online submission
If mandatory data is required but not applicable to your project, please insert ‘0’ (zero) in the data field and provide an explanation in the relevant text box - e.g. a bridge will not be able to provide some mandatory data due to its typology

Use of information

Data, including images, plans, drawings, technical and budget information, and narrative text submitted in support of all RIBA Awards entries will be used by RIBA and judges acting on its behalf for the purposes of assessing awards entries in the current year of judging.

Any information relating to budget, personal details, such as company names or client names, and addresses that the individual or agent preparing the application wishes to remain confidential during and subsequent to the judging process has the facility (through the online entry system) to mark this information as confidential during the application process.

Information marked as confidential will not be shared for publicity or any form of public dissemination. Information not marked as confidential will be assumed to be suitable for public dissemination. For the avoidance of doubt, information marked confidential will be shared with awards juries acting on behalf of RIBA for the purposes of evaluating and assessing awards entries.

Juries will be made aware of their obligation to treat the information as confidential beyond the immediate purposes of assessing awards entries. The visual data (images, plans, drawings) will also be used by RIBA for the promotion of the awards.

Data will be held by RIBA in perpetuity for the purposes of maintaining a record of the entries and for RIBA archive. This information will not be shared with any third party without the express and prior consent of the author, their clients or agents acting on their behalf.

RIBA collects data for research purposes, except where you have stated that information on the entry form is to be kept confidential. Any data used for research purposes to monitor trends in the profession will remain anonymous and no data from individual projects will be published without consent.

Terms and Conditions

View our RIBA Awards terms and conditions

Payment

payments must be made online using a valid credit or debit card upon submission in GBP sterling - we cannot issue invoices
the entry fee is dependent on the contract value of the project entered (see payment bands below)
you cannot alter your entry once payment has been made

Financial support

We offer financial support via discounted or free entry for architects and practices without the financial resources to enter our UK Awards programme.

To enquire about or apply for financial support, please email awards@riba.org for more information. Please note that applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Entry fees

The entry fee is dependent on the contract value of the project. See 2025 entry prices below for reference.

Project Construction Cost	Fee before 17.00 GMT on 14 November 2024	Fee from 17.00 GMT on 14 November 2024
Under £500k	£99	£110
£500k - £1,999,999	£230	£255
£2m - £4,999,999	£421	£468
£5m - £9,999,999	£599	£665
£10m - £20m	£687	£763
Over £20m	£779	£866

All fees are shown in GBP sterling excluding VAT. UK VAT will be charged for all entries.

Judging process

Our awards and prizes are the most rigorously judged awards for architectural excellence. No award or prize is given unless the project has been visited by at least one jury.

All RIBA Awards are judged by award-winning architects and relevant lay assessors. Before any visits are made, every judge will read and digest the criteria and study all the submitted materials. They will then visit an agreed shortlist of projects, looking in detail at all aspects, interior and exterior; listen to the story that both architect and client have to tell, and ask them about the process and its results.

After discussion with fellow judges, they will arrive at their provisional decisions. Once all visits have concluded, the jury will meet for a final time to decide the awards.

Judging criteria

RIBA Awards celebrate the discipline of architecture, a discipline that touches and supports so many aspects of our daily lives. An award-winning project is one which balances ideas of beauty and culture, history and context with societal concerns for inclusivity and diversity, ecology and sustainability, all bound together in a memorable and emotional spatial experience.

In judging projects for awards, juries will assess them against the following ten criteria. Differences in project complexity, scale, budget and procurement method are acknowledged, and will be taken into account in the judging process.

Is it skilfully composed, in plan, section and elevation? Does it possess exceptional qualities of form, scale, space, light and material?
Does it show ambition, whether in its understanding of cultural continuity or its pursuit of invention? Does it respond to and support its context?
How does the project meet or exceed the client’s brief and aspirations? Does it make a wider contribution to society?
Does its form and construction reflect its required design life? Is it robust, flexible and adaptable? Is it carefully detailed and well made?
Does it use appropriate construction materials and environmental technologies?
Has it made good use of any existing structures on its site, either through the retention and reuse of fabric or the recycling of materials?
Has the project taken effective steps to minimise its resource use, and does it contribute positively to biodiversity both on and off-site?
Is it sympathetic and imaginative in its treatment of listed structures and in its response to historic contexts?
Does the project meet the highest standards for inclusive accessibility?
Does the project respond generously to the external environment? Does it enhance or create new public space and green infrastructure?

UN Global Compact

RIBA supports the universal principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption that form the UN Global Compact
as a signatory, RIBA is committed to upholding and promoting the highest standards of ethics in architecture and the wider construction industry

RIBA reserves the right to request further information about the ways in which the scheme complies with the principles of the UN Global Compact and will take this into account when determining awards

RIBA Awards resources

View our video playlist below for guidance on RIBA UK Awards process.

​RIBA ​UK Awards information and entry guidelines​