2026 Elev8 Design Awards Open for Entries, Now in Partnership with Building Design+Construction
Attention all architecture and design firms! We’re excited to announce that entries are now open for the 2026 Elev8 Design Awards, a joint program from BUILDINGS and our sister publication Building Design+Construction (BD+C) that celebrates exemplary commercial and institutional building projects across North America. Building on its successful 2025 debut, the awards spotlight projects that raise the bar for innovation, sustainability, social impact, and long-term performance in the built environment.
“The Elev8 Design Awards celebrate best-in-class commercial design projects that are raising the bar for the industry,” said Robert Nieminen, Market Content Director at BUILDINGS. “We launched this awards program last year to highlight the creativity, innovation, and values-driven approaches of architecture and design professionals who understand the power of the built environment to positively impact people, place, and planet—and we’re excited to expand the reach and depth of this program in partnership with our colleagues at Building Design+Construction.”
For 2026, BD+C’s involvement brings together under one cross-platform awards program two complementary audiences that represent key stakeholders within the built environment: building owners and facility executives on the operations side, and architects, engineers, and contractors on the design and construction side. The Elev8 winners will be showcased in both BD+C’s March/April 2026 issue and the Second Quarter 2026 issue of BUILDINGS.
A Holistic View of High-Performing Commercial Projects Across Markets
The inaugural 2025 honorees showcased innovative projects that spanned a variety of markets including higher education, healthcare, corporate headquarters, multifamily, civic facilities, and more. These groundbreaking buildings demonstrated how design excellence and operational performance can coexist across building types.
The 2026 Elev8 Design Awards will continue that cross-sector focus by recognizing projects that:
- Deliver strong architectural and interior design strategies and solutions
- Incorporate smart building technologies and resilient systems
- Advance sustainability, wellness, and social equity goals
- Support efficient, reliable operations for owners and facility teams
In other words, the Elev8 Awards look at projects holistically to determine their impact on the communities in which they’re located and the occupants within them across a variety of nonresidential markets, including:
- Commercial
- Institutional
- Healthcare & Senior Living
- Hospitality
- Mixed Use
- Multifamily
- Retail & Showroom
- Civic & Public Spaces
The jury will consider both new construction and renovation/adaptive reuse work across these various vertical markets.
What the Jury Is Looking For
Projects in the 2026 Elev8 Awards will be evaluated by an independent panel of architects, designers, building owners, and other industry experts representing both the BUILDINGS and BD+C communities.
Submissions will be judged anonymously against eight key criteria:
- Aesthetics
- Innovation in Design
- Functionality & Accessibility
- Social Impact
- Technology Integration
- Sustainability
- Operational Efficiency
- Wellness
The jury will award citations across project types and performance in three tiers of recognition:
- Grand Prize Awards – Two top honors: one for New Construction and one for Historic Renovation/Adaptive Reuse, each accompanied by deluxe commemorative plaques for both the design firm and the client.
- Gold, Silver, and Bronze Citations – Additional standout projects in each category, also recognized with plaques for firms and their clients.
- Outstanding Designs – Projects that may not fit neatly within a category but exhibit exceptional design or performance qualities, selected for publication as part of the broader project showcase.
To learn more about the Elev8 Design Awards and to start your entry, visit Elev8Awards.com and select “Enter The Awards” from the main navigation. From there, teams can complete the three-step online entry sequence before the December 12, 2025 deadline. If you have questions about the awards submission process, contact our Awards Program Manager Heather Buzzard.