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Student Design Awards 2026
We are delighted to announce the launch of the AfH Student Design Awards 2026!
The AfH Student Design Awards is an annual design competition for students and 2026 marks our 18th year. As well as promoting good design, AfH is committed to encouraging the next generation to become passionate about the quality of design for health and social care settings. Our goal is to celebrate the opportunities for innovation and experimentation and to bring together students from different disciplines to share their creative ideas.
We are keen to engage students within all design disciplines, including landscape, public art, interior design and architecture who are working on a healthcare brief.
Student Design Awards booklet 2026
The booklet contains entries from 71 students from 15 universities in the UK, Australia, Sweden, USA, Turkey and Israel.
If you would like a copy of the booklet in PDF format please enter your details below. Your details will not be added to our database . Click on Submit and the booklet will download automatically (the PDF is 221.76 MB in size).
The winners were announced on the 8th July in an awards ceremony hosted by White Arkitekter at their London studio. We were joined by students, tutors, judges and sponsors for the 18th Annual Student Design Awards event.
Kindly supported and sponsored by
Sponsorship
Sponsorship of the AfH Student Design Awards is really important to us and means that we can support the students and tutors throughout the year.
We invite sponsorship from architectural practices. There are 4 x ‘Practice Sponsor’ slots still available – it costs just £500 (+VAT) and gives your practice a range of benefits:
- Recognition as a sponsor on the AfH Sponsors page, the event page, notices to members and social media. Current sponsors are listed here:
- Your logo, website URL and 75 words of copy in the SDA booklet
- Opportunity to join our panel of judges reviewing all entries
- Invitation to attend the AfH Students Design Awards student seminar and awards ceremony
An additional opportunity is available to one supplier to sponsor the Awards Booklet. This offers a double page spread advert (or advertorial) in the SDA Awards Booket. Cost: £1,500 (+VAT).
If you would like to sponsor the AfH Student Design Awards 2026 please get in touch.
Awards Streams
We offer flexible awards streams which are dependent on the type of entries we receive each year and we accept mostly BA and MA level submissions. AfH are also pleased to accept independent students who have a passion for designing healthcare environments.
AfH members support colleges and universities where healthcare already forms part of the curriculum, encouraging those undertaking healthcare design projects to extend and embed their learning, through reviews (crits) and seminars on request.
If your students are interested in designing for healthcare but this is not part of the curriculum AfH members can support them too by offering a proxy client and/or a link to a local practice available on request – if we have a connection in your area. We work closely with NHS Trusts and Clinical Commissioning Groups, who can act as proxy clients to support the project through their hospital and community sites. A suitable proxy client can be arranged on request but is not essential.
Awards
Students who submit their work will receive a complementary AfH membership for one year as part of their registration.
All the submissions are captured in a beautifully designed and produced A4 landscape bound booklet celebrating the students work, and each participant will receive a copy.
Entries are judged by a panel of leading practitioners and clinicians.
Winners will be announced during, an in-person event in London in early July and rewarded with prizes, certificates and the opportunity to discuss their work with others including architectural and design leaders in healthcare.
Timeline and Actions 2026
AfH reconnect and invite schools and universities to take part in the AfH Student Design Awards 2026
AfH members offer reviews/crits/proxy-clients for local universities (available on request at a mutually acceptable time)
Nomination
- Tutors nominate students by the end of March 2026
Registration
- Nominated students register for the AfH Student Design Awards 2026
- Registration via the AfH website by becoming an AfH member for free (a discount code will be provided after nomination)
- Registered students will receive a free membership for one year giving you access to our annual events and webinars. After one year, you’ll have the opportunity to continue your membership for a small fee.
- Tutors can also receive a free membership using the discount code
Submission
- When you have registered, you will receive information on how to submit your work
- The submission deadline is Monday 25 May 2026
Student Seminar + Award Ceremony
This will be held on Wednesday 8 July from 2-8pm. Venue in London TBC.
- 2-3pm | Students, tutors, judges, sponsors arrive
- 3-6pm | Student seminar
- 6-7pm | Refreshment break
- 7-8pm | Awards ceremony
In the meantime AfH will…
- 26 – 29 May | Collate submissions into categories
- 1 – 22 June | Judges review submissions and score them according to set criteria
- 1 – 22 June | Booklets created and printed
- 22 – 29 June | Scores moderated, winners selected, prizes prepared and certificates printed! | AfH team compile digital loop and printed booklet
Student Design Awards 2025 Winners Revealed
- Fostering Future Talent, News, Student Design Awards
Student Design Awards 2021 Past Winners Presentations
- News, Reviews, Student Design Awards
