Time running out to enter South Downs Design Awards

April 11, 2024

Planning agents, developers, builders, landowners and community groups are being urged to get their nominations in as the clock counts down to the deadline for the South Downs Design Awards.

After a five-year break, the prestigious South Downs Designs Awards are back for 2024 with an extended line-up of categories.

The awards celebrate high standards of urban, architectural and landscape design, as well as promote creativity and understanding of the National Park through design.

Mike Hughes, Director of Planning (Interim) at the South Downs National Park, said: “These awards are about celebrating exceptional projects past and present, as well as looking ahead to the future and investigating new ideas for development in the National Park. The competition is wide open and we’re looking forward to seeing the breadth of nominations. It’s a great opportunity to raise the profile of your project.”

The categories are:

Residential – includes completed extensions, single buildings, small and large housing developments, and visitor accommodation.

Non-residential – includes completed commercial, industrial, farming, infrastructure, recreation, and leisure developments.

Conservation – includes completed historic parks and gardens, historic buildings, monuments, as well as excellent craftsmanship.

Future projects – includes projects that celebrate distinction in unbuilt projects on paper and the potential for positive contribution to the National Park, its communities and the planet.

Winners will receive a specially designed trophy, beautifully hand-carved in South Downs oak by acclaimed West Sussex-based sculptor, Alison Crowther. All the shortlisted entries across the four categories will be put forward to a public poll and the project with the most votes will win the People’s Choice Award.

Nominations close on 30 April. The shortlist will be announced in the summer, with a glittering awards ceremony taking place in the autumn.

Nominate by visiting www.southdowns.gov.uk/designawards

The South Downs National Park has one of the most unique built environments within a protected landscape in the UK. As Britain’s most populated National Park with over 118,000 residents, it spans 15 different local authority areas across three counties and has four bustling market towns. It boasts 167 conservation areas – more than any other National Park in the UK – as well as 18 distinctive landscape types, over 1,000 designated spaces for wildlife and well over 5,800 listed buildings. Dealing with around 5,000 planning cases a year, the National Park is one of the country’s top 30 busiest Planning Authorities.
The projects nominated must be within the past five years. See full terms and conditions for the awards here.
Previous winners can be found here. They included a museum, a converted listed building, a riverside home and a community park.