Entries are now open for the Scape Awards of Excellence 2026. Architects, designers, developers and built environment professionals have until 17 July to submit work across 21 categories.
South Africa’s most internationally positioned architecture and design awards programme is calling for submissions, and if your work touches the built environment in any meaningful way, this one is worth your attention.
Now in its third year, the Scape Awards of Excellence has built a reputation as the industry’s own: not a broad creative catch-all, but a focused platform for architects, interior designers, landscape practitioners, product makers, and property developers doing serious work.
Who can enter
The 2026 programme spans 21 categories covering everything from Residence of the Year and Inclusive Build of the Year to Unbuilt Projects, Emerging Studio of the Year, and an International Build by a South African Practice category that acknowledges work happening beyond our borders.
Both individual practitioners and studios or firms are eligible to enter, depending on category.
How to enter
Entrants start by downloading the Categories and Criteria document at scapemagazine.co.za, then submit through the Awards of Excellence App.
There is an entry fee per submission, a portion of which goes directly to the newly launched Scape Foundation, which will fund architectural tuition support for a student in 2026.
Submissions close 17 July 2026.
The Prize
What’s at stake beyond a trophy: recognition by a 60-strong global jury that includes Carlo Ratti, Tosin Oshinowo, Michel Rojkind, and Tekla Evelina Severin, plus editorial placement across Scape’s print and digital platforms in both the Shortlist Issue and the Winners Issue.
The Awards Ceremony
Even if you’re not entering, the awards ceremony on 9 October at Quoin Rock at the foot of the Simonsberg Mountain is the kind of industry gathering worth tracking. This is where the conversation about what South African design actually is, and where it’s going, gets had.
The shortlist drops between 7 and 12 August, with a shortlist party on 21 August ahead of the October ceremony.
Download the categories and enter at scapemagazine.co.za/awards-of-excellence-2026
