Dezeen promotion: Clarion Housing Group is calling on architects and designers to enter this year's William Sutton Prize for Placemaking and Affordable Housing Design, ahead of the 30 September deadline.
The William Sutton Prize is staged by affordable housing provider Clarion Housing Group to celebrate the work of those improving the quality of homes and community spaces for people living in England.
It is free to enter and has a prize fund of up to £20,000 on offer. This year's applications close at midday on 30 September 2020.
The William Sutton Prize was established two years ago by Clarion Housing Group to pay homage to the work of its founder, William Sutton.
This year's judging panel will be headed up by Clare Miller, the chief executive of Clarion Housing Group, and will assess entries based on new criteria that "recognise new thinking around community spaces" – prompted by the coronavirus pandemic and UK lockdown.
"Whilst the coronavirus outbreak has seen our lives change in ways we could never have imagined, there have been some positive outcomes, as it has brought communities closer together and encouraged organisations to find creative solutions to challenges faced," explained Miller.
"We hope to see some of these amongst the entries for this year's William Sutton Prize and look forward to continuing our support for talented and passionate architects, designers and social entrepreneurs."
"We find ourselves in extraordinary circumstances this year, but if the Covid-19 crisis has shown us anything, it is just how important well-designed homes and places are for everyone's wellbeing," added fellow judge Biljana Savic, director of The Academy of Urbanism.
"I very much look forward to seeing the innovative ideas for how this can be achieved."
The first winner of the award was VeloCity with its vision to redesign villages with higher density housing and end car dependency.
Jas Bhalla Architects took the prize in 2019 for Radial Routes – a planning policy proposal that imagines the transformation of nine main roads in London outskirts into dense urban streets.
The studio's founder, Jas Bhalla, said that the win was "a significant boost to our profile and our growing portfolio."
"We have held a number of discussions with senior policy officers at several London Boroughs, many of whom have got in touch directly to learn more about our research and emerging proposals," he added.
"These conversations have been a great way of refining the Radial Routes project and discussing how aspects of our work might be reflected in Local Plans across London."
To enter The William Sutton Prize for 2020, visit www.clarionhg.com/william-sutton-prize. Applicants must be registered to work in England or collaborate with a firm that is so that the social impact generated benefits communities across England.