BRITISH HOMES AWARDS ARE BACK FOR 2025

Affordable Housing

This award goes to a high-quality development, or part of it, that makes homes truly affordable to people on lower incomes. It is open to micro homes; modular homes, first time buyer schemes; build-to-rent and other rental innovations; as well as homes for social rent, affordable rent, intermediate rent or shared ownership. The entry should outline the number of homes, tenure mix, prices and how the design enhances residents’ lives. On a multi-site build, while it is good to reference the scale of the full site, your entry must focus on the affordable housing element.  Please note the sale price/rent per unit.

Apartment Development of the Year

This award goes to a single building or multi-building scheme of apartments that demonstrates design quality and makes a positive contribution to its context. The entry should outline the number of apartments, tenure mix and any other uses on site and the sizes in sq ft.

Best Community Living

This award goes to an exemplary new development that provides resident amenities alongside homes, such as shared lounges and workspaces. It is open to build-to-rent, retirement and student housing, as well as co-living and community-led housebuilding projects. Judges look for design solutions that cleverly integrate amenities, delight their target market and create a sense of community.

Best Garden/Landscaping Design

This award goes to the best garden design for a residential or mixed-use development. Judges look at planting and hard landscaping, as well as how the design contributes to sustainability and placemaking within its context.

Best Housing Partnership

To support the UK’s housing needs, we need innovative partnerships between developers and other bodies to deliver homes adding value to the community. This award recognises excellent partnerships or joint ventures between housebuilders and organisations such as local councils, housing associations, retailers, utilities or public Landowners.

Best Interior Design: Individual Home (£500,000 or less)

This award is for the best interior design of a home. It can include some or all rooms. Judges will look for evidence of the designer’s unique response to the challenges of the property and the needs of its owners, with a focus on space planning, finishes, colours and furnishings.

Best Interior Design: Individual Home (more than £500,000)

This award is for the best interior design of a home. It can include some or all rooms. Judges will look for evidence of the designer’s unique response to the challenges of the property and the needs of its owners, with a focus on space planning, finishes, colours and furnishings.

Best Interior Design: Development

Best Use of Smart Technology

This award goes to the best use of technology in design and installation within a home. It must demonstrate effective integration and control of more than one set of smart technologies including, but not exclusive to, energy management, lighting, security, and data networking, for easy, intuitive use by the homeowner. Entrants should demonstrate how the technology enhances the living experience in the building. 

Development of the Year (up to 20 Homes)

This award is open to smaller residential developments of up to 20 homes that demonstrate exceptional sensitivity to context and clever solutions for design and construction. It focuses on overcoming the challenges of working on a small scale on constrained city, town, brownfield or village sites. The judges will consider external and internal design, innovation in design and delivery, landscaping, and the scheme’s relationship with and contribution to its environment.

Development of the Year (20 to 100 Homes)

This award goes to the best residential development with 20 to 100 homes. Judges will consider external and internal design, development layout, landscaping, community and the scheme’s relationship with and contribution to its context. The entry should outline the number of units, phasing, tenure mix and other uses within the scheme.

Development of the Year (Over 100 Homes)

This award goes to the best residential development with more than 100 homes. Judges will consider external and internal design, development layout, landscaping, community and the scheme’s relationship with and contribution to its context. The entry should outline the number of units, phasing, tenure mix and other uses within the scheme.

Development Transformation of the Year

This award goes to the best large-scale residential refurbishment, restoration or conversion, providing more than one home. It is open to conversions of existing buildings, such as industrial-to-residential, retail-to-residential, office-to-residential as well as the upgrading of a housing estate or the restoration of a heritage building. The entry should outline the creative response to the brief, any challenges presented by the building and its environment, and the final innovative design solution. It must include photography of the scheme before and after the transformation.

Home Extension of the Year

This award goes to an architect designed extension for an individual home. Judges will look for quality and innovation in the interpretation of the design brief.

Home Transformation of the Year (up to 2,500 sq ft)

This award goes to the best refurbishment, restoration or conversion of an individual home of up to and including 2,500 sq ft. The entry should outline the creative response to the brief, any challenges presented by the building and its environment, and the final innovative design solution. The entry must include photography of the home before and after the transformation.

Home Transformation of the Year (over 2,500 sq ft)

This award goes to the best refurbishment, restoration or conversion of an individual home of more than 2,500 sq ft. The entry should outline the creative response to the brief, any challenges presented by the building and its environment, and the final innovative design solution. The entry must include photography of the home before and after the transformation.

House of the Year (up to 2,500 sq ft)

This award goes to the best refurbishment, restoration or conversion of an individual home of up to and including 2,500 sq ft.

House of the Year (over 2,500 sq ft)

This award goes to the best one-off, new-build house of more than 2,500 sq ft. Judges will be looking for designs which push the creative envelope by offering stylish yet comfortable single-family houses, balancing innovation with efficiency and functionality with aesthetic rigour.

Later Living/ Supported Living Design of the Year

This award recognises schemes or developments that are specifically designed to support later living and those in need of additional support and care. The overall design needs to be both fit for purpose, for example offer elements that give both a community feel and encourages socialisation/social interaction while also giving users independence where needed.

The entry will work to suit a range of users’ needs and demonstrate clear adherence to the brief.  Entries will be rewarded for an innovative approach to retirement or assisted living, which puts health and wellbeing at the centre of the build.

Mention of the use of environmentally-friendly building materials and materials should be made.  As should measures taken to ensure the buildings run in a sustainable fashion. Please also provide any accreditations the design has received.

Mixed-Use Development of the Year

This award is open to mixed-use schemes that include homes alongside at least one other use, such as office, retail or leisure. Judges look for evidence of positive change through design, layout, public realm and landscaping. The entry should outline the uses included in the scheme and their sizes in sq ft.

Regeneration Scheme of the Year

This award goes to an outstanding residential project acting as a catalyst for renewal and growth in an urban or rural setting. It can include new homes on derelict land or the refurbishment of existing buildings, and should demonstrate how it regenerates the wider area.

Sustainable Development of the Year

This award recognises new or retrofit schemes that use environmentally-friendly building materials, recycled or renewable if possible, as well as materials that use minimal energy to manufacture. This category incorporates all the key elements of a sustainable architectural design including demonstrating the use of sustainable energy sources, building materials as well as maintaining sustainable best practices in terms of land use. Please provide details of the initial sustainability goals and how they have been met. Please also provide any accreditations the design has received.

Architect of the Year

The winning and commended architectural practices go forward for consideration for this ultimate award.

Homebuilder of the Year

The winning and commended homebuilders go forward for consideration for this ultimate award.

Interior Designer of the Year

The winning and commended interior design practices go forward for consideration for this award.

Sustainable Project of the Year

Judges Award for Excellence

The winning and commended projects go forward for consideration of this award, which champions new-build design that the judges would like to see emulated across the industry.