How to enter

Who can enter

Anyone can enter a project based in the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service area. This includes Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire. Projects should be recently completed (within the last 5 years) for them to be relevant to the judging criteria.

Entrants for the People Awards - Anyone who has been working in the construction industry and related fields in the Greater Cambridge area is eligible for nomination. The judging criteria for each of the three categories are outlined in further detail below. In addition:

• Nominees for the Apprentice category must be enrolled on a formal apprenticeship, traineeship programme or vocational degree course on 1 January 2026.
• Nominees for the Young Professional category must be under the age of 35 on 1 January 2026 to be eligible.
• Nominees for the Site Manager category must have worked on a project in the Greater Cambridge area within the past two years.

How to enter

Entrants for the People Awards

The deadline for entries is Tuesday 20 February 2026. Your entries for the People Awards need to be submitted via the Zealous submissions platform.

Submissions

Entrants for the People Awards should submit which category you wish to enter, to confirm the name of the nominee, and a short description (up to 280 characters) of their current role.

You will also need to upload the following:

1. Contact details for the Nominee - i.e. the person being entered for the award.
2. Contact details for the Nominator - i.e. the person submitting the nomination on behalf of the nominee.
3. Contact details for a referee (this could be a senior manager, client, consultant, or contractor). This person may be contacted and asked to provide a brief reference or statement of support if the nominee is shortlisted
4. Nominee biography (max. 400 words)
5. Nomination statement written by the nominator, responding to the judging criteria outlined below (max. 800 words)

Please do not include a photograph. Photographs may be requested for shortlisted entrants, and if so, these may be used to promote the awards by the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service and the CFCI on their websites and may be displayed during the awards event.

Please provide all of the information requested above in Microsoft Word format only, in a single document. Multiple files may not be uploaded.

Entrants for the Project Awards

The deadline for entries is Friday 9 January 2026. Your entries for the Project Awards need to be submitted via the Zealous submissions platform.

Entrants for the Project Awards should submit which category, or categories, you wish to enter.

You will be asked to supply the project title and a short description (up to 280 characters) summarising the project.

Supporting information about the project, including:

1. A location plan (1:1250)
2. A site plan (clearly showing entrances, routes, and external spaces)
3. Floor plans (clearly showing the main entrance)
4. Sections through the building
5. A minimum of five and maximum 10 high resolution photographs (maximum file size 10Mb) including the photographer’s name for copyright. Photographs should be uploaded as a single image (other than before / after photos) and illustrate the following:

• Interior, exterior, context and any specific details,
• wide shots and close-ups,
• the project in use, if possible.

You will be asked to provide a description of each file you upload, for example, "ground floor plan" or "photograph of entrance." Please provide copyright information for photographs.

A minimum of nine files must be uploaded to meet the requirements above. A maximum of twenty files will be permitted per entry.

On the final page you will be required to answer the following questions:

1. Please enter the project address, including post code, to verify your submission is located within the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning area and to help us with planning site visits should your project be shortlisted.
2. Please summarise the brief and your response to the brief, including how the project considers the principles of inclusive design and contributes positively to society (where applicable) [maximum 500 words]
3. Provide an overview of the Contractor's contribution to the success of the project (including any examples of innovation, sustainability measures, community engagement, and/or social value activities carried out by the contractor) and the type of contract (for example, traditional / design and build) [maximum 500 words]
4. Please outline any engineering excellence and/or highly sustainable outcomes (if available, this would include in-use energy data, embodied carbon analysis and/or certification) [maximum 1000 words]
5. Please provide a list of all organisations on the project team including the client, contractor, and all relevant consultants - including delivery team consultants where relevant [max 1000 words]

Finally, you will be asked to provide contact details in case there are any issues with your submission or, if successfully shortlisted, to arrange site visits.

Entry fee

The cost of entering is £25 per project. A project can be entered into multiple categories. This fee helps to cover basic administrative costs of running the awards, and is paid online via Stripe. The People awards, submitted separately, are free to enter.

Please note that submitted photographs will be used for promotion of the awards by the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service and the CFCI on their websites and will be displayed during the awards event, on social media, and in printed media relating to the awards.

All projects submitted will be considered for our special award categories: David Mackay award for engineering and sustainability, the Craftsmanship award, and the Contractor award. Please note that shortlisted projects may be asked to provide additional information, although this will not be compulsory.

Should none of the submissions in a particular category meet the entry criteria, the judges reserve the right to withhold awarding a winner for that category.

Shortlisted entrants will be contacted in the new year to organise site visits. We may also invite shortlisted projects to submit an A1 presentation board for exhibition on the awards evening and other events throughout the year.