My Place Awards: Community-led Projects
The “Community-led Projects” category of the My Place Awards recognises community-led built environment projects, including:
- New buildings
- Historic buildings or monuments that have been reused or refurbished
- Designed public realm schemes, such as streetworks and parks
- Designed landscapes such as gardens or public green spaces
- Only community-led built environment projects in Scotland will be eligible for the Scottish Civic Trust My Place Awards.
The My Place Awards 2025 are now closed for entries. The winners will be announced on 30 July.
View previous entries for the Community-led Project category
Judging Criteria
For the 2025 Awards, submissions will be considered for built environment projects completed between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2024.
The projects submitted must have been completed by community groups. Community groups include, but are not limited to:
- Civic societies and other local groups affiliated with the Scottish Civic Trust
- Community councils or building preservation trusts
- Development trusts
- Other community-based voluntary groups, charities or heritage societies
The winning project(s) will score highly in all of the following ways:
Community Involvement, Benefit and Impact
- The community will have been involved in the design of the project from the start of the process right the way through to practical completion in a demonstrable way.
- The project meets the stated vision and needs of the community – for example, by providing educational resources, cultural experiences, health and wellbeing support, inclusive design, etc.
- The project has had a demonstrable positive impact on the community – for example, increased numbers of people involved in or using the project space, user satisfaction surveys, social media support.
Build Design and Quality
- The project will be appropriate for its locality in terms of scale and massing, finish and functionality.
- The project will successfully address the Climate Crisis through the sustainable elements of its design.
Preservation or Enhancement of the Local Built Environment
- The project will take cognisance of its surroundings in an appropriate way – either reflecting sensitively on its surroundings or providing an informed contrast.
Achievements of the Project
- The project successfully overcame the challenges of the build programme without compromising the central vision of the community – for example, budgetary restrictions, unforeseen site issues, community governance changes.
Judging Panel and Process
The judging panel will be appointed and managed by the Scottish Civic Trust and will include Scottish Civic Trust representatives. Panel members will have knowledge of and interest in Scotland’s buildings, places and spaces. The panel chairperson will be nominated by the Scottish Civic Trust.
After an initial review of submissions, shortlisted entries will be invited to submit a short film showcasing their project to the judging panel. The films will also be promoted externally through Scottish Civic Trust channels to raise the profile of the Awards and the shortlisted projects. In these short films, judges will want to hear from, at minimum, a member of the group responsible for the project as well as a member of the community that makes use of the project’s space or services. The judges won’t be looking for professionally-made films, and films will be judged on the basis of project quality rather than video production quality. Shortlisted projects will be sent a guide with tips for how to put together their film.
Judges will then review the short films and invite shortlisted projects to an interview to learn more about the project and ask any further questions.
Finally, judges will meet to discuss the short films and interviews and make awards decisions, which will be final. At the joint discretion of the Scottish Civic Trust and the judging panel, there may be a number of commended entries. In the event of the judges being unable to determine a single winner, it will be left to their discretion to offer a joint award. There will be a ceremony held to celebrate the award winners.
Use of Information
Data supplied by submissions, including images, plans, drawings and narrative text submitted in support of the My Place Awards will only be used for assessing, awarding and promoting the My Place Awards. Personal contact information will not be disclosed to other parties.
Data will be held by the Scottish Civic Trust in perpetuity to maintain a record of entries.