Nominations invited for Wakefield Civic Society Design and Environment Awards 2024
Wakefield Civic Society is today (5th February 2024) calling for nominations for its annual design and environment awards.
Design Awards
The Society has been making awards for good design since 1966. Originally made every two years, the awards are now usually an annual event. This year, the Society’s Design Awards will cover building and environmental construction projects completed during 2023.
The Design awards focus on design and implementation – the quality and aesthetics of the design, for example, and how the completed project works once complete. Account will be taken of how, where appropriate, the project fits within the overall street scene and the impact it has on neighbouring properties.
Nominations are sought for completed projects across five categories as follows:
1. Best new build or environmental project
2. Best refurbishment project (building or environmental)
(In the above categories, environmental projects might include infrastructure or landscaping projects, pedestrianisation of areas within the public realm, and similar)
3. Best new/replacement shop front
4. Best new/replacement café, bar, or restaurant front
5. Best residential scheme (with 6 or more residential units)
Nominations for the awards can be made by anyone – members of the public, property owners, developers, architects, project managers, residents and so on. People do not need to be a member of the Society to make a nomination and there is no charge for submitting an entry.
There is no nomination form for the Design Awards – just send us an email with the address of the property/project being nominated along with a few background details and tell us why you are making the nomination. We will then contact you to ask for any additional information we require. (See below for more information.)
Environment Awards
Our Environment awards were first offered in 2020 for projects undertaken in 2019. This year, we are seeking nominations for environment projects undertaken or completed during 2023. These awards focus exclusively on projects that help to improve the environment in some way.
Our Environment Awards are offered in two categories:
1. Environment Enhancement Award
Awarded for projects that demonstrate innovation, imagination and good practice in nature conservation, the promotion of environmental quality and support of the wider goals of sustainable development. It is open to individuals, businesses, schools, community groups, public agencies, youth groups, local councils, landowners and statutory organisations, and any other organisation with a suitable project.
2. The Sustainable Building and Development Award
This award is intended to acknowledge building and development projects that demonstrate innovation, imagination and good practice in the efficient use of resources and that support the wider goals of sustainable development. It is open to built environment professionals, developers, contractors and landowners.
Again, anyone can submit a nomination for either award and there is no charge to enter. Please note, however, that projects we have recognised with an award in a previous year cannot be considered a second time unless there has been some significant development that moves the project on in a new way.
General information – how to submit an entry
Anyone wishing to submit a nomination for a Design Award is asked to email details to the Society at info @ wakefieldcivicsociety.org.uk by 5pm on Thursday, 29th February 2024. For our Design Awards, an email will suffice but please give as much information as possible. We need to know:
a) When it was completed,
b) The name of the owner and/or developer,
c) The address of the project/property, and
d) Why you are making the nomination.
On receipt of your email, we will contact you for further information.
For our Environment Awards, we ask you to complete a nomination form. There are two separate nomination forms, each with its own briefing note. Please make sure you use the correct form.
Download the nomination form and briefing note here:
1a. Entry form for the Environment Enhancement Award.
1b. Briefing note for the Environment Enhancement Award.
2a. Entry form for the Sustainable Building Award.
2b. Briefing note for the Sustainable Building and Development Award.
Entries for both the Design and Environment Awards received by the deadline of 5pm on Thursday, 29th February 2024 will be considered by a panel of judges appointed by the Society and whose decision will be final. Results will be announced at the Society’s Annual General Meeting being held at Wakefield Town Hall on the evening of Thursday, 18th April 2024.
Kevin Trickett, president of the Society said: “
As the name suggests, the Society’s Design Awards, which we first introduced in the 1960s, are intended to recognise good design – be it in architecture or planning, but we also look at the quality of execution – the choice of materials, the colour palette and the overall finish. We’re looking for projects that ‘go the extra mile’, that rise above the everyday and commonplace. Sustainability is today also a key consideration when making an award.
“Our Environment Awards were introduced in 2020 and reflect the growing concern for what human activity is doing to the natural environment. We want to highlight what is being done by developers, businesses, community groups and individuals to help to protect the environment and to help alleviate the effects of climate change. In previous years, we have received entries from a number of local businesses and community groups who are caring for local parks, recycling waste, planting trees or growing food. We welcome more such applications but it would be really good to see some developers coming forward to show us what they can do”.