As a general rule, you will be able to enter the awards from Mid Jan to beginning of March. Sign up for our email newsletter service to be kept informed of the exact dates

Your board needs to be submitted as a high resolution PDF file created from Quark, InDesign or Illustrator. Please see the templates/guides section of the website to download the A1 artwork board templates. PDFs need to be uploaded via our FTP (file transfer) site, log in details for board upload will be supplied once payment has been made for your entry. Should you be unable to submit your board as a high resolution PDF please contact our graphic design agency, Touch Creative on 01279 656 656 and they can assist you.

No, you do not need to send a hard copy of your board. The PDF you upload to the FTP site is suitable for submission into the awards.

You should not need to send a separate electronic copy of your board. However, should a fault occur during the online upload process, you may need to email a low resolution copy. In the event of this, please contact us on info@hdawards.org

You do not need to submit your plans and drawings as separate elements when entering the awards at the initial stage. However, should your scheme be shortlisted, you may be contacted and asked to provide these elements and any additional information required.

If you are unable to submit your entry online please contact us on 01279 653 330 stating why you are unable to enter online. We can send you a form to fill in and submit as a hard copy along with your artwork on a disc and a cheque (made payable to ‘The Housing Design Awards’) to: The Awards Secretary, Housing Design Awards, c/o Touch Creative Design Ltd, Unit 11, Birchanger Industrial Estate, Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM23 2TH. You must also send an electronic copy of your entry form to info@hdawards.org

If you are unable to pay for your submission online you can send a cheque, made payable to ‘The Housing Design Awards’ to: The Awards Secretary, Housing Design Awards, c/o Touch Creative Design Ltd, Unit 11, Birchanger Industrial Estate, Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM23 2TH.

Online payment facilities will be available mid February, create an account, choose the number of schemes you would like to pay for and pay with a credit or debit card.

Board artwork, entry form and payment must be received by 1 March 2012, 5.00pm.

No, once your entry has been submitted the information cannot be amended. Please ensure that all details are correct before you submit your entry.

The winners presentation is planned for 20 June - time and location to be confirmed

To receive all the latest news on the awards, click here to sign up to our mailing list.

For information on how the awards are judged, please view the judging criteria section of this website.

If your scheme is shortlisted for an award, you will be sent an invitation inviting you to attend the winners presentation in June. You may also be asked to submit your plans and drawings as separate elements.

Please note, only people associated with schemes that have been shortlisted for an award are eligible to attend the winners presentation the cost of which is included in the submission fee. Places are limited, one representative will be invited from each party involved in a scheme, however additional places are normally available on a "first come first served" basis.

All entries to 2012's Housing Design Awards will be collated into an illustrated database of new developments in England, which will become a comprehensive record of what is being built where and by whom in the current period. This unique database is then marketed back to the industry, being sold to developers, consultants, manufacturers and any other interested party. It is also provided FOC to investment managers within the Homes and Communities Agency and local authorities and members of community interest groups will be able to obtain low-cost versions to help with formulation of local development frameworks and neighbourhood plans. Raising income from selling the illustrated database has replaced the central government grant which partly financed the 64-year-old annual awards programme.

By submitting your scheme as an entry to the Housing Design Awards, you have given permission for its incorporation in the illustrated database. Your scheme may be used for publicity purposes (for the Awards themselves) by the Housing Design Awards and associated companies, including the Department for Communities and Local Government. All the imagery contained within the database will be copyrighted to the original owner or creator and no images will be reproduced without recognition of the development team. Additional images of the shortlisted scheme taken by the Housing Design Awards are likely to appear both on the website and may form part of reports on the Awards.