The awards showcase the inspiring work of individuals and organisations who have made exemplary contributions to the field of private sector empty homes work in Scotland

This year’s awards include ‘Best Before and After’ and ‘Best Old Wreck’; a new award that celebrates the incredible work done across Scotland to bring homes back into use that may have been empty for several decades.

Shaheena Din, national project manager for Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, said: “Despite the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, there has been fantastic work done to bring over 800 empty homes back into use in Scotland this year and we are looking forward to celebrating this success through these awards.

“We are hoping to showcase the inspiring stories of these homes and the people who have worked hard to bring them back into use.”

All those involved in bringing back empty homes, including local authority employees, landlords, neighbours, contractors and estate agents, are invited to nominate outstanding project/s or individuals.

This year’s four award categories are:

• Best Before and After – For the best transformation of an empty home. We’re looking for photos and/or videos that can tell the story of how the empty space has become a thriving place!
• Outstanding Individual – To recognise a practitioner who has come up with a particularly innovative solution for empty homes work, or shown tenacity, dedication, and hard work to develop an empty homes service.
• Outstanding Team – For an exceptional internal team of people working together to tackle empty homes or an external collaboration in bringing an empty home(s) back into use.
• Best Old Wreck – For the best restoration of a long-term empty home. We know that the longer a home is empty, the harder it can be to bring it back into use. We think overcoming these additional challenges deserve recognition.

Entries will be accepted until Friday 7 January 2022, with the winners being announced on Tuesday 1 February 2022 at the 11th Scottish Empty Homes Conference at the COSLA Conference Centre in Edinburgh.

Nomination forms can be completed at the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership website.