National Home Improvement Council

The prestigious National Home Improvement Annual Awards recognise your achievement in the UK housing arena. Since its introduction in1974 the Awards Scheme has steadily progress from strength to strength and is now highly regarded as the nation’s premier housing event in its particular sector.

In fact, last year the Annual Award scheme attracted more entries than every before from across the spectrum of housing modernisation projects and initiatives, as well associated activities such as energy efficiency, safety and design quality.

This year, unfortunately, due to the severity of the current recession some of our most respected and faithful sponsors have had to withdraw their support because of their commitment to budgetary restraints. Nevertheless, we are pressing forward with a more modest but nonetheless prestigious Annual Award scheme.

What’s more, for the first time the entire process of accepting entry submissions and the judging is to be processed electronically for reasons of economy, speed and because this is the way things are done these days.

So your submission or submissions can entered as PDFs which we believe will make the procedure much more convenient, paper-free and faster.

The final date for submissions is FRIDAY 10th SEPTEMBER 2010. Judging will take place the following week and winners and runners up will subsequently be notified with the actual awards lunch taking place in mid-November.

Amongst the categories in our 2010 Awards are those reflecting the current priorities and pressures affecting all housing providers. For example, there’s the latest requirements for energy efficiency to help reduce households’ carbon footprints, electric safety in the home and, of course, innovation of which there seems to be an abundance amongst the UK’s local authorities and housing associations.

To take part in the Awards is really quite straightforward. It costs nothing to enter yet, ultimately, the commendation for winners and runners can be really quite valuable.

What’s important too is that the NHIC Annual Awards help to recycle the social housing sector’s best achievements so that everyone can benefit from the inherent ingenuity and success existing within this sector.

The NHIC Award Categories are reviewed and updated each year to ensure the4y keep abreast of the changing face of housing and remain truly representative of local authorities, housing associations, private developers and landlords, housebuilders, smaller building companies, contractors, representative bodies, architectural practices, designers and specifiers.

Once again, this year there are over ten categories providing a comprehensive cross section of opportunities for your special submissions or submissions. As you will see in this website, each Category aims to highlight a specific aspect of refurbishment and regeneration providing, we hope, ample scope for you to participate.

In addition, the NHIC may also present the coveted George Plucknett Award if, in the judges’ opinion there is any one submission that stands head and shoulders above the rest.

So whether or not you have taken part before in the NHIC Annual Awards we look forward to receiving your submission (by email or hardcopy) or, if you are particularly proud of more than one project then please submit them all!