William Sutton Prize 2023

The competition, now in its fifth year, invites ‘disruptors and innovators’ to step forward with bold concepts to reduce the carbon footprint of the social housing sector and its residents – promoting a shift to net zero in a ‘just and fair way’.

It is open to English organisations and all UK individuals aged over 18. It is named after Clarion Housing Group’s founder, a Victorian entrepreneur who bequeathed his fortune to providing public housing.

Judges include  AJ 40 under 40 star Yẹmí Àládérun, who said: ‘I am delighted to be joining the judging panel this year for The William Sutton Prize. The focus of this year's awards is breakthrough ideas that can help the social housing sector achieve net zero carbon by 2050.

‘Sustainability is not just about preserving the environment for future generations, it's about creating a better quality of life (economic, social and environmental) for the widest demographic of people today. I am very much looking forward to the chance to contribute my expertise and insights and reward the exceptional efforts and achievements of the participants.’

Previous editions included two awards – the William Sutton Prize for Social Innovation and the newly rebranded William Sutton Prize for Sustainability and Placemaking – each with a £20,000 top prize. However, the latest edition features a £75,000 overall prize pot.

Clarion’s chief executive Clare Miller said: ‘As the country’s largest housing association and a sector leader, we recognise our role in stimulating creative thinking and adopting breakthrough solutions that move us closer to a net zero carbon era.

‘But the scale of the challenge is enormous, and we cannot do this alone. We hope that The William Sutton Prize will be a catalyst for cross-sector collaboration, accelerating the best ideas that will make a real difference to our residents and communities, creating a more promising future for generations to come.’

Mole Architects won last year’s prize with a zero-carbon community homebuilding system. Previous winners included AJ 40 under 40 star and emerging practice Surman Weston whose Hackney School of Food created a ‘seed-to-spoon’ food education hub for primary school children within an old building and area of disused land.

Meredith Bowles, founding director and principal at Mole Architects, said: ‘Winning The William Sutton Prize was vital to the success of our project, with the funding and business support from Clarion helping us to turn our idea into reality.

‘We’re excited to have the chance to trial our Buildgroup project on one of Clarion’s major upcoming schemes and look forward to seeing what innovative ideas come through in this year’s applications.’

Clarion Housing Group formed seven years ago following a merger of Circle Housing Group and Affinity Sutton, which was founded after Sutton’s death in 1900. The housing association is today the largest in the UK, managing 125,000 homes across 170 local authorities.

Sutton was born in the City of London in 1833 and created Sutton Carriers, the country’s first door-to-door parcel service. He bequeathed his entire fortune to a range of charitable projects including providing much-needed public housing across the capital.

The latest edition of the prize will focus on ways to increase social housing energy efficiency and reduce bills, to improve air quality in and around communities, to improve the health and wellbeing of residents through nature, and to deliver homes that are resilient to the impacts of climate change.

Concepts which ensure ‘no-one is left behind in the transition to a net zero future’ and the benefits of green technology are ‘felt by everyone in society in a way that is equitable and inclusive’ are encouraged.

The winners will receive grants of up to £50,000 to help turn their concepts into reality and will also receive a tailored package of business support from Clarion as part of a 12-to-18 month programme complementing the funding.

Judges will include Àládérun; Miller; Jas Bhalla, former winner of The William Sutton Prize and founder of Jas Bhalla Architects; and Sasha Morgan, director of the Social Mobility Foundation and member of Clarion’s Housing Association Board.

Competition details

Project title William Sutton Prize 2023
Client Clarion Housing Group
Contract value £75,000
First round deadline Midday, 3 July 2023
Restrictions Applications can be accepted from both not-for-profit and commercial organisations. These may be registered charities, community interest companies, social enterprises, community groups or registered companies, amongst others. Organisations must be registered to work in England and must be able to specify how their idea will make a positive contribution to helping the affordable housing sector and its communities achieve net zero by 2050. Successful projects should take place in England
More information www.clarionhg.com/william-sutton-prize

Q&A

Yẹmí Àlàdérun, architect and William Sutton Prize judge

Yẹmí Àlàdérun

What is The William Sutton Prize and why is its re-launched format so important in meeting the challenges facing social housing?

The William Sutton Prize is a fantastic initiative run by Clarion that supports the growth of ground-breaking ideas that tackle our most urgent sustainability challenges. The focus of this year's awards is breakthrough ideas that can help the social housing sector achieve net zero carbon by 2050. Sustainability is not just about preserving the environment, it's about creating a better quality of life – economic, social and environmental – for the widest demographic of people today. The scale of the challenge is enormous, and cross-sector collaboration is key if we are to succeed, creating a more promising future for generations to come which is why the prize is so important.

What is your vision for the future of low-carbon footprint social housing?

The future of low carbon footprint social housing should focus on prioritising sustainable and energy efficient design, sustainable materials and construction, utilising renewable energy sources, incorporating technologies that minimise environmental impact and the incorporation of spaces that promote sustainable food production, reduce transportation-related emissions, and enhance community engagement. These initiatives will not only reduce carbon emissions, but also contribute to improved living conditions and a more sustainable future for residents.

What sort of design teams would you like to see step forward for this important opportunity?

We welcome entries from SMEs, individuals, consortiums or well-established practices – anyone who is committed to making a difference. I would particularly like to see multidisciplinary design teams that bring together professionals from various built environment disciplines, user-centred design teams that prioritise the needs of the end users and collaborative design teams that have a strong emphasis on partnership. The thing to remember is that it’s about ideas – from well-formed ideas looking for additional funding to take them to the next level through to more conceptual ideas with fantastic potential but needing additional business support to bring them to life. Diversity of entries in terms of scale of idea and background of the entrants is what The William Sutton Prize is all about.