Chance to Win Cash Prize £10,000 at the 2021 World Habitat Awards

World Habitat Awards invites individuals and organizations to present projects that will ensure practical and innovative solutions to housing needs and problems. The Awards were established in 1985 for the identification and promotion of good habitat practices. They were initiated in 1987 as World Habitat's contribution to the United Nations International Year of Shelter for the Homeless. The concept of identification of good practice was virtually unknown in 1985 and the Awards were supposed to run over three years only. However, the response was so positive that World Habitat decided to keep the competition running.

As well as international recognition, a prize of £10,000 is made to each of the two Gold Award-winning projects.

Trophies are also presented to the Gold Award-winning projects and travel and accommodation costs are met for one representative of each project to attend the awards ceremony.

Entries to the Awards are encouraged from housing projects and programs that:

• demonstrate practical, innovative, and sustainable solutions to current housing challenges;
• can be transferred or adapted in other countries across the world;
• are already being implemented or are completed i.e. not at the design stage or in the very early stages of development; and
• view the term habitat from a broad perspective and bring a range of other benefits. The awards particularly encourage entries from projects and programs that are addressing the climate emergency. Other benefits of interest to the awards include income generation; social inclusion; community and individual empowerment; health benefits; capacity building and or education.

All entries are subject to a thorough assessment process and around 10 projects are evaluated by an independent advisory group of housing experts.

Evaluation visits are made to four projects before recommendations are presented to a panel of external judges, including the Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT).

Entry Guidelines:

• The Awards are open to all individuals, organizations, or governments who have addressed housing challenges.
• The Awards encourage entries from all over the world as the World Habitat Awards are given to projects from the global North as well as the South that provide practical and innovative housing solutions.
• Whilst the housing element must be a key part of each submission, entrants are encouraged to submit projects and programs that view the term ‘habitat’ from a broad perspective. Entries are encouraged that also address wider issues, for example, the climate emergency and environmental sustainability; social inclusion, and income generation.
• You can enter more than one project or program in the same year.
• Entries must detail housing projects and/or programs that are either completed or in progress. Those that are at the design stage only or in the very early stages of development will not be considered.
• In addition, projects that were completed more than 10 years ago will also not be considered.
• Previous entrants can re-submit in subsequent years providing that the project has developed significantly in the intervening time period.
• You can enter projects that were developed and/or implemented by another individual or organization. However, your entry must include a letter of permission from the original designer/implementer agreeing to its entry and for its publication in the event of it winning an Award.
• Entries may be submitted in English, Spanish or French.

Evaluation Criteria:

Each entry to the World Habitat Awards goes through a thorough process. Each entry should demonstrate a number of different factors.

Impact

• What has your project achieved?
• To what extent has it improved lives and met the right to safe, secure housing, particularly for people with few choices?

Innovation

• What makes your project different?
• Is it working in a particularly challenging context, or using a new or little-used approach to housing?

Sustainability

• Is your project capable of continuing over the long-term? Or have its impacts sustained after completion?
• Is it compatible with Sustainable Development Goal 13 – action to combat climate change and its effects?
• And does it positively impact wider society?

Transferability

• Can your idea or approach be used to solve similar challenges elsewhere?
• Was it inspired by another project or idea – which you have developed for your own specific situation?

Significance

• Are you tackling an issue that is particularly current, urgent, or neglected?

About World Habitat:

World Habitat is an international not-for-profit organization/foundation established in the United Kingdom. They are an independent charity working internationally to help bring the best housing to the people who need it the most. Billions of people lack a safe home due to conflict, natural and preventable disasters, and a disregard for the right of housing for all. They look for, award, and share ground-breaking and innovative ideas and solutions to these problems. They want to make housing, not an investment, or a dream, but a basic right for everyone.

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