Explore the categories below to understand how each entry is assessed. You can click on a category to jump directly to its detailed criteria, or simply scroll to browse and find the one most relevant to your submission. Each category outlines the specific benchmarks, considerations, and performance measures used by our judges to evaluate innovation, impact, and leadership in sustainability.
Open to Australian-based architects/designers in their first five years of their career and recognises an outstanding achievement or development in the field of sustainable and/or environmental architecture planning or design across any of the building categories.
The Lifetime Achievement Award recognises a career of exceptional contribution to sustainability in Australia’s built environment, judged by the Editor and esteemed Jury.
Open to individuals, design firms, or building products companies, this award honours over 15 years of impactful leadership, innovation, and commitment to sustainable design and construction. Whether through pioneering product development, groundbreaking research, or transformative design practice, recipients have demonstrated efforts that go far beyond the everyday, leaving a lasting legacy on the built environment and shaping a more sustainable future for the industry.
If you would like to nominate yourself or someone you recommend, please email info@sustainablebuildingawards.com.au.
Class 5, 6, 7 or 8 buildings designed and/or modified to be sustainable for the purpose of accommodating a range of business activities, highlighting innovative design, materials, and technologies that reduce environmental impact while enhancing occupant wellbeing.
Only projects located within Australia are eligible to enter. Outside of these preliminary requirements, the qualities and characteristics of nominations under the commercial building category include:
To be eligible for this category your project must be located in Australia, and must have been completed between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2026. Previously shortlist entries will not be considered.
Prefabricated and/or modular structures or modules built faster off-site with less waste, less labour, and with the finished product being quantifiably high in quality and sustainability.
To be eligible for this category your project must be located in Australia, and must have been completed between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2026
Class 9 buildings pushing boundaries in sustainable design and operation for civic, educational, and institutional entities, while also demonstrating energy efficiency, resource stewardship, and overall social responsibility.
All projects and architectural firms located within Australia are eligible. Outside of these preliminary requirements, the qualities and characteristics of nominations under this category include:
Key considerations: brief, originality, immediate functionality and ongoing performance, sustainable materials and technologies, relevance to context, high levels of research, longevity of both building and sustainable outcomes.
To be eligible for this category your project must be located in Australia, and must have been completed between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2026. Previously shortlisted entries will not be considered.
Celebrating designs that create lasting positive change for people and communities, empowering individuals, promoting social equality, and strengthening community resilience, while also improving the quality of community life.
The Community & Social Impact category recognizes architectural and design projects that deliver measurable, positive outcomes for the communities they serve. This award celebrates work that advances social equity, inclusivity, health, resilience, and local economic vitality through thoughtful, sustainable design. Submissions should demonstrate meaningful community engagement throughout the project lifecycle, from concept to delivery, and show clear evidence of long-term benefit. Judges will look for projects that respond authentically to local context, empower underrepresented voices, and create lasting social value alongside environmental performance.
To be eligible for this category, your project must be located in Australia and completed between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2026. Previous shortlisted entries will not be considered.
The design of a new townhouse, duplex or residential complex that contains multiple residential dwellings. Projects nominated under this category must be classifiable as Class 2 or Class 3 buildings.
All projects and architectural firms located within Australia are eligible. Outside of these preliminary requirements, the qualities and characteristics of nominations under the multiple dwelling category include:
Key considerations: originality and innovation, liveability, functionality and performance, high levels of research, longevity, breadth of approach.
To be eligible for this category your project must be located in Australia, and must have been completed between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2026. Previously shortlisted entries will not be considered.
New, renovated, and rebuilt Class 1 residential buildings that exemplify sustainable design, while minimising environmental impacts using innovative designs, materials, and technologies to reduce environmental impact while enhancing occupant wellbeing.
All projects and architectural firms located within Australia are eligible. Outside of these preliminary requirements, the qualities and characteristics of nominations under the new single dwelling (new) category include:
Key considerations: response to client brief, originality and creativity in tackling challenges, high levels of liveability, long-lived and easily maintainable solutions, relevance to context, high levels of research.
To be eligible for this category, your project must be located in Australia and completed between 1 January 2024 and 30 June 2025. Previous shortlisted entries will not be considered.
Recognises the adaptive reuse of a building (heritage and/or new) that has minimal impact on any historical significance of the building and its setting, while at the same time, pursuing a design that is sympathetic to the building in order to give it a new purpose and/or use.
Only projects and design firms located within Australia are eligible to enter. Outside of these preliminary requirements, the qualities and characteristics of nominations under the Best Adaptive Reuse category include:
Key considerations: innovation, functionality, expertise, measurable, sustainable qualities in the medium- to long-term.
To be eligible for this category, your project must be located in Australia and completed between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2026. Previous shortlisted entries will not be considered.
A building or amenity design which primarily services, or is used, by the public (except educational facilities) that adheres and promotes to the concepts of sustainability, renewability and regenerative design.
All projects and design firms located within Australia are eligible to enter. Outside of these preliminary requirements, the qualities and characteristics of nominations under the Best Landscape & Urban category include:
Key considerations: immediate functionality and ongoing performance, integrated sustainability aspects, long-term thinking, relevance to context, high levels of research, serviceability and public amenity.
To be eligible for this category, your project must be located in Australia and completed between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2026. Previous shortlisted entries will not be considered.
A renovation or fit-out of the interior of an existing building where the sustainable design is involved with such factors as determining the efficient and effective use of space, selecting construction materials that offer low environmental impact and lowering pollution, waste, and the lowering of the overall energy consumption.
All projects and design firms located within Australia are eligible to enter. The interior design project will need to demonstrate both sustainable functionality, innovation and performance.
Key considerations: functionality and ongoing performance, integrated sustainability aspects, long-term thinking, relevance to context, serviceability and human amenity.
To be eligible for this category, your project must be located in Australia and completed between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2026. Previous shortlisted entries will not be considered.
Awarded to the best environmentally responsible designed project from outside of Australia.
Recognises the design and environmental qualities of a building that is located outside of Australia, while also pursuing a design that is sympathetic to its local surrounding in order to give it a new purpose. The qualities and characteristics of nominations under the International Design category include:
Key considerations: innovation, functionality, expertise, measurable, sustainable qualities in the medium- to long-term.
To be eligible for this category, your project must have been completed between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2026. Previous shortlisted entries will not be considered.
Examples of Hospitality & Tourism Design include projects that help environmentally friendly operation, education and awareness programs, energy and resource conservation, waste & carbon dioxide reduction, heritage protected sites and adaptive reuse. The types of buildings includes but is not limited to hotels, pubs, bars, motels, spas, resorts, restaurants, cafes, breweries and anywhere where entertainment, food and/or beverages are provided to the public.
All projects and design firms located within Australia are eligible to enter. The project will need to demonstrate both sustainable functionality, innovation, and performance.
Key considerations: functionality and ongoing performance, integrated sustainability aspects, long-term thinking, relevance to context, serviceability, and human amenity.
To be eligible for this category, your project must be located in Australia and completed between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2026. Previous shortlisted entries will not be considered.
The Best of the Best is selected from among all the category winners on the basis of both sustainable outcomes and aesthetics and/or innovative design principles.
The Editor’s Choice category winner is selected by the Architecture & Design editor from all shortlisted projects on the live judging day. Each entry is carefully evaluated for its overall design excellence, demonstrated commitment to sustainable design principles and connection to its local community.
The award recognises the entry that achieves the strongest combination of highest overall scoring and the most effective, practical application of sustainable design outcomes. This includes the environmental performance, resource efficiency, innovation, and long-term community value within the built environment.
Entries must be a product, material, technology, system, or service that enhances the built environment. Entries should demonstrate environmental responsibility, resource efficiency, low wastage, and a positive and measurable impact through innovation, durability, and thoughtful design.
Key considerations: Entries should demonstrate a commitment to environmentally responsible design, production, and implementation, with a focus on resource efficiency, durability, and measurable sustainability outcomes. Whether through material innovation, circular design principles, low-impact manufacturing, smart building technologies, or other solutions, submissions must highlight how the solution meets real-world needs, is backed by research or performance data, and is suited to its intended context.
To be eligible for this category, your product must be available for use in/supplied for Australian projects.
Previously shortlisted entries will not be considered.
Recognising firms leading the way in environmental and socially responsible design with a consistent track record of integrating sustainability across project typologies, as well as the practice’s inherent culture that promotes a more sustainable built environment.
All design firms that are located within Australia are eligible to enter.
Key considerations: functionality and ongoing performance, integrated sustainability aspects, long-term thinking, relevance to context, inclusivity and human amenity.
Recognising built environment sector leading companies driving excellence in new projects that integrate environmental performance, social responsibility, and long-term value creation, as well as measurable sustainability outcomes.
