The Urban Development Institute of Australia’s (UDIA) Awards for Excellence are a celebration and promotion of the knowledge, skills and innovation of the Australian urban development industry.

Initiated in 1996 the Awards showcase the urban development industry’s world class developments and invite the public to learn more about the exceptional projects happening across the nation.

The program is rigorous, taking eight months from launch through to the completion of judging. The judges visit every site in person, as well as review accompanying written submissions.

Our judges are experienced industry leaders who bring tremendous credibility to our awards program. Their depth of experience and knowledge ensures the process is both independent and robust.

During October to January, our national judging panel travels the length and breadth of Australia to determine the best of the best State Award Category Winners.

A UDIA Award is a true sign of excellence, quality and industry best practice.

The awards provide an opportunity to recognise and acknowledge the contributions to the industry by all industry professionals including architects, engineers, environmental professionals and consultants.

Each year, UDIA’s State Divisions undertake an extensive process to judge and recognise excellence and innovation across the diverse development industry of their state.

Upwards of 25 categories showcase the best of breed in project excellence with Masterplanned, Residential, Seniors Living, Affordable Developments and Social and Community projects; Small Scale, Medium and High-Density Housing; Urban Renewal; Environmental Excellence; Marketing Excellence categories offered.

Accompanying our project awards are our people awards which recognise leadership and diversity across the industry, conferring Young Leader, Women in Leadership and Diversity in Development Awards at both the State and National level.

Winners of the National Awards are drawn from the outstanding winners of the State Awards in fifteen categories, including the President’s Award, which is bestowed on the ‘best of the best’ award winner.

The 2020 National Awards have been expanded, with new Awards in Small Scale Development, Social & Community Infrastructure, Marketing Excellence and Diversity in Development.

The Categories for the 2020 UDIA National Awards for Excellence are:

• Women in Leadership (individual award)
• Young Leaders (individual award)
• Diversity in Development (new in 2020)
• Medium Density Housing
• Residential Development
• Small Scale Development (new in 2020)
• Social & Community Infrastructure (new in 2020)
• Environmental Excellence

• Marketing Excellence (new in 2020)
• Urban Renewal
• Affordable Development
• Seniors’ Living
• Masterplanned Development
• High Density Development
• President’s Award

> Find out more about each Award category

The evaluation process would not be possible across the nation without the judges’ generous contributions of their time and professional knowledge.

The judges are all experienced practitioners from various sectors of the urban development industry and undertake their challenging role in a voluntary capacity.

Consideration is given to finding solutions through creative thinking and optimising opportunities created by new technology to improve quality and productivity.

Refined and developed management skills, excellence and leadership in Australian urban development are also assessed.