Inspire Future Generations Awards 2026
Celebrating how children and young people shape decisions about place
(2026 Entries Opening Soon)
#ifgawards2026
The IFG Awards recognise the role of organisations, practitioners and partnerships in designing and delivering work that enables children and young people to influence place.
This includes not only physical change, but also the processes, strategies, learning and research that shape how places are understood, planned and experienced.
We are interested in how participation is intentionally structured to lead to real influence — and what changes as a result.
The awards celebrate practice that successfully translates children and young people’s input into decisions, outcomes and ongoing ways of working.
Projects may result in physical change, but this is not required. Entries should demonstrate how children and young people’s input has influenced decisions, practice or understanding related to place.
CATEGORIES
Categories reflect different domains where children and young people influence how places are shaped, understood, experienced and sustained over time.
Regeneration
Projects that show how children and young people influence regeneration, including the planning, development and delivery of places design and use of places
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Safety & Inclusiveness
Regeneration
Work that enables children and young people to shape how safety and inclusiveness are understood and implemented in places.
Skills & Capacity Development
Projects where building skills enables children and young people to influence decisions about place.
Heritage
Projects where children and young people influence how heritage is interpreted, valued and integrated into the future of places.
Climate Change
Projects where children and young people drive responses to environmental challenges in relation to place, through design, behaviour or decision-making.
Culture
Projects that explore how children and young people shape the cultural identity, use and meaning of place.
Healthy Spaces
Approaches that demonstrate how children and young people shape places to support health and wellbeing.
Material resources and research
Work that develops and applies research or resources to shape how places are designed, planned or understood and are applied in practice to influence decisions or delivery.
Community
How children and young people influence the ways communities are shaped, connected and supported in relation to place Including work that strengthens relationships, participation or shared ownership of place.
Strategic Vision
Work that demonstrates how children and young people shape strategy, policy, governance or long-term planning related to place.
Best of Development Company
Developers, housing associations, investors who with the initiatives they have commissioned or encouraged, create outstanding activities that engage children and young people in built environment issues.
Best of Local Authority
Local authorities that has developed one or more relevant built environment related programmes for children and/or young people.
Best of Built Environment Practice
Practices that embed children and young people in their social value commitments and strategies/projects, demonstrating a commitment to positive impact within the built environment.
Best of Not for Profit Organisation
Not for profit organisations with one of its primary aims is to produce built environment programmes for children and young people.
Young Talent
An emerging individual practitioner, whether they work independently or as part of a team, who has made an excellent contribution to our theme ‘Inspiring Future Generations’.
Individual of the Year
An established individual practitioner, whether they work independently or as part of a team, who has made an excellent contribution to our theme ‘Inspiring Future Generations’.
BEST OF SECTION
Regeneration
Real change in places driven by decisions influenced by children and young people, shaping how environments develop over time.
Shaping decisions about place
We are particularly interested in work where children and young people have helped shape decisions about place — in design, planning, delivery, or use.
This might include:
influencing design ideas or proposals
identifying priorities that shape a project
contributing to how a space is used or experienced
informing how work is carried out over time
In some projects, this influence will be clear and direct. In others, it may be more partial — but still meaningful.
Recognising emerging practice
We also recognise that not all impactful work results in immediate changes to decisions.
Some projects are developing new approaches, building confidence, or testing methods that have strong potential to shape future practice.
These are recognised as Emerging Practice, where there is:
a strong and thoughtful approach
clear intent and direction
credible potential to shape future decisions about place