2026 CATEGORIES
All projects entered must have been completed between July 2024 – July 2026 and have real-life imagery to support the entry. The judges reserve the right to award more than one trophy within any category if they deem it prudent to split based on project size, project focus or new build vs refurbishment.
Entries close on 24 July. Get in touch with paige@hpcimedia.com for any questions you may have.
PATIENT EXPERIENCE CLASS
This award recognises excellence in the refurbishment of an existing healthcare or social care interior environment that demonstrably improves user experience and operational performance.
The judges will be looking for projects that maximise impact within existing constraints while delivering measurable improvements in efficiency, wellbeing and service delivery.
Entries should:
- Provide an overview of the project scope and objectives
- Demonstrate how the refurbishment improved patient, staff and visitor experience
- Show how operational efficiency or workflow has been enhanced
- Explain how disruption was minimised during delivery
- Provide evidence of any cost or time efficiency measures
- Demonstrate clear stakeholder engagement throughout
- Include measurable outcomes and user feedback
- Show sustainability and carbon-conscious decision-making
- Explain the social value of the project where applicable (for consideration for the Social Value Impact Award)
This award recognises excellence in interior design within a newly built healthcare or social care facility.
Judges will reward projects where design supports clinical pathways, operational flow, staff efficiency and patient wellbeing from the outset.
Entries should:
- Provide an overview of the project and design brief
- Demonstrate how interior design enhances clinical and operational efficiency
- Show clear understanding of user needs
- Provide measurable performance outcomes
- Show sustainability considerations
- Provide stakeholder feedback
- Demonstrate delivery to programme and budget
- Explain the social value of the project (for consideration for the Social Value Impact Award)
This award will be presented for an outstanding external space that enhances the overall experience of patients, staff, and visitors.
This can include external building works, landscaping, artwork, and the improvement and creation of external areas such as car parks and public access points.
Entries must:
- Provide an overview of the project or intervention
- Give a few unique and/or interesting aspects of the project
- Explain the social value of the project
- Explain how it positively impacts staff, patients and visitors
- Show clear stakeholder engagement throughout the process
- Give an overview of how it was delivered sustainably and within budget
- Include feedback from users
- Explain the social value of the project (for consideration for the Social Value Impact Award)
Recognises a permanent or installed artwork that measurably enhances wellbeing within a healthcare environment.
Entries can include paintings, murals, light installations, sculptures etc., anything that is produced and displayed in its final state.
Entries should:
- Provide an overview of the item or collection
- Explain how it improves the environment and/or patient experience, particularly if meant for a specific patient or resident group
- Explain how it was produced in close collaboration with staff, patients and other stakeholders
- Give an overview of how it was delivered sustainably and within budget
- Provide feedback from stakeholders
- Explain the social value of the project (for consideration for the Social Value Impact Award)
Recognises participatory arts initiatives that improve wellbeing and experience.
Entries can include performance art, poetry writing, music workshops, art workshops either delivered by arts groups or involving patients and residents themselves.
Entries should:
- Provide an overview of the project
- Explain how it improves the lives of those taking part
- Explain how it was produced in close collaboration with staff and patients
- Provide evidence of replicability and scalability
- Provide feedback from stakeholders
- Explain the social value of the project (for consideration for the Social Value Impact Award)
ESTATES AND FACILITIES MANAGEMENT CLASS
This award reflects the recent challenge set by the Government for the NHS to become carbon-neutral by 2040.
The judges will be looking for a single initiative, or series of initiatives delivering measurable carbon and energy reduction across health and care estates.
Entries can come from health or social care organisations and their industry partners.
Entries should:
- Provide an overview of the project and its aims
- Provide baseline data and measurable reductions
- Explain stakeholder engagement
- Give evidence of how this makes services more efficient
- Show scalability or replicability
- Show contribution to wider net-zero strategies
- Explain the social value of the project (for consideration for the Social Value Impact Award)
This award recognises the efforts of estates and facilities teams, both in-house and contractors and across both public and privately-operated health and social care organisations, including hard and soft services, such as laundry, catering, cleaning, infection control; and estates functions including refurbishment, repairs, utilities, carbon reduction etc.
Entries should:
- Show a novel approach that has proved successful and which could be replicated across the sector
- Show innovation in service delivery
- Provide evidence of cost/time efficiencies
- Show strong teamwork and collaboration
- Demonstrate continuous improvement and evaluation
- Explain the social value of the work (for consideration for the Social Value Impact Award)
Recognises projects delivering measurable improvements in patient safety in healthcare settings.
This can include projects relating to key issues such as reducing pressure ulcers, cutting down on healthcare-associated infections, reducing falls, addressing medication errors, etc.
Entries should:
- Provide clear problem statement and objectives
- Demonstrate measurable reduction in ‘never events’, incidents or risk
- Show financial or operational efficiency improvements
- Include patient or stakeholder feedback
- Provide evidence of sustainability and scalability
- Explain the social value of the initiative (for consideration for the Social Value Impact Award)
BUILDING CLASS
This award recognises outstanding new-build or major refurbishment healthcare developments delivering excellence in design, construction, delivery and operational performance.
This award will be presented to an exemplary new-build or refurbishment project valued at less than £25m.
Entries should:
- Show a level of understanding of the specific needs of the patients, staff and visitors
- Show that, through design, a therapeutic environment has been created for all users
- Demonstrate stakeholder engagement
- Demonstrate efficient and considerate project delivery
- Show how the design could set a precedent for future developments both in the UK and overseas
- Show consideration of sustainability and carbon reduction, and other key service goals
- Provide clear evidence of positive impact
- Explain the social value of the work (for consideration for the Social Value Impact Award)
NB: Images of the project must not be artists’ impressions, but photographs of the actual building
This award recognises outstanding new-build or major refurbishment healthcare developments delivering excellence in design, construction, delivery and operational performance.
This award will be presented to an exemplary new-build or refurbishment project valued between £25m and £75m.
Entries should:
- Show a level of understanding of the specific needs of the patients, staff and visitors
- Show that, through design, a therapeutic environment has been created for all users
- Demonstrate stakeholder engagement
- Demonstrate efficient and considerate project delivery
- Show how the design could set a precedent for future developments both in the UK and overseas
- Show consideration of sustainability and carbon reduction, and other key service goals
- Provide clear evidence of positive impact
- Explain the social value of the work (for consideration for the Social Value Impact Award)
NB: Images of the project must not be artists’ impressions, but photographs of the actual building
This award recognises outstanding new-build or major refurbishment healthcare developments delivering excellence in design, construction, delivery and operational performance.
This award will be presented to an exemplary new-build or refurbishment project valued over £75 million.
Entries should:
- Show a level of understanding of the specific needs of the patients, staff and visitors
- Show that, through design, a therapeutic environment has been created for all users
- Demonstrate stakeholder engagement
- Demonstrate efficient and considerate project delivery
- Show how the design could set a precedent for future developments both in the UK and overseas
- Show consideration of sustainability and carbon reduction, and other key service goals
- Provide clear evidence of positive impact
- Explain the social value of the work (for consideration for the Social Value Impact Award)
NB: Images of the project must not be artists’ impressions, but photographs of the actual building
This award will be presented to an exemplary new-build or refurbishment project for a dementia or mental health care facility.
This can include hospital-based ward refurbishments, dedicated psychiatric centres, support centres, or hospitals, both private and public; the creation of dementia-friendly public facilities; or dedicated dementia care homes within community settings.
Entries should:
- Show a level of understanding of the specific needs of the patients, residents, staff and visitors
- Show that, through design, a therapeutic environment has been created for all users
- Show knowledge and understanding of the very-specific design issues impacting on people living with mental health conditions or dementia
- Demonstrate stakeholder engagement
- Demonstrate efficient and considerate project delivery
- Include a floorplan showing the adjacencies within the building
- Show how the design could set a precedent for future developments
- Show consideration of sustainability and carbon reduction
- Explain the social value of the work (for consideration for the Social Value Impact Award)
NB: Images of the project must not be artists’ impressions, but photographs of the actual building
This award will be presented to an exemplary healthcare development across all primary, acute, community care services that has been delivered using modern offsite construction methods.
This covers modular and mobile building solutions developed in factory conditions.
Entries should:
- Show how, through use of offsite construction methods, efficiencies have been achieved (i.e through shorter construction times, less disruption, less waste, financial efficiencies etc.)
- Show a level of understanding of the specific needs of the patients, staff, and visitors who will be using the building
- Show that, through design, a therapeutic environment has been created for all users
- Demonstrate stakeholder engagement
- Demonstrate efficient and considerate project delivery
- Include a floorplan showing the adjacencies within the building
- Show how the design could set a precedent for future developments within the healthcare sector
- Show consideration of sustainability and carbon reduction and other key primary care design goals
- Explain the social value of the work (for consideration for the Social Value Impact Award)
NB: Images of the project must not be artists’ impressions, but photographs of the actual building
This award will be presented to an exemplary new-build or refurbishment project of any value from the private health sector.
Entries should:
- Show a level of understanding of the specific needs of the patients, staff and visitors
- Show that, through design, a therapeutic environment has been created for all users
- Demonstrate stakeholder engagement
- Demonstrate efficient and considerate project delivery
- Show how the design could set a precedent for future developments both in the UK and overseas
- Show consideration of sustainability and carbon reduction, and other key service goals
- Provide clear evidence of positive impact
- Explain the social value of the work (for consideration for the Social Value Impact Award)
NB: Images of the project must not be artists’ impressions, but photographs of the actual building
This award will be presented to an exemplary new-build or refurbishment project of any value from the acute, primary, community healthcare sector anywhere outside of the UK.
Entries should:
- Show a level of understanding of the specific needs of the patients, staff and visitors
- Show that, through design, a therapeutic environment has been created for all users
- Demonstrate stakeholder engagement
- Demonstrate efficient and considerate project delivery
- Show how the design could set a precedent for future developments both in the UK and overseas
- Show consideration of sustainability and carbon reduction, and other key service goals
- Provide clear evidence of positive impact
- Explain the social value of the work (for consideration for the Social Value Impact Award)
NB: Images of the project must not be artists’ impressions, but photographs of the actual building
This award will recognise excellence in project management and delivery of a healthcare facility.
Entries should:
- Demonstrate delivery to programme, and if possible, budget
- Show risk mitigation and innovation in delivery
- Provide evidence of collaboration across the supply chain
- Demonstrate efficiency gains during construction
- Provide measurable post-occupancy outcomes
- Explain the social value of the work (for consideration for the Social Value Impact Award)
NB: Images of the project must not be artists’ impressions, but photographs of the actual building
This award will recognise a contractor that has delivered exceptional value, innovation and impact within a healthcare project.
Entries should:
- Demonstrate delivery excellence
- Provide evidence of supply chain collaboration
- Demonstrate social value delivery
- Include measurable outcomes and client feedback
- Explain the social value of the work (for consideration for the Social Value Impact Award)
NB: Images of the project must not be artists’ impressions, but photographs of the actual building
This award will recognise an outstanding Community Diagnostic Centre delivering measurable improvements in access, efficiency and patient outcomes.
Entries should:
- Demonstrate increased patient throughput
- Show operational efficiency gains
- Provide patient outcome data
- Demonstrate sustainability performance
- Provide stakeholder feedback
- Explain the social value of the work (for consideration for the Social Value Impact Award)
NB: Images of the project must not be artists’ impressions, but photographs of the actual building
The judges reserve the right to award separate trophies for new-build and refurbishment projects and for small and large-scale projects
INNOVATION CLASS
This award recognises a digital, AI, software or integrated technology solution that demonstrably improves service delivery, efficiency, patient outcomes or estate performance.
Entries should:
- Provide an overview of the technology and deployment context
- Demonstrate measurable efficiency gains or cost savings
- Provide evidence of improved outcomes or service performance
- Show integration with existing systems
- Demonstrate stakeholder adoption and engagement
- Include data-driven results
This award recognises a product delivering measurable improvements in durability, infection control, sustainability or lifecycle cost.
Products can include, but are not restricted to, walls, doors, windows, flooring solutions, cladding, acoustic panels, roofing and ceilings, and radiation panels.
Entries should:
- Demonstrate innovation
- Provide lifecycle cost data
- Show measurable efficiencies
- Include stakeholder feedback
This award recognises furniture or fittings enhancing safety, efficiency and operational performance.
Products can include, but not restricted to, furniture including seating, tables, office furniture, beds, hoists and transfer solutions, and storage solutions, door handles, window restrictors, anti-ligature products, curtain rails and grab rails.
Entries should:
- Demonstrate innovation
- Provide lifecycle cost data
- Show measurable efficiencies
- Include stakeholder feedback
SPECIAL AWARDS
This special award will be presented to the entry (across all categories) that our patient representative deems has the biggest impact on the patient experience and outcomes.
NB: There is no need to enter this award. All entries from across all categories/classes will automatically be considered
This special award will be presented to the entry (across all categories) that our clinical representative deems has the biggest impact on the patient experience and outcomes.
NB: There is no need to enter this award. All entries from across all categories/classes will automatically be considered
This award will recognise built environment schemes within healthcare that have demonstrated how they have improved the lives of patients, staff and the wider community – whether this be through inclusive design, sustainable construction, local employment or community engagement.
NB: There is no need to enter this award. All entries from across all categories/classes will automatically be considered
This special award will be presented to the entry from across all awards within the Building Design class that our judges feel has the most impact and is the most architecturally significant development within health and social care.
NB: There is no need to enter this award. All entries from across the Building Design class will automatically be considered
FAQ
Each entry is £125+VAT | €156 | $200
The awards are open to all private and public healthcare organisations as well as architects, contractors, designers, and suppliers of products and services. In order to qualify, the project or product must have been completed or launched between July 2024 and July 2026.
Winners are chosen by a panel of industry-leading judges
The judges review the entries during August and meet in September to choose the winners. The winners are not announced until the awards ceremony in November
In order to qualify, the project or product must have been completed or launched between July 2024 and July 2026. For building design and interior design/landscaping entries, the project must be fully operational. The criteria for each category can be found here
The awards list is refreshed every year. Information on the criteria can be found here
Yes! If the product fulfils the criteria for multiple categories then we encourage you to enter all categories that are relevant
Please provide a description of the project or product/service and how it meets the criteria given (maximum 500 words). The title should include the name of your brand/company and product or project. In addition, you should include details of stakeholders where applicable and you can upload image files and pdf documents to support your application (a maximum of nine documents will be accepted for review); including statements, drawings, patient feedback, and testimonials. These do not count towards your 500 words. Please ensure images are of the actual building, project, or product as CGIs will not be judged
BBH offers additional exposure to brands participating in the event through digital, print, social media and sponsorship packages. Please reach out to Lizzy Copues (lizzy@hpcimedia.com) or Carolina Garcia (carolinagp@hpcimedia.com)
This year’s event will be held at The Brewery in central London on Wednesday 4 November 2026.