With the Stirling Prize and RIBA Special Awards winners having been announced this week, it’s already time for architects who wish to submit entries to turn their attention to next year’s awards.
In fact, the RIBA UK Awards 2025 season gets underway today (Thursday 17 October 2024). Entry is now open (for eight weeks, although early submissions are always encouraged) and to get members in an awards frame of mind, this is a brief guide to some of the key entry requirements, which have been revised slightly for 2025.
It should be noted that what follows in this professional feature is not a cheat sheet or a guarantee for architects to be shortlisted, or even win – it aims to provide help and guidance during the application process.
How much do entries cost?
Entry remains affordable. Smaller projects can be entered for as little as £99, and entry fees are tiered to encourage participation at all project sizes. 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.
Every project that is shortlisted will be visited by an expert jury comprising award-winning architects and industry specialists in sustainability, conservation, and more for an unparalleled peer review process.
Members are directed to the RIBA UK Awards entry guidelines for further information before they head off to enter their submissions for RIBA UK Awards 2025.
1. Project summary and project description
This year RIBA has revised what it asks for in terms of a project description so that information is now divided between a project summary (150 words max.) and a project description (400 words max.).
The project summary should be the at-a-glance description covering the essentials and context. Jurors go through many projects when assessing - they will want to understand the specifics of typology, urban/rural context, and client needs in a summary manner before they look in more detail at the scheme. The summary will also serve as the introduction to the project for publishing purposes, so it should set the scene for a wider audience who will be seeing the project for the first time.
To find out what makes the project unique – and award worthy – jurors will turn to the project description, which is the architect’s chance to explain the merits of the scheme. It’s helpful at this stage to review the description against judging criteria (refer to ‘entry guidelines’). It’s also important to make sure to cover all the important elements of a project including: the overarching design strategy, how the needs of users have been met, the relation of the project to its context, and how your sustainability strategy informed the design process.
2. Photography
Entrants have the opportunity to upload up to 10 photos from a project. There must be at least five ‘press images’ with the option to submit further photos for the jury to consider. Photos provide the chance to show the project off – how the spaces are occupied by end users, how the building fits into the streetscape or another context.
As applicable, a mix of interior and exterior shots are best, with one or two details shown close-up at an entrant’s discretion. The photo set will work best if it can portray the feel of the project and give a sense of each space in totality.
Photographs do not have to be professionally taken, but having a set of high-quality images is clearly a good investment. A project will gain exposure through national and local media coverage, and the awards page on the RIBA website gets 2.5 million annual visitors. Images can be used on your own website, social media channels, presentations, and future bids/competitions.
If an entrant is hiring a photographer, make sure their brief is to capture images that will satisfy the judging criteria outlined here.
It is also optional to upload up to five images of the existing site. This can usefully show the state of existing structures, site conditions or history/context of the site before development. These are for jurors’ use only, but they may help them to understand the scope of the scheme.
3. Carbon emissions and performance data
In-use data for operational energy and potable water use derived from 12 months of occupancy has been a mandatory requirement for all stages of RIBA Awards since 2024. The most straightforward way to gather this data is to obtain 12 months of meter readings. A good relationship with a client could help with this.
With each successive year, eligibility to enter RIBA Awards becomes more closely aligned with the performance outcome targets of RIBA’s 2030 Climate Challenge, demonstrating the crucial role architecture must play in mitigating and adapting to the climate crisis.
For 2025, upfront carbon and embodied carbon project data becomes mandatory at entry point for RIBA National Awards. In addition, whole-life carbon project data is mandatory at entry point for the RIBA Stirling Prize and the Reinvention Award.
Next year, upfront and embodied carbon data will be required for all stages of award entry, and by 2027 all entrants in the RIBA UK Awards will be required to provide full carbon reporting.
RIBA UK Awards sustainability questions provides more information on data requirements, a preview of sustainability-related questions in the entry form, and a roadmap of incremental changes to data requirements (data requirements that will become mandatory for entrants over the next couple of years).
Read more about whole life carbon assessments
There is a range of tools available to help calculate carbon emissions, but members might consider employing a specialist consultant particularly if they are unfamiliar with the requirements or if the project is complex (even if using one of the many free calculators available, some developed by practices and others available as plug-ins to software). Any method must adhere to RICS Professional Statement reporting methodology.
Text by Neal Morris. This is a Professional Feature edited by the RIBA Practice team. Send us your feedback and ideas
RIBA Core Curriculum topic: Business, clients and services.
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