Launched in 1995, the UDIA Victoria Awards program was established by the development industry to recognise excellence and innovation across the state. Receiving an Award is both a highly valued acknowledgement of outstanding work and a significant honour. The program is unapologetically rigorous, spanning eight months from launch through to the completion of judging. We take our responsibility in administering the Awards seriously. Judges conduct in-person project site visits and leadership interviews, and carefully review all written submissions. This robust process recognises the considerable effort of entrants and ensures a thorough, transparent, and credible assessment across all categories.
Recognition
Every category winner will receive a trophy, a certificate and digital badges that can be used on their marketing collateral to showcase their award category status. Winners of the Women in Leadership Award and Young Leader of the Year Award will receive additional winner entitlements in recognition of their personal achievement. At the judges’ discretion, a small number of commendations may also be awarded; recipients will receive a certificate only.
Award category winners and finalists gain recognition for their project achievements and will be featured in UDIA Victoria communications including social media.
Project Awards
Affordable Housing Award
Recognises projects across Victoria that deliver genuinely affordable housing outcomes. This award celebrates developments that not only provide initially accessible housing but also adopt a long-term affordability approach, ensuring residents benefit from sustainable living over time. Entries should demonstrate how design, operational efficiencies, innovative delivery models, and sustainable practices have been incorporated to reduce ongoing costs, enhance liveability, and support diverse and inclusive communities. The award highlights projects that balance affordability with quality, functionality, and social impact, setting a benchmark for excellence in housing delivery.
Eligibility
- Organisation must maintain a financial membership throughout the nomination, judging, and awards process
- Must be submitted by a developer
- Projects must be at practical completion at the time of entry
- Eligible projects may include subdivisions, medium-density, or high-density residential developments
- State winner of the Affordable Housing Award is eligible to enter the UDIA National Awards.
Judging Criteria
- Initial Affordability: Demonstrated accessibility of housing at point of delivery
- Long-Term Affordability: Integration of design, operational efficiencies, and sustainability measures that reduce ongoing costs
- Design Quality: Functional, liveable, and high-quality design outcomes
- Sustainability: Environmental strategies that support resilience and reduce resource consumption
- Social Impact: Contribution to housing choice, accessibility, and inclusive communities
- Delivery & Innovation: Innovative approaches to funding, delivery, partnerships, or tenure models
Completion Requirement
- • Must be at practical completion or substantially complete
Boutique Development Award
This award recognises small-scale residential developments of three storeys or less including townhouses, terraces or similar product that demonstrate excellence in design, integration and liveability within existing neighbourhoods. It celebrates high quality, functional housing outcomes that is respectful to local character.
Eligibility
- Organisation must maintain a financial UDIA Victoria membership throughout the nomination, judging and awards process
- Must be submitted by a developer
- Consist only of townhouses, terraces or similar product
- Must be three storeys or less in height
- State winner is eligible to enter the UDIA National Awards in the Boutique Development category
Judging Criteria
- Architectural quality and neighbourhood integration
- Completion and presentation quality
- Innovation and best practice in design, sustainability and construction
Completion Requirement
- Must be at practical completion, with judges able to access to at least one completed dwelling
Medium Density Development Award
This award recognises excellence in residential developments that deliver medium density outcomes while maintaining high design quality, livability, and resident amenity. Typically comprising townhouses, villa units, terraces, row housing, or low-rise apartment buildings between three and five storeys, these projects achieve between 30 and 100 dwellings per hectare. The award celebrates developments that make efficient use of land without transitioning into high-rise development, contribute to diverse housing choices, integrate thoughtfully with their surrounding context, and provide long-term value for residents through innovative layouts, a sense of community, and functional, high-quality design.
Eligibility
- Organisation must maintain financial UDIA Victoria membership throughout the nomination, judging and awards process
- Must be submitted by a developer
- Must achieve a minimum dwelling density of 30 dwellings per hectare (calculation: Number of dwellings (divided by) site area (in hectares) = dwellings per hectare)
- Must be between three and five storeys in height (excluding basements and rooftops)
- Must be predominantly residential, with minor commercial or retail components permitted
- State winner is eligible to enter the UDIA National Awards in the Medium Density Development category
*Projects that do not meet the minimum dwelling density requirements are encouraged to enter the UDIA Victoria Design Award category.
Judging Criteria
- Design quality, functionality and integration with surroundings
- Liveability, amenity and access to facilities
- Innovation and best practice in design, sustainability and construction
Completion Requirement
- Must be at practical completion, with judges able to access to at least one completed dwelling
Apartments (Mid-Rise) Award
This award recognises residential apartment developments between six and ten storeys that demonstrate excellence in design quality, livability and urban integration. It celebrates projects that enhance streetscapes, deliver high quality amenity and provide long-term value for residents.
Eligibility
- Organisation must maintain financial UDIA Victoria membership throughout the nomination, judging and awards process
- Must be submitted by a developer
- Must be between six and ten storeys in height (excluding basements and rooftops)
- Must be predominantly residential, with minor commercial and/or retail permitted
- State winner is eligible to enter the UDIA National Awards in the Apartments (Mid-Rise) category
Judging Criteria
- Architectural quality, layout and amenity
- Integration with surrounding urban context
- Innovation in design and resident experience
Completion Requirement
- Must be at practical completion, with judges able to access to at least one completed dwelling
Apartments (High-Rise) Award
This award recognises residential apartment developments of 11 storeys or more that demonstrate excellence in design, liveability and urban integration. It celebrates projects that deliver high quality amenity, sustainability and innovative solutions for high density living.
Eligibility
- Organisation must maintain financial UDIA Victoria membership throughout the nomination, judging and awards process
- Must be submitted by a developer
- Must be 11 storeys or higher (excluding basements and rooftops)
- Must be predominantly residential, with minor commercial and/or retail permitted
- State winner is eligible to enter the UDIA National Awards in the Apartments (High-Rise) category
Judging Criteria
- Architectural quality, functionality and amenity
- Integration with surrounding urban environment
- Innovation in design and delivery
Completion Requirement
- Must be at practical completion, with judges able to access to at least one completed dwelling
Design Award
This award recognises predominantly residential projects including small lot housing, villas, townhouses, terrace homes, row housing and apartment buildings that demonstrate excellence in design and execution. It celebrates architectural quality, innovation, thoughtful site integration and planning outcomes that enhance livability and the resident experience.
Eligibility
- Organisation must maintain financial UDIA Victoria membership throughout the nomination, judging, and awards process
- Must be submitted by a developer or architect (both must be financial members)
- Architects must obtain written consent from the developer
- Projects must be predominantly residential and at practical completion
- State winner is eligible to enter the UDIA National Awards in the Design category
Judging Criteria
- Architectural quality and attention to detail
- Integration with site and surrounding context
- Innovation in response to design challenges
- Efficient planning and use of space
Completion Requirement
- Must be at practical completion
Marketing Award
This award recognises excellence in the marketing of residential developments through innovative, creative and effective campaigns. It celebrates strategies that successfully engage target audiences, achieve strong market acceptance and deliver measurable results, while aligning with development objectives and community values.
Eligibility
- Organisation must maintain financial UDIA Victoria membership throughout the nomination, judging and awards process
- Must be submitted by a developer
- Projects must demonstrate a comprehensive and executed marketing strategy
Judging Criteria
- Innovation and creativity in marketing approach
- Clear understanding of target markets and alignment of strategy
- Effective execution and resource management
- Evidence of market success, includes sales performance and campaign outcomes
- State winner is eligible to enter the UDIA National Awards in the Marketing category
Completion Requirement
- Entrants must provide clear evidence of marketing strategy, implementation and outcomes for judging
Masterplanned Communities Award
This award recognises outstanding masterplanned communities that integrate residential, retail, commercial, recreational and community facilities into a cohesive, well-designed environment. It celebrates developments that deliver a comprehensive range of uses, foster a strong sense of place, support social interaction, provide diverse housing choices and incorporate sustainable design and infrastructure innovation.
Eligibility
- Organisation must maintain financial UDIA Victoria membership throughout the nomination, judging and awards process
- Must be submitted by a developer
- Must be substantially developed at the time of judging, or have at least one stage substantially developed
- Must demonstrate a coherent masterplan and a range of facilities within the development
- Must be of sufficient scale to generate a sense of community
- State winner is eligible to enter the UDIA National Awards in the Masterplanned Communities category
Judging Criteria
- Community and sense of place, including social interaction, engagement and inclusion
- Design quality across architecture, landscaping and urban design
- Diversity of housing types and community facilities
- Sustainability, infrastructure innovation and delivery excellence
Completion Requirement
- Single-stage projects: at least 40% completed and either sold or available for sale
- Multi-stage projects: at least one full stage completed and sold or available for sale, with additional stages under development
- Residential stages must allow judges access to at least one dwelling interior
Professional Services and Consultancy Award
This award recognises outstanding contributions from professional services organisations and specialist consultants who demonstrate excellence, innovation, sustainability and problem-solving capability in the development industry. It celebrates expertise that materially enhances project outcomes through high quality advice, collaboration and the successful resolution of complex challenges. Nominations are open to include organisations and consultants across disciplines such as architecture, planning, engineering, finance, construction, landscaping and technology, and must clearly demonstrate how their involvement contributed to the success and overall performance of a specific project. Developers that submit nominations for project awards are encouraged to also nominate their lead consultant(s).
Please note: This award is recognised at the state level only and is not currently a category in the UDIA National Awards
Eligibility
- Organisation must maintain financial UDIA Victoria membership throughout the nomination, judging and awards process
- May be submitted by a developer, professional services organisation or consultant
- Must have a minimum of three years’ continual operation in the property industry or an associated field
- Nomination can be for a project that is also nominated in a project-based category, or as a stand-alone nomination
Judging Criteria
- Innovation and problem-solving capability
- Professional merit and impact on project outcomes highlighting the consultant’s expertise, leadership and professional judgement, and how their contribution positively influenced project outcomes, client objectives and overall project performance
- Collaboration and integration with the broader project team
- Achievement of project objectives, including efficiency, value, risk mitigation and client satisfaction
- Sustainability and social impact: demonstrates the integration of sustainable development principles, including environmental performance, carbon reduction, waste minimisation, resilience and positive social outcomes
Property Technology (Proptech) Innovation Award
This award recognises innovation in property technology that transforms how developments are planned, designed, built, marketed or experienced. It celebrates initiatives that enhance efficiency, sustainability, design quality or community engagement through technological solutions.
Please note: This award is recognised at the state level only and is not currently a category in the UDIA National Awards
Eligibility
- Projects must predominantly relate to residential developments
- Co-entrants are permitted. All parties must maintain a financial UDIA Victoria membership throughout the nomination, judging and awards process
- Must have a minimum of two years’ continual operation in the property industry or an associated field
Judging Criteria
- Innovation and effectiveness in solving industry challenges
- Contribution to the advancement of the property industry
- Collaboration and stakeholder engagement
- Commercial viability and scalability
- Monitoring, evaluation and knowledge sharing
Completion Requirement
- Technology should be deployed and in use by industry.
Residential Subdivision Award
This award recognises excellence in the delivery of residential subdivisions that do not include a comprehensive range of facilities within the development itself, instead demonstrating strong integration with an access to nearby amenities to meet residents’ daily needs. The award celebrates well-planned subdivisions that deliver high quality housing, thoughtful urban design, and a strong focus on livability and community connectivity.
Eligibility
- Organisation must maintain a financial UDIA Victoria membership throughout the nomination, judging and awards process
- Must be submitted by a developer
- Must have an established relationship with nearby facilities
- Must not include a comprehensive range of facilities within the development itself
- Stages of masterplanned developments are not eligible
- State winner is eligible to enter the UDIA National Awards in the Residential
Judging Criteria
- Integration with nearby facilities and amenities
- Functional, liveable and well-planned subdivision design
- Innovation and best practice in planning, design or delivery
Completion Requirement
- Must be at practical completion
Seniors’ Living Award
This award recognises development projects designed to meet the needs of seniors, including retirement living, land lease communities and aged care facilities. It celebrates projects that deliver safe, comfortable and engaging environments, while promoting independence, social connection and long-term wellbeing.
Eligibility
- Organisation must maintain financial UDIA Victoria membership throughout the nomination, judging and awards process
- Must be submitted by a developer
- Entries are not limited to residential projects and may include aged care
- State winner is eligible to enter the UDIA National Awards in the Senior’s Living category
Judging Criteria
- Resident-focused design responding to the needs of retirees or those approaching retirement
- Architectural quality, amenity and attention to detail
- Sense of place and community-oriented design
- Sustainability and long-term livability factors
Completion Requirement
- Must be at practical completion
Social and Community Infrastructure Award
This award recognises projects that demonstrate best practice in the design, development, renewal, and activation of public and community spaces. It celebrates initiatives that foster social connection, enhance amenity, and integrate the built and natural environment. Eligible projects include civic and community buildings, schools, hospitals, parks, recreational facilities and other public realm developments delivered for community use, showcasing leadership and innovation in providing services or social infrastructure.
Eligibility
- Projects delivering public or community spaces for general use
- May be submitted by local government, state agencies or developers
- Residential only developments are not eligible
- State winner is eligible to enter the UDIA National Awards in the Social and Community Infrastructure category
Judging Criteria
- Design excellence and environmental integration
- Community activation and engagement
- Functionality, accessibility and inclusivity
Completion Requirement
- Must be at practical completion
Sustainability Award
This award recognises developments, properties or initiatives that demonstrate excellence in sustainability, delivering meaningful environmental, social and economic benefits. It celebrates projects that go beyond regulatory requirements through innovative design, construction or operational practices, promoting sustainable practices, enhancing livability, and supporting long-term community and environmental resilience.
Eligibility
- Organisation must maintain financial UDIA Victoria membership throughout the nomination, judging and awards process
- Must be submitted by a developer
- Residential projects must allow judges access to at least one dwelling interior
- Projects must demonstrate innovation in research, design, construction or delivery, addressing significant environmental challenges
- State winner is eligible to enter the UDIA National Awards in the Sustainability category
Judging Criteria
- Environmental performance beyond regulatory requirements
- Innovation in design, construction or operational practices
- Measurable sustainability outcomes and long-term impact
Completion Requirement
- Must be at practical completion
Urban Renewal Award
This award recognises projects that revitalise and repurpose existing land or buildings, transforming established suburbs or inner-city areas, while respecting and enhancing the existing built environment. It celebrates developments that integrate new uses, contribute to amenity, sustainability and community outcomes.
Eligibility
- Organisation must maintain financial UDIA Victoria membership throughout the nomination, judging and awards process
- Must be submitted by a developer
- Must retain existing built elements or be integrated into an established built environment
- No restrictions on uses or new elements provided they are sensitively integrated
- State winner is eligible to enter the UDIA National Awards in the Urban Renewal category
Judging Criteria
- Quality of design and integration between new and existing elements
- Innovation and impact in addressing urban renewal challenges
- Social and community contribution to the surrounding area
Completion Requirement
- Must be at practical completion
Project of the Year Award
The winner of the UDIA Victoria Project of the Year award, along with winners from other state award programs, are eligible to enter the UDIA National Awards for Excellence ‘Project of the Year’ category. This prestigious national award recognises projects that demonstrate excellence, innovation and a positive impact on communities, the environment and the development industry.
Eligibility
- Only projects that have won the state level Project of the Year award are eligible for national entry
- The project must need UDIA National submission requirements and provide supporting documentation
Judging Criteria
Judging is conducted by an independent national panel and will include site inspections. Submission assessment will be based on:
- Design quality and innovation
- Project delivery, including timeliness and budget performance
- Sustainability, social impact, and contribution to the community
- Collaboration and positive influence within the development industry
- Overall excellence and industry leadership demonstrated by the project
