Submission Information

Was your project completed between October 2020 and January 2023 and been in occupation for a year? Then you can now enter the 2024 RIAS Awards.

Update: Our 2024 awards have currently closed for submission. Check back in October for entries for next 2025 awards.

Why enter the RIAS Awards?

The RIAS awards are the pinnacle of Scottish architecture. By winning a RIAS, your work is eligible to be entered into both the Stirling Prize and the Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award.

The RIAS Awards are regarded by the public and practices as one of the most valuable ways of getting your work seen. Winning a RIAS award gives your work the recognition it deserves. Being an award-winning practice can build your customer base, gives you increased exposure, motivates your team, and attracts new employees.

Special Categories

You can also enter your project into any of the special award categories below if your project is eligible. To do so please select any of the awards below within the main entry form. You may choose to provide additional information to support your entry into the special category.

RIAS / Laurence McIntosh Award for Architectural Interior

As part of the annual RIAS Awards scheme, Laurence McIntosh are sponsoring the Architectural Interior Award. This serves to identify and reward architectural interior design excellence, celebrating designs that shape the buildings we live, work and play in ranging from homes, clubs, hotels and offices to healthcare and educational facilities. The award recognises that architectural projects have a focus on the interior layout of a building and the importance that design excellence has in enhancing the user experience of a building. Entries nominated for this award are judged on the innovative use of interior space, the movability through the space, use of materials, the aesthetic and interior fit-out.

RIAS /Equitone Project Architect Award

This category is for Project Architect of the Year. The RIAS Chartered Member will be judged on their leadership and the excellence of their contribution towards the award winning project. The Project Architect Award will celebrate distinction in the design expertise vital in transforming the user experience of the building and the quality of their design interventions

TSA Scotland's Client of the Year Award

Sponsored by The Survey Association, this award highlights how the role of the client is vitally important in allowing architects to deliver exceptional buildings. As well as articulating a sound brief a good client can inspire, inform and enlighten the design process and play a fundamental role in its evolution.

RIAS / Scottish Forestry/Confor Timber Award

Scottish Forestry and Confor have come together to sponsor an award that encourages the innovative and creative use of timber in new buildings in Scotland. The award seeks also to stimulate greater appreciation of homegrown timber and its potential for use in construction, with added consideration given to thoughtful and appropriate use of different species. Technical competence is paramount and the design and detail of how the timber is used will be as much a part of the assessment criteria as imagination and overall architectural excellence. There is no restriction on the building type or scale of the project – from small to large and from domestic to commercial, the challenge is to show how suited the use of timber is to the development of new architecture in Scotland.

RIAS / VELUX Architectural Heritage Award 2024

We are delighted to include for 2024, The Architectural Heritage Award with support partner VELUX. This category is for projects that enhance and preserve the character of the historic buildings within its setting. They will be judged on their approach to conservation and use of techniques that significantly deliver sustainable solutions to conserving our built heritage. The RIAS Heritage Award will celebrate distinction in historic building conservation, with a focus on the design expertise vital in transforming the user experience of the building, all the while cutting our carbon footprint. Projects nominated for this award are judged on the quality of their heritage design interventions and the transformational impact of the project on the intended user of the building and the wider community.

The RIAS Awards will be running in tandem with the RIBA Awards. Submission to the RIAS Awards entitles entrants to be considered for the following awards:

RIAS Awards including the Laurence McIntosh Award for Architectural Interior, Equitone Project Architect Award, Scotland’s Client of the Year Award supported by The Survey Association and the VELUX Architectural Heritage Award 2024 (special category awards may be subject to change)
RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award,
RIBA Awards including RIBA National Award, RIBA Client of the Year, RIBA House of the Year, Stephen Lawrence Prize and the Neave Brown Award for Housing.

RIBA Stirling Prize.

Note To be eligible for a RIBA Award the entrant must be a current RIBA Chartered member or RIBA International Fellow.

RIBA National Award: A RIBA National Award is given to a building for its national significance and its contribution to architecture in the UK. Awarded to the buildings that set national standards for good architecture, successful projects should demonstrate design excellence, be fit for purpose and be sustainable. Only projects that have won a RIAS Award (i.e. a Regional Award) will be eligible for a RIBA National Award. RIBA National Award winners will be considered for the RIBA Stirling Prize.

RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award: Winners of the RIAS Awards will become the “longlist” for the RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award. Winners of a RIBA National Award will automatically form part of the shortlist for the RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award and may be visited by a separate jury prior (who will decide the final shortlisted projects) to the ceremony being held in the autumn. The Winner(s) of the Doolan Award will receive a RIAS Gold Medal together with a cash award.

Criteria

All types of architectural projects are eligible, including conservation, conversions, extensions, interiors, new-build, public realm, regeneration, and restoration. Entries to the RIAS Awards 2024 may be submitted by architects, clients, or users. However, all projects require client approval and must meet the entry criteria below. Submitted projects should:

be located in Scotland
the scheme was completed between October 2020 and January 2023.
have a chartered architect as principal of the practice, lead designer or project manager,
have a minimum of 20% of qualifying staff within the submitting practice as RIAS members (Scottish-based entrants) or a minimum of 20% of qualifying staff as RIBA members or overseas equivalent (entrants outwith Scotland),

NOTE: the scheme was occupied by January 2023 (one year before the deadline for entries for 2024). Partially-occupied commercial and housing projects are subject to approval, please email awards@rias.org.uk

Re-submission

Entries that have been unsuccessful at RIAS shortlisting stage (no award given) in the preceding year can be re-submitted and will be considered for both RIAS and RIBA (National) Awards, providing they meet the criteria above and the relevant entry fee is paid to the RIAS.

What do I need to submit?

Please make sure you have all the information that you will need to complete the form before starting. You can access the form as often as you wish prior to submitting your information in order to see what fields need to be completed but you cannot save and return to the form. If you are having any trouble with your entry form please contact riasawards@rias.org.uk

In order to complete your submission form you will need the following information:

Project information

Project name
Practice name and address
Project address (including directions/ google map link)

Gross internal area in square metre
Net internal area in square metre
Contract value and cost per square metre
Date of Planning Approval
Date of Completion
Date of cccupation

Contact details for project director/architect and client, including date of qualification of architects involved (this is relevant particularly for RIBA special category awards).
Sustainability Criteria - all projects are expected to meet statutory targets in achieving sustainable outcomes and measure and verify how they perform. Within the downloadable form, we will ask for different levels of information depending on the size of your project, but please complete as many questions as possible so that we can understand the credentials of your scheme.

If you worked in collaboration with another practice or architect then you must all be in agreement on the entry and how the building should be credited.

Project description

750 words describing the project. The description should set out:

how it has matched the client’s brief,
an understanding of the physical and social environment of the project and to "place" (as defined from the Place Standard tool - www.placestandard.scot)
an outline of the planning constraints,
details of materials and method of construction,
a summary of the timetable, programme, and budget constraints, and where applicable,

a short statement on how the building contributes to its society, meets the principles of inclusive design and responds to the RIAS sustainable principles/ statement. The RIBA and RIAS are committed to meeting the challenges of Climate Emergency and resource depletion and raising the understanding of sustainability within the profession. This issue is at the heart of the RIAS strategy - "Creating space for inspiring conversations" which can be read on the RIAS website.
Additional 300 word description if you are entering any of the special categories. Guidance on the special categories are included on the entry form.

Key consultants

A list of all key consultants to be credited, e.g. structural engineer, services engineer, landscape architect, QS, M&E engineer, project manager, main contractor etc. These consultants may be credited in press and online content. You should also include a list of your colleagues who were also part of the architectural team working on the project.

Images

Entrants are required to submit ten high-res digital JPEG photos (please try to restrict file size to 10MB per image)
Please submit individual images – not montages – exterior and interior photographs as appropriate
Do not brand, caption, frame or otherwise alter photographs
IMPORTANT: Supply photographer credits with all photographs and make sure you name all images indicating practice name, project name and photographer, i.e. “architect - project (c) photographer” – if your images are not uploaded with the correct credits, you may be asked to re-submit.

Please note that images of shortlisted projects will be included in PR material so copyright consent is required and is entirely the responsibility of submitting practices.

By submitting digital photography you are agreeing to its use by the RIAS / RIBA for these awards (and any related) processes. As the initial shortlisting process is entirely based on assessment of the photos, drawings and text provided, we strongly recommend commissioning a professional architectural photographer. If this is not possible, we have provided some guidance notes here.

Drawings

Each entry must include six plans or other drawings in editable pdf or jpeg format (max 2MB each)

Awards Timeline (subject to change)

Launch: 20th October 2023
Early Bird Discount: 24th November 2023
Submission Deadline: 12th January 2024 (17.00)

Jury Visits and Announcements - TBC

Judging criteria

Judges will be asked to assess buildings on the following criteria:

Architectural integrity

capacity to stimulate, engage and delight its occupants, visitors and passers-by
design vision - is this reflected in all aspects of the design?
extent of innovation, invention and originality

selection of materials and rigour with which it is detailed
size/space, in terms of the special experience it offers
architectural and conceptual ambition

Usability and context

has it made a significant contribution to its immediate environment?

response to the issues of accessibility and other social factors
suitability of its structural and servicing systems
generous contribution to the public realm or environment

Delivery and execution

complexity of brief/degree of difficulty - its architectural ambition and ideas

fitness for purpose, especially in response to the client's brief as reflected in the level of client satisfaction
timetable - the project should not have gone over time without good cause
type of contract, e.g. traditional, design and build etc
value for money - budget

Sustainability

how sustainability strategy informed the architectural concept, building form, construction, systems and building use
special project objectives, challenges or constraints
was the design reviewed against the impacts of future climate change (e.g. future weather, flood risk, overheating risk)?
innovations in sustainable construction

Publicity / Filming

Shortlisted projects for both the RIAS Awards and the Doolan Award will be included in RIAS social media campaigns and press releases as well as in the RIAS Quarterly. It is the intention to make short films about each of the Doolan shortlisted projects prior to the announcement in the autumn.

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