Sheffield Design Awards 2024

Enter a project

Is your project eligible?

To be eligible for the awards, a project must comply with all of the following:

  1. The project must be located in the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority Region (Sheffield, Doncaster, Barnsley and Rotherham).

  2. The project must have been completed between 1st June 2023 and the 31st May 2026.

  3. The project must not have been entered into the awards previously.

To help you prepare for your project submission, please download our separate guidance document for more detailed information.

Timetable for the 2026 awards

1 July - Opening of entry period

14 August - Deadline for entries

w/c 7 September - SDA trustees and head judge to shortlist projects

14 September - Shortlisted projects to be contacted to arrange judging visits

w/c 5 October - Judges visits to shortlisted projects

26 November - Awards ceremony

Award Categories

Awards are given to buildings and open spaces that have high design quality and make a substantial contribution to the local environment.

For judging criteria, please see the entry guidance document.

  • This will be awarded to projects of a value up to £20,000 and includes both temporary and permanent designs.

    This award will be judged solely on the material submitted for consideration.

    This category is new for the 2024 awards.

  • Awarded to a project with a budget of between £20,000 and £300,000, the winning project should demonstrate creativity and architectural merit within the limits of its budget.

  • Awarded to a project with a budget between £300,000 and £2.5m, the winning project should demonstrate creativity and architectural merit within the limits of its budget.

  • Awarded to a project with a budget of over £2.5m, the winning project should demonstrate architectural excellence while contributing positively to its economic, social, environmental and cultural context and makes a significant contribution to the practice of architecture in its local context.

  • Awarded to a fit-out, interior refurbishment or retrofit of any budget, complexity or size, which demonstrates ingenuity, sublime workmanship, attention to detail and spatial efficiency.

  • Awarded to the project that best respects and enhances the original building/setting and should demonstrate some/all of the following characteristics - adaptive re-use of historic buildings, refurbishment and regeneration.

    Projects may also demonstrate an understanding of and give reference to the vernacular traditions and materials of their locality.

  • Awarded to the project which best demonstrates excellence in the design of an individual home and should consider place, space, and sustainability as well as aesthetic merits.

  • Awarded to the project which best demonstrates excellence in the design of a development containing more than one dwelling and should consider place, space, and sustainability as well as aesthetic merits.

  • Awarded to a project that demonstrates an outstanding contribution to the City’s public spaces, this may include graffiti art, pub/shop frontages, hard and soft landscaping schemes, planting schemes etc.

  • The People’s Choice Award is selected from all shortlisted entries to the Sheffield Design Awards via an online vote that is open to everyone.

  • Overall prize winner which is selected from winners of all of the other categories.

  • New for the 2024 awards, Practice of the Year is chosen from all entries to the awards with an emphasis on multiple projects completed by the same practice.

    This award will be decided by the shortlisting panel.

  • The landmark award is awarded to a building in use that has positively contributed to the built environment in the region.

    This project is not eligible for entry and will be decided by the trustees.

Entry Fees

The entry fee varies depending upon the contract value of the project submitted:

Band A - £0 to £20,000 - free of charge

Band B - £20,000 - £300,000 - £75

Band C - £300,000 - £2.5m - £150

Band D - over £2.5m - £250

One entry fee payment is due for each project, there is no extra payment due for additional categories entered.

Details of how to pay entry fees will be shown after submission of the entry form.

Entry Form

To submit a project for consideration for the awards, please complete the online entry form below: