The Royal
Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the world's leading professional
body for those who work in land, property, infrastructure and construction, 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 & 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 this month 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.
Matthew
Howell, RICS UK Managing Director said: “We have launched a new, UK-wide annual
awards programme to recognise the vital role the built environment and its
professionals play in creating and delivering outstanding built projects that
are having a lasting positive impact on society.
“As the
only awards programme that celebrates the benefit that our built environment
has on people’s lives, they will play an important role in recognising the
value our industry brings to society across all sectors, and celebrating the
champions of our industry who are making a remarkable difference.”
He
adds: “Along with our ‘Value the Planet’ campaign, we hope to not only encourage the next generation to seek out a career in the built environment, but also inspire those
already in the profession to demonstrate their positive social contribution.”
Entries for
the RICS Social Impact Awards are now open until the deadline of 31 January
2020 and an Early Bird Rate of £85 (plus VAT) is available for projects entered
by 29 November 2019. Various sponsorship packages are available too. Find out
more and enter at www.rics.org/awards.
