Best Residential Design Architectural Awards in 2025
October 3, 2025Residential design reflects not only aesthetics but also how people live, connect, and experience home. From single-family houses to large-scale housing developments, awards play a key role in recognizing excellence in residential architecture.
In 2025, a number of international, national, and specialized awards continue to set benchmarks in innovation, sustainability, cultural sensitivity, and affordability. We’ve curated 6 of the most prestigious residential design awards this year and discuss what makes each unique, who should enter, recent winners, and important deadlines.
Why Residential Design Awards Matter
Residential design awards are a great way to build credibility and trust with homeowners, developers, and communities. Winning an award signals that your project or firm has met high standards and helps clients feel confident in commissioning you for their next project.
Another benefit of winning an award is that they help you achieve media visibility through architectural publications, exhibitions, social media and more. For firms, winning distinguishes them in an already competitive sector.
There’s more to residential design awards than material gains. They encourage innovation like sustainability, affordability, and cultural sensitivity design, as the projects that push boundaries and address real human and environmental needs are those that commonly end up winning.
Best Residential Design Awards in 2025
Below are some of the top awards in residential architecture.
Global Prestigious Awards
1. Outstanding Property Award London
The Outstanding Property Award, London (OPAL Award) honors exceptional work in architectural design, interior design, and property development on an international stage.
Projects are judged on how they reduce environmental impact via thoughtful design, embrace innovation in materials or methods, and deliver positive social outcomes.
Recent winners include Casa AV by Rafael Pardo Architects, a project that won the architectural design of the year prize. Also, Lor Calma and Partners won the residential single home award for their project, Pfleider Residence.
The 2025 Opal Awards are currently open for submissions.
2. Residential Architecture Design Awards by Architecture MasterPrize (AMP)
AMP’s residential design awards in architecture are dedicated to bringing forward the best designs across a number of categories spanning from traditional residential architecture (multi-unit / single-family) to social housing.
The judging panel at AMP evaluates entries based on more than just aesthetics. They also look at the project’s context, functionality, sustainability, innovation, and how well the design responds to the residents’ lives and the environment. Worth noting, a single residential project can be submitted across multiple categories of AMP’s residential design award.
The Residential Architecture Design Awards by Architecture MasterPrize are well suited for architects, designers, and developers working on projects such as custom single-family homes, multi-unit dwellings, social housing, or residential interior work. You’re able to enter whether you’re an established practitioner or an emerging designer. Your project just needs to be recent (within five years) and well documented. Also, there’s a separate dedicated award for students as well.
The 2024 winner of AMP’s residential design awards was LL House by RA!. This project stood out for its thoughtful integration with its rugged site, sculptural forms, and how it balanced views, privacy, and the environment. Another is Canvas House by PARTISANS, which highlights contemporary residential design excellence under AMP.
For 2025, the final deadline for residential and all AMP categories is September 30, 2025. Earlier deadlines offer discounted entry fees.
National & Regional Awards
3. RIBA House of the Year Awards
The RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) Awards are among the most prestigious based in the UK. They recognize outstanding residential design through the UK-focused RIBA House of the Year award; affordable housing through the Neave Brown Award; and the RIBA International Awards highlight exceptional residential projects globally.
RIBA has a long history and high profile, especially in architectural excellence, craftsmanship, sustainability, and contribution to the built environment. Winning a RIBA award brings prestige, rigorous scrutiny by peer practitioners, and often public recognition.
Architects working internationally, especially with high-design, high-impact residential projects, or projects that show strong environmental performance or design innovation. Projects that engage with their cultural, social, or environmental context tend to fare well.
Recent winners of the House of the Year Award include Six Columns by 31/44 Architects (2024 winners) and Green House by Hayhurt & Co (2023 winners).
Submission deadlines for the 2026 awards are set for November 2025.
4. Asia Housing Awards
The Asia Housing Awards honor residential design and housing projects across Asia. They recognize projects that combine design with functionality, affordability, sustainability, and local culture.
They focus specifically on housing/design in the Asian context. That means climate, cultural traditions, materials, community participation, local constraints, and innovation in low-cost or climate-responsive housing are particularly valued when judging.
The awards are open to designers, architects, developers, NGOs working in Asia with residential/housing projects. Projects that address affordable housing, sustainable materials, community, or climate adaptation are particularly encouraged.
There isn’t one single deadline for all “Asia housing awards” as multiple award programs exist
Specialized Awards
5. WAN Awards
World Architecture News (WAN) Awards spotlight a range of architectural work globally, including residential, interiors, and public projects. They often highlight experimental design, sustainability, or creative responses to challenging briefs.
WAN tends to favor projects that push boundaries whether through unusual materials, bold form, or novel social/environmental strategies. They often publish in WAN’s media channels, giving visibility to the architectural discourse as well as design.
Architects or designers with projects that are ambitious, conceptually strong, or that address pressing design issues are encouraged . Ideal for architects who want both critical recognition and publication.
Recent winners included Red Rock by Faulkner Architects and Durham Modular Transitional Housing.
Entries for the 2026 awards have closed and the next competition is yet to be announced.
6. Interior Design Best of Year Awards (Residential Interiors)
This is an award program focused specifically on interior design, including residential interiors. The Best of Year Awards recognizes excellence in interior aesthetics, functionality, materials, and creativity.
It homes in on interior environments, not architectural shells only. Judges pay attention to how spaces feel, how they function for residents, material choices, craftsmanship, and styling. For residential interiors this is especially relevant.
Interior designers, architects with interior-design capability, and firms focused on renovation, luxury interiors, bespoke fittings, or stylish living spaces commonly compete for this award. Projects that carefully balance aesthetics and liveability are well suited.
2024 Residential winners, like the honorees Osprey House by Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects and Ima House by Desai Chia Architecture
Final submission deadlines for 2025 have closed and 2026 deadlines are TBA.
What Judges Look for in Award-Winning Residential Design
You might have already gotten an idea of criteria that’s important to judging panels for residential design.
Firstly, there’s functionality and livability. Judges look for how well a space supports comfort, daily activities, and the residents’ lifestyle.
Innovation is also highly valued, and projects using new materials, construction techniques, or design concepts have greater chances of winning.
Next, sustainability weighs heavily as well. Energy efficient projects that use eco-friendly materials, climate resilience, and often carbon footprint are favored.
Aesthetics and form are also important, especially how the design responds to its surrounding environment.
Finally, cultural and community values go a long way, and projects that reflect local building traditions, serve social needs, or engage with community identity often stand out.
How to Maximise Your Chances of Winning
To improve your odds of winning any of the competitions we’ve mentioned above, focus on combining strong design innovation with solid functionality. Be sure to showcase your sustainability credentials with measurable data (energy, water, materials). Use professional photography and clear storytelling in your submission. Highlight how your design enhances clients’ lifestyles or benefits the community. And finally, tailor your entry to match the specific criteria of each award.
Final Thoughts & Next Steps
Residential design awards offer more than recognition. They push design forward, encourage new thinking, and help align architecture with human, social, and environmental goals.
If you aspire to gain recognition, choose the awards whose values align with your project best. Document everything with high quality visuals, tell your story clearly, and ensure your project ticks the boxes for innovation, functionality, sustainability, and context.