Celebrating Planning Excellence
The RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence 2025 showcase and celebrate the best plans, projects and people. Entries are now closed.
Now in its 48th year, our coveted awards recognise and highlight the positive contribution planning professionals make in the communities we serve around the world.
Award categories
There are 15 planning-related categories in total in the RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence.
Plans
Projects
- Excellence in Planning for a Successful Economy
- Excellence in Planning for Health and Wellbeing
- Excellence in Planning for Heritage and Culture
- Excellence in Planning for the Natural Environment
- Excellence in Planning for Communities (small schemes under 50 homes)
- Excellence in Planning for Communities (large schemes of 50 or more homes)
- Excellence in Digital Planning Practice*
- International Award for Planning Excellence*
People
- In-house Planning Team of the Year*
- Small Planning Consultancy of the Year
- Mid-Size Planning Consultancy of the Year - New for 2025
- Planning Consultancy of the Year*
- Planning Authority of the Year
- Young Planner of the Year
*Direct to national. The direct to national categories will go directly to the national judging process. See below for more details on the judging process.
For the full list of categories and criteria visit this page.
"Winning Young Planner of the Year is a huge career highlight, and it means a lot to have been recognised for the ambassador work I’ve completed over recent years. I would highly recommend other Young Planners to enter next year, and my top tip would be to align your submission with the RTPI’s key values and current campaigns."
Frances Keenan - Winner of the 2024 Young Planner of the Year award.
Key dates 2025
- 15 May - Shortlist announced for Nations and Regions
- June - Announcing the winners in the Nations and Regions
- August/September - National awards judging
- October - National finalists announced
- 27 November - National ceremony
The judging process
The RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence has 15 award categories, entries in the Nations and Regions are initially judged across 11 categories and awarded as:
- Best Plan
- Best Project
- Planning Authority of the Year
- Small Planning Consultancy of the Year
- Mid-Size Planning Consultancy of the Year
- Young Planner of the Year*
These winners become national finalists.
The shortlisted project entries are put through for judging in the national awards and will be judged against the others in their selected categories for the national finalist list. The remaining four direct to national categories are also judged to complete the national finalist list of 15 categories. The winners and commendations are announced at the national ceremony in November.
*All Young Planner of the Year winners will be entered into the national shortlist and will be judged by the national judges and the top five will become national finalists.
For more information
If you have any questions, or are interested in sponsorship opportunities, please view the details below or contact [email protected]
Please contact Lucy Barton-Roberts or the Awards Team for more information or to discuss sponsorship opportunities.
