The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has launched a new awards programme. Entries are being sought for the RICS Social Impact Awards, which recognise the positive and transformational contribution that the built environment has on people’s lives across the UK.

The RICS Social Impact Awards assess the human, social and environmental impact, and the innovation and collaboration, that has gone into development and infrastructure projects in the commercial, education, healthcare, heritage, infrastructure, land and rural, leisure, residential and student accommodation sectors.

Projects will be assessed at a local level, in 12 regions across the UK, and all category winners will then go head-to-head against other regional winners to compete in the RICS Social Impact Awards Grand Final in October 2020, for the chance to win the national accolade in their respective category and the overall ‘Outstanding Contribution to Society Award’ for the best UK project. A ‘Lifetime Achiever Award’ will recognise an individual nationally who has delivered great social benefit through their work.

The launch of this new awards programme follows the announcement about RICS’ new ‘Value the Planet’ campaign, which aims to encourage the built environment industry to help safeguard the planet by taking climate action and adopting the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals.

Entries for the RICS Social Impact Awards are now open until 31st January 2020, and an early bird rate of £85 (plus VAT) is available for projects entered by 29th November 2019. Various sponsorship packages are available too.