Aim and eligibility 

This award is aimed at established researchers. This year, it is open to two groups: 

1. Academics who are employed by RTPI-accredited planning schools (they do not need to also be RTPI members), and;
2. Academics who are RTPI members, but are not working in an RTPI-accredited planning school. 

Please note: 

If you are submitting a project conducted by two or more researchers and authors, as submitter of the entry you will be the named investigator and author for the awards process. We will liaise with you throughout the process including at the award ceremony, should your entry be successful. You will be responsible for all liaison with your co-authors throughout the process.

Entries

• Entries are free.
• One piece of work represents one entry.
• Each individual may submit only one entry per category. However, individuals may also be listed as a co-author on submissions made by other individuals within the same category.
• Each individual entry must be submitted separately through the online submissions portal, with a (maximum) 250 word ‘research summary’.
• Entries must have been first published between 1 April 2025 and 1 April 2026.
• Entries must be submitted by 23:59 on 10 May 2026.
• Incomplete submissions will not be considered.

Judging criteria 

Entries to this category will be judged on the strength of the publication submitted. Entrants should use the ‘research summary’ section of the submission portal to draw the judges’ attention to these criteria. 

1. Relevance: addresses issues and themes of current concern and relevance to spatial planning. 
2. Robustness and methodology: evidence of a robust understanding of the current state of knowledge, and sound methodological reflection leading to the choice of an appropriate methodology and methods, an understanding of the theoretical stakes, critical thinking and a structured analysis.  
3. Outcomes: clearly presented results that respond to the research question and contribute to better understanding of the subject. 

Aim and eligibility 

‘Wider engagement’ is defined as conducting and/or communicating high-quality planning research to audiences beyond academia. As such, this category is open to all individuals who qualify for the Practitioner and Academic awards.  

The engagement could be with a wide range of public, private and third sector organisations, and/or directly with the public. Such activity should contribute to a stronger policy and/or public understanding of planning. 

This activity could take many forms. For example, knowledge exchange between academic researchers and research users (through meetings, seminars, workshops and collaborative research activities etc), briefing materials aimed at policy-makers or practitioners, the publication of a book aimed at a non-expert audience, media activity, public outreach, working with community groups and civil society organisations, etc. 

Entries 

Given the aim of this award, entrants should consider the best way to communicate to the judges the nature and impact of the activity for consideration. This may be a published article (in an academic journal or report) that describes this activity. Or it may be a selection of media articles, blogs, the report of a meeting or event, etc. 

Entries that are part of a long-term programme of research are welcome. However, to be eligible for the 2026 Awards, the engagement activity and/or reporting being submitted as evidence must have taken place between 1 April 2025 and 1 April 2026. Evidence of activities of publications from outside this time range will not be considered. 

Please note: 

If you are submitting a project conducted by two or more researchers and authors, as submitter of the entry you will be the named investigator and author for the awards process. We will liaise with you throughout the process including at the award ceremony, should your entry be successful. You will be responsible for all liaison with your co-authors throughout the process.

• Entries are free.
• One piece of work represents one entry.
• Each individual may submit only one entry per category. However, individuals may also be listed as a co-author on submissions made by other individuals within the same category.
• Each individual entry must be submitted separately through the online submissions portal, with a (maximum) 250 word ‘research summary’.
• Entries must have been first published between 1 April 2025 and 1 April 2026.
• Entries must be submitted by 23:59 on 10 May 2026.
• Incomplete submissions will not be considered.

Judging criteria 

Entries to this category will be judged on the strength of the publication submitted. Entrants should use the ‘research summary’ section of the submission portal to draw the judges’ attention to these criteria. 

1. Relevance: addresses issues and themes of current concern and relevance to spatial planning. 
2. Robustness and methodology: evidence of an appropriate review of relevant literature and understanding of the current state of knowledge. Evidence of sound methodological reflection leading to the choice of an appropriate methodology and methods, depth of analysis and critical abilities in handling the qualitative/quantitative results. 
3. Outcomes: clearly presented results that achieve a better understanding of the subject and/or the development of new fields of enquiry. 
4. Dissemination and impact: implications of the research and analysis for planning policy and/or practice. 

Aim and eligibility 

This award is aimed at researchers in the beginning phase of their academic careers. As such, it is open to academics who are either currently doing their PhD, or are within 5 years of the award of their PhD. 

It is open to:

1. Academic staff employed by RTPI-accredited planning schools (entrants themselves do not need to be RTPI members), and; 
2. Academic staff who are RTPI members, but not working in an RTPI-accredited planning school. 

Please note: 

If you are submitting a project conducted by two or more researchers and authors, as submitter of the entry you will be the named investigator and author for the awards process. We will liaise with you throughout the process including at the award ceremony, should your entry be successful. You will be responsible for all liaison with your co-authors throughout the process.

Entries

• Entries are free.
• One piece of work represents one entry.
• Each individual may submit only one entry per category. However, individuals may also be listed as a co-author on submissions made by other individuals within the same category.
• Each individual entry must be submitted separately through the online submissions portal, with a (maximum) 250 word ‘research summary’.
• Entries must have been first published between 1 April 2025 and 1 April 2026.
• Entries must be submitted by 23:59 on 10 May 2026.
• Incomplete submissions will not be considered.

Judging criteria 

Entries to this category will be judged on the strength of the publication submitted. Entrants should use the ‘research summary’ section of the submission portal to draw the judges’ attention to these criteria. 

1. Relevance: addresses issues and themes of current concern and relevance to spatial planning. 
2. Robustness and methodology: evidence of a robust understanding of the current state of knowledge, and sound methodological reflection leading to the choice of an appropriate methodology and methods, an understanding of the theoretical stakes, critical thinking and a structured analysis.  
3. Outcomes: clearly presented results that respond to the research question and contribute to the better understanding of the subject. 

 Aim and eligibility 

This award is aimed at students who are working towards or have recently completed a non-research university degree. It highlights the methodological rigour of the research, as well as the ability to link research and practice.

It is open to: 

1. Undergraduate and non-research postgraduate students who are enrolled in universities offering accredited RTPI courses;  

2. Everyone who completed an undergraduate or a non-research postgraduate course in universities offering accredited RTPI courses between April 2025 and April 2026; 

3. RTPI members who completed or are enrolled in an undergraduate or non-research postgraduate course between April 2025 and April 2026, regardless of their academic affiliation.  

Only planning research submitted (for dissertations and theses) or first published (for any other piece of research) between 1 April 2025 and 1 April 2026 (inclusive) is eligible for entry. 

Entries

• Entries are free.
• One piece of work represents one entry.
• Each individual may submit only one entry per category. However, individuals may also be listed as a co-author on submissions made by other individuals within the same category.
• Each individual entry must be submitted separately through the online submissions portal, with a (maximum) 250 word ‘research summary’.
• Entries must have been first published between 1 April 2025 and 1 April 2026.
• Entries must be submitted by 23:59 on 10 May 2026.
• Incomplete submissions will not be considered.

Judging criteria 

Entries to this category will be judged on the strength of the publication submitted. Entrants should use the ‘research summary’ section of the submission portal to draw the judges’ attention to these criteria. 

1. Relevance: addresses issues and themes of current concern and relevance to spatial planning. 
2. Robustness and methodology: evidence of a robust understanding of the current state of knowledge, and sound methodological reflection leading to the choice of an appropriate methodology and methods, an understanding of the theoretical stakes, critical thinking and a structured analysis. 
3. Outcomes: clearly presented results that respond to the research question and contribute to the better understanding of the subject. 

Aim and eligibility 

The Practitioner Research Award is open to non-academic organisations conducting valuable research with the potential to inform planning policy and/or practice. This includes, but is not restricted to, planning consultancies, charities and social enterprises based anywhere in the world.  

To be eligible, organisations must have at least one member of staff who is a current RTPI member. This person does not need to have participated in the submitted research.  

As with the academic awards, entries based on collaborations with researchers from other organisations (including academic researchers) are welcome. 

The lead author of the entry must not be employed at an academic institution. If they are employed at an academic institution, please consider submitting your entry for either the ‘Academic’ or ‘Early Career’ award categories. 

Entries

• Entries are free.
• One piece of work represents one entry.
• Each individual may submit only one entry per category. However, individuals may also be listed as a co-author on submissions made by other individuals within the same category.
• Each individual entry must be submitted separately through the online submissions portal, with a (maximum) 250 word ‘research summary’.
• Entries must have been first published between 1 April 2025 and 1 April 2026.
• Entries must be submitted by 23:59 on 10 May 2026.
• Incomplete submissions will not be considered.

Please note: 

If you are submitting a project conducted by two or more researchers and authors, as submitter of the entry you will be the named investigator and author for the awards process. We will liaise with you throughout the process including at the award ceremony, should your entry be successful. You will be responsible for all liaison with your co-authors throughout the process.

Judging criteria 

Entries to this category will be judged on the strength of the publication submitted. Entrants should use the ‘research summary’ section of the submission portal to draw the judges’ attention to these criteria. 

1. Relevance: addresses issues and themes of current concern and relevance to spatial planning. 
2. Robustness and methodology: evidence of an appropriate review of relevant literature and understanding of the current state of knowledge. Evidence of sound methodological reflection leading to the choice of an appropriate methodology and methods, depth of analysis and critical abilities in handling the qualitative/quantitative results. 
3. Outcomes: clearly presented results that achieve a better understanding of the subject and/or the development of new fields of enquiry. 
4. Dissemination and impact: implications of the research and analysis for planning policy and/or practice. 

Awards open for entries - 17 March 2026

Awards close for entries - 10 May 2026 at 23:59

Finalists announced - 23 July 2026

Winners announced at awards ceremony - 7 Sept 2026

The Awards ceremony will take place on 7 Sept 2026 in Cardiff. 

The Awards will be conferred by RTPI President Jan Bessell at the opening drinks reception of the annual UK-Ireland Planning Research Conference hosted this year by Cardiff University. 

We interpret ‘planning research’ broadly. For example, research could primarily have implications for planning education or professional development, rather than practice or policy. Though the awards focus on spatial planning research, we encourage interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research. We welcome non-traditional pieces of research such as applied research, action research or research by design, as long as they are published (see below). 

For the purposes of these awards, ‘research’ is a single published piece of research and the actions directly related to its communication and dissemination. For example, a single article, a single chapter in an edited book, a single report, a book, a toolbox, a project or a plan can all be considered as ‘research’.

Wider research programmes, edited thematic numbers and books comprised of different contributions, and series or collections are not considered as ‘research’ for the purposes of these awards.  

We accept entries published in any form. However, publications must be publicly available online at the moment of the submission, whether free or behind a paywall.

For published books, they must be available for free download or to purchase and the full text must be made available to the judges in digital form (to this end, preprint versions are accepted). 

Online repositories, including Academia.edu, Researchgate, institutional repositories and project websites are all considered forms of publishing for the purposes of these awards.

In cases where entries have been published multiple times, the publication date refers to the date it was first published and must be within the specified date range - this year this is from 1 April 2025 to 1 April 2026. 

For all categories, the submitted research and its potential implications for planning policy and practice can relate to anywhere in the world (not just the UK and Ireland).  

Judges are assigned to panels that assess the five award categories.

Judging panels include RTPI members from both practitioner and academic backgrounds, and are selected to ensure geographical and institutional balance. 

Judges do not assess entries for which they have a conflict of interest. 

The entry form will be used by our panels of judges to judge your submission.

Incomplete submissions will not be considered.

The decisions of the judging panel are final and no correspondence will be entered into before or after the event.

The RTPI will promote and disseminate the entries of winners and finalists widely through its communication channels, and authors of these will have the chance to write blogs for the RTPI website. 

Ownership and intellectual property of entries to all award categories will remain with the entrants/publishers.

The RTPI reserves the right to share submissions and entry forms with our judging panels.

The RTPI reserves the right to share submissions with our member magazine The Planner.

Submitted material will be retained electronically by the RTPI.

Please note:

If you are submitting a project conducted by two or more researchers and authors, as submitter of the entry you will be the named investigator and author for the awards process. We will liaise with you throughout the process including at the award ceremony, should your entry be successful. You will be responsible for all liaison with your co-authors throughout the process.

Is there an entry fee?

There is no entry fee.

Please note: The Royal Town Planning Institute is not liable for any costs you may incur in submitting your entry.

Can I submit multiple entries?

One piece of work represents one entry. Each individual may submit only one entry per category. However, individuals may also be listed as a co-author on submissions made by other individuals within the same category.

Can I edit my submission after submitting? 

You can edit your submission at any time before the entries close on 10 May 2026 at 23:59. Incomplete submissions will not be considered.

What happens after I submit?

Once the awards close for entries, submissions are carefully reviewed to ensure they meet all eligibility criteria. The judging panel then begins the evaluation process, carefully assessing each entry against the judging criteria.

How are finalists and winners announced?

Finalists and winners will be informed via email and widely announced on the RTPI website and RTPI social media channels.

Enquiries regarding the awards should be sent to rtpi.research@rtpi.org.uk