Welcome to the RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence 2026. You can start your entry now, saving and making as many changes as you like until the entry deadline on Tuesday 10 March, 11:59 pm. Entry is free.

Entering the Awards for Planning Excellence offers a fantastic opportunity to celebrate your professional achievements and showcase your work.

Our Awards continue to recognise and reward the brightest talent in the profession; the most outstanding projects, teams and people helping to transform economies, environments, and communities.

We will be recognising exceptional plans, projects, and people in these 16 categories:

Plans
  • Excellence in Plan Making Practice

Projects
  • Excellence in Planning for a Successful Economy
  • Excellence in Planning for Wellbeing and Education 
  • Excellence in Planning for Heritage and Culture 
  • Excellence in Planning for the Natural Environment
  • Excellence in Digital Planning Practice (direct to national)
  • International Award for Planning Excellence (direct to national)
Homes
  • Excellence in Planning for Homes and Communities (small schemes under 50 homes)
  • Excellence in Planning for Homes and Communities (mid-sized schemes 50-250 homes) (**new for 2026**)
  • Excellence in Planning for Homes and Communities (large schemes over 250 homes)
People
  • Planning Authority of the Year
  • In-house Planning Team of the Year (direct to national)
  • Small Planning Consultancy of the Year
  • Mid-sized Planning Consultancy of the Year 
  • Large Planning Consultancy of the Year (direct to national)
  • Young Planner of the Year

Complete your entry in seven easy steps:
1. Select your best work completed between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2025. (For Young Planners, choose your best achievements over recent years.)
2. Select the location of your entry from the ENTER dropdown in the main menu above, and choose from our 16 categories to best showcase your work.
3. Create your account. Note, this will allow you to log in and modify your entry at any time before you make your final submission.
4. Familiarise yourself with the judging criteria.
5. Read the guide on how to win.
6. Complete the entry form and choose up to five great images to showcase your work.
7. Send your entry by 11.59 pm, 10 March 2026.

The judging process
The RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence has 16 national award categories. 12 of these categories are first judged through the region/nation they are entered into. The remaining 4 will go directly to the national judging process. Regions and nations will be awarding:

  • Best Plan
  • Best Project
  • Best Homes and Communities Scheme
  • Planning Authority of the Year
  • Small Planning Consultancy of the Year
  • Mid-sized Planning Consultancy of the Year
  • Young Planner of the Year*

These winners become national finalists. In addition, high scoring shortlisted project entries from the regions and nations are put through for judging in the national awards and will be judged against the other projects in their selected categories for the national finalist list. The remaining four direct to national categories are also judged to complete the national finalist list of 16 categories. The winners and commendations are announced at the national ceremony in November.

*All Young Planner of the Year winners will be entered into the national shortlist and will be judged by the national judges and the top five will become national finalists.

If you have any questions, please view our FAQs or contact awards@rtpi.org.uk


Good luck.