7 Landscape Design Awards to Enter in 2026
September 16, 2025Last updated: March 12, 2026
Landscape design goes far beyond creating visually appealing outdoor spaces. Well-designed outdoor spaces shape how communities live with nature, interact with cities, and experience public environments. From ecological restoration projects to innovative urban parks, landscape design has a lasting impact on quality of life.
Awards play an important role in recognizing these contributions. Celebrating innovation, sustainability, and design excellence, they give professionals and firms a platform for industry wide recognition. In this article, you’ll learn why landscape awards matter, discover ten of the most important competitions in 2026, and understand what judges look for in successful submissions.
Let’s dive in.
Why you should enter a landscape design competition
Whether you’re an individual architect or representing a firm, winning an award competition is quite a compelling achievement. Recipients of the top prize automatically have a better reputation, receive more exposure, and can use their awards to secure new projects.
We go into each of these benefits in a little more detail below:
- Better reputation: Winning means that your work has been judged by an expert panel of other architects. They’ve said that your work is of a high standard; the best, in fact. No doubt, this is one of the best ways to build trust among peers and potential clients.
- Increase visibility: Award-winning projects published in leading design journals, featured in exhibitions, and highlighted across digital platforms. Not only that, but competitions often bring together architects, developers, and city planners, creating connections that can lead to future collaborations.
- New projects: When bidding for major commissions, awards serve as valuable evidence that you’re able to take on important, complex and large projects. Commercial projects in particular enjoy being associated with award winning architects.
The Best Landscape Design Awards
Prestigious Global Awards
1. World Landscape Architecture Awards
The WLA Awards, organized by World Landscape Architecture magazine, highlight built and conceptual works from across the globe.
Winners gain significant visibility since their projects are published online and in the WLA annual eBook. In 2024, winning projects included large-scale waterfront redevelopments in Canada and community-focused parks in China.
This year’s winners have also been announced, and they are Surfacedesign Inc’s The Beach at Elliot Bay (Expedia HQ) for Commercial Landscape Design; Vladimir Djurovic and his Gulbenkian Foundation Garden Extension for Institutional Landscape Design; as well as The Opera Park by Cobe for Large Public Space Landscape Design.
The 2026 WLA Awards are now open for entries. The submission deadline is April 24, 2026, with winners expected to be announced on July 21, 2026.
2. International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) Awards
The IFLA Awards celebrate global leadership in landscape design, with categories ranging from built projects to climate-responsive initiatives.
Winners are announced at the IFLA World Congress and featured in publications such as Topos and World Landscape Architecture. In 2024, standout projects included green infrastructure designs in Singapore and cultural landscape restorations in Africa.
Recent winners include James Corner (2024 winner) and YoungSun Jung (2023 winner).
IFLA has launched a brand new Global Landscape Architecture Awards program for 2026, with 20 project categories. Entries are now open, with a final deadline of June 1, 2026. Winners will be celebrated at the IFLA World Congress in Hong Kong in October 2026.
3. Landscape Design MasterPrize (LDMP) by AMP
Bamboo Villa by WEIMAR GROUP, lead architect Chen Xiao, Shanghai, China. Landscape Design of the Year, Architecture MasterPrize 2025.The Landscape Design MasterPrize (LDMP) celebrates creativity, sustainability, and innovation in landscape architecture worldwide. It covers projects ranging from public parks and gardens to large-scale ecological and urban interventions.
What makes LDMP unique is its exclusive focus on landscapes, unlike broader architecture awards. Winners are featured in AMP’s annual book, showcased across international design media, and included in press releases distributed globally.
The 2025 Landscape Design of the Year was awarded to Bamboo Villa by WEIMAR GROUP (lead architect Chen Xiao, Shanghai, China), a minimal-intervention community landscape integrating a mountain lake, central lawn, and interconnected park system. Submissions for the 2026 awards close on August 31, 2026.
Architectural Awards with Landscape Categories
4. SBID International Design Awards (Landscape Subcategory)
The SBID Awards include a subcategory for landscape and urban outdoor projects. Winners gain recognition from both a jury and public vote, and projects are featured in the annual SBID Global Interior Design coffee-table book.
In 2025, winners included residential landscape designs in the UK and mixed-use urban courtyards in Europe, with coverage in SBID’s Global Interior Design publication. The 2025 winners were announced at the Royal Lancaster London on October 24, 2025. Entries for the 2026 SBID Awards are now open, with the ceremony scheduled for November 6, 2026.
National & Regional Awards
5. Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) Awards
The AILA Awards are the leading recognition for landscape design in Australia, covering categories such as civic landscapes, parks, and small projects.
Winners are promoted across Australian design publications and celebrated at an annual gala. In 2024, projects such as the Barangaroo Reserve in Sydney gained national attention. Winners were announced across multiple categories including Civic Landscape, Community Contribution, Cultural Heritage, Gardens, Infrastructure and more.
The 2025 AILA Award winners have been announced. For 2026 entry dates, check the AILA website directly as the schedule has not yet been formally published.
6. European Garden Award
The European Garden Award highlights the best contemporary gardens and landscape projects across Europe. Categories include innovative concepts, historic garden management, and public engagement.
Winners are celebrated at Schloss Dyck in Germany and covered by Landscape Architecture Europe. 2024 winners were announced across three categories, being: Management or Development of a Historic Park or Garden; Design or Concept of a Contemporary Park or Garden; and, Climate Adaptation Measures in Parks and Gardens.
The winners of each award were Promenades de Reims, Reims, France; Opera Park, Copenhagen, Denmark; and, Warsaw Uprising Mound Park, Warschau, Poland.
As for the 2026 awards, you may keep a lookout for their announcement via the European Garden Award’s official website to which we’ve linked you below.
7. Asia Landscape Design Awards
The Asia Landscape Design Awards celebrate innovation across Asia, recognizing projects that balance tradition with modernity.
Winners gain strong regional exposure and are featured in exhibitions and Asian design publications. In 2025, awardees included large-scale urban parks in China and sustainable resorts in Southeast Asia.
The 2026 Asia Landscape Design Awards were held in Vietnam, with submissions closing in February 2026. Results are expected to be announced later in 2026.
What Judges Look for in Award-Winning Landscape Design
Alongside appearance, judges evaluate five other core areas. They include sustainability, community impact, artistic vision, functionality and integration with architecture. We discuss each in more detail below.
- Sustainability & ecology: Panels will judge landscape design projects on how they restore or enhance ecosystems, promote biodiversity, as well as their use of environmentally responsible methods in design.
- Community impact: Designs that improve quality of life, accessibility, and social interaction often stand out and will score extra points among judging panels.
- Aesthetic and artistic vision: An important element of architecture that hasn’t been forgotten, creativity and visual harmony are still central to judging criteria. Landscapes must inspire the panel and engage people who will use them.
- Functionality and innovation: Forward-thinking and practical outdoor solutions that solve modern problems in new ways are more likely to be scored positively by judging panels.
- Integration with architecture: Strong landscapes connect seamlessly with surrounding buildings and infrastructure. The project needs to make sense given its surrounding environment.
Conclusion
Landscape design awards offer professionals the chance to gain recognition, showcase their projects, and highlight their contribution to both community and ecology. Winning provides credibility, media visibility, and opportunities to connect with clients, city planners, and peers worldwide.
Whether your focus is on sustainable urban parks, cultural landscapes, or innovative garden design, the awards we’ve presented in this guide represent the best platforms to elevate your work.
Browse the website of each, and pick a few awards to submit to that are best suited to you. We’d like to suggest our own Landscape Design MasterPrize, as submission deadlines are right around the corner, being September 30, 2025.