Eligibility

To be eligible for the ULI Europe Awards for Excellence, projects must be:  

• located in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) region;  
• financially viable; for public sector/nonprofit this means demonstrating a reasonable use of financial resources;  
• substantially complete (however, they need not be newly constructed); and  
• in stabilised operation.   

 Projects with multiple phases may submit complete phases of the project. “Substantially complete” means a single-phase project must be finished, occupied, and a major part needs to be in operation; for multiple-phase projects, at least the first phase must be finished, occupied, and largely in operation.    

Programmes/initiatives may include growth management strategies, publicly guided development programmes, initiatives to improve quality of living and other built environment initiatives.    

Programmes/initiatives must be:  

• designed for an EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) country or region;  
• financially viable, if applicable; and   
• significantly implemented.  

Submitters do not have to be members of ULI. It is possible to re-submit the same project in future years.   

Projects that have been submitted in the Global Awards Programme are also eligible for submission in the Europe Awards Programme.   

Submitters may also submit more than one project in any year, but a separate submission is required for each project and must be accompanied by separate entry fees.  

Typologies

Upon submission, submitters select a typology for their project. Typologies help the jury better understand the project. The jury evaluates all submissions as part of a single group, meaning the jury evaluates each one against all other submissions, regardless of type or location. The jury does not pre-assign a number or portion of the finalists and winners to different typologies.  

Categories on the submission form include:  

• Office  
• Retail  
• Residential (private rented sector, market rate for sale, affordable housing, student housing, senior living)  
• Logistics/Industrial  
• Mixed-Use (having three or more significant revenue-producing uses)  
• Education  
• Arts and Culture  
• Programme/Initiative  
• Other 

Submitters are also asked to describe the project type, e.g. new development, refurbishment, redevelopment, repurposing, cultural/industrial heritage regeneration, densification. 

Evaluation Criteria

The Awards for Excellence recognise the full development process of a project: planning, construction, economic viability, management, and community impact, as well as design.  

The jury will evaluate projects and programs on the extent to which they: 

• achieve marketplace acceptance/financial success; 
• achieve a high standard of excellence in all areas—architecture, design, planning, construction, amenities, economics, and management, etc.; 
• demonstrate relevance to the contemporary and future needs of the community in which they are located; 
• demonstrate innovation, through techniques, processes, or partnerships; 
• have a positive impact in their communities and/or immediate contextt, e.g., contributing to advancing equity and inclusion; 
• exhibit environmental sustainability, stewardship, and resiliency; and 
• provide models, lessons, strategies, or techniques that other communities can replicate or adapt. 

 In addition to the Award for Excellence winners, the jury will consider Special Mentions for those that demonstrate excellence in any of the areas focused on by ULI’s three mission priorities:   

• Decarbonizing the real estate sector and accelerating our progress to net zero  
• Increasing housing attainability in communities around the world  
• Educating the next generation of diverse real estate leaders 

For a project or programme to receive this special consideration, the submitter must designate it as a Special Mention candidate in the submission form and describe how it excels in the selected area/s.