ILI Design Awards 2026
Entry Stages
There are 2 stages involved in entering a project for the 2026 ILI Awards:
- Stage 1: Register and pay the Entry Fee online (available 1st June 2026)
- Stage 2: Submit Application Form and Project
Information in digital format online and formatted as per the ILI website
Eligibility
Submissions entered for the ILI Awards 2026 must be the work of a Fellow, Corporate, Graduate, Affiliate or Student member of the ILI (Irish Landscape Institute) and/or the LINI (Landscape Institute of Northern Ireland.)
- Fully paid-up members of the ILI or LINI for 2026.
- Where an Entry has been executed by an organisation or company not a member of the ILI or LINI, an entry will be accepted on the basis that the work has been carried out principally by a Member of the ILI/LINI within that organisation and the Entry must be endorsed by that Member.
- Applications for the Student Award shall be from final year student’s portfolio and/or final year project Members of the assessment panel or their work colleagues and the Awards Registrar are ineligible for entry into the Awards.
- Work which has already received an ILI Award may not be re-entered in the same category but can be entered in another category.
- The Awards Registrar’s decision on the eligibility of entries is final.
Queries on eligibility should be addressed to the ILI Awards Registrar [email protected], by Friday 14th August 2026.
Timetable
- Registration Opens · Monday 1st June
- Queries deadline · Friday 14th August
- Early Bird Registration Closes · Monday 31st August
- Submission Deadline · Friday 11th September
- Judging Commences · Week of 14th September
- Awards Ceremony · Thursday 5th November
Categories
Category 01: Built Projects on the Island of Ireland (10 in total) - see note no. 1 below
- Excellence in Delivery of a Public Parkland Landscape - to include publicly-accessible projects in either an urban and a rural context.
- Excellence in Delivery of a Civic Space / Public Realm scheme - to include publicly-accessible urban squares, public streets or street networks.
- Excellence in Delivery of a Residential landscape - to include any scale of open space in a primarily residential setting.
- Excellence in Delivery of Nature-based Solutions - to include projects focusing on sustainable and renewable approaches.
- Excellence in Delivery of a Landscape in a Commercial / Educational Setting - to include spaces that relate to a school, creche, campus or a commercial function.
- Excellence in Delivery of a Landscape in a Healthcare Setting - to include spaces associated with hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, or similar.
- Excellence in Delivery of Active Travel infrastructure - to include but not be limited to publicly accessible greenways and/or blueways.
- Excellence in Delivery of a Recreation or Play Space - to include any size of project that focuses on enjoyment, accessibility, safety and play.
- Excellence in Approach and Delivery of Planting Design - to include projects that demonstrate sustainability, feasibility and appropriateness.
- Excellence in Approach and Delivery towards Habitat Restoration - to include projects that demonstrate sensitivities towards biodiversity and ecology.
Category 02: Strategy, Technical and Theory (5 in total) - see note no. 2 below
- Excellence in Landscape Theory, Policy and Management
- Excellence in Landscape Planning and Assessment
- Excellence in Landscape Master-Planning and Urban Design
- Development of Policies or Initiatives to Support Climate Resilience
- The Diane Nickels Memorial Award for Excellence in Hand Drawing
Category 03 (3 in total)
- Outstanding Work from a Final Year Student - best final year thesis in Landscape Architecture from the last two academic years - (see note no. 3 below).
- Outstanding Contribution to Landscape Architecture - a Council nomination recognising an individual, group or body that has contributed excellence to the profession over a prolonged period.
- The President's Award - selected by the President as the best overall achievement of this year's awards.
NOTES:
(1) - Categories may be split into separate categories based on size depending on the number of entries
(2) - Entries in these categories should be in the form of an abstract with a link to the body of work
(3) - Open to current students and recent graduates (within 2 years)
