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Sir Walter Raleigh Awards for Community Appearance

Updated: Sep 26, 2024

About the Awards

The Sir Walter Raleigh Awards for Community Appearance recognize outstanding new contributions to the character, environment, and appearance of the City of Raleigh. Since 1983, the Raleigh City Council has presented more than 200 Sir Walter Raleigh Awards to developers, designers, building owners, community groups, civic clubs, churches, and citizens.

Award Eligibility

Individuals or groups nominated for a Sir Walter Raleigh Award must be residents or maintain an established location in the City of Raleigh. All other nominees, programs, or projects must be located in the City of Raleigh or its planning jurisdiction. All projects must be substantially complete within the last five years prior to submission, except the "Community Impact" category, which honors commitment by individuals and groups to improving Raleigh's quality of life through design. Projects still under construction are not yet eligible. Nominated projects should have exterior design elements (as opposed to projects that are solely interior).

Award Categories

Residential

Awards for this category are given for new residential development, conversion to residential use, or improvement made to existing residential areas. The entry may be for either multi-family developments or single-family developments of multiple buildings.

Commercial

Awards in this category are presented for all types of new retail, office construction, or adaptive use and may include industrial, warehouse, or corporate projects that have a positive impact on the city's visual environment.

Rehabilitation/Historic Preservation

Awards in this category are given for preservation or rehabilitation of existing buildings, especially Raleigh's historic resources.

Public Facilities

Awards in this category are for local, state, and federal projects including office, and transportation-related facilities.

Public Spaces

Awards in this category are given for projects which enhance the appearance and livability of public areas of the City, including parks, streets, neighborhoods, and churches.

Landscape Design

Awards in this category are for projects that exemplify an integrated approach to resource conservation, respect for existing features of the site, and/or significantly preserve Raleigh's natural features and trees, including exemplary design of utilitarian site elements transformed into public amenities.

Community Impact

Awards in this category are given for groups or individuals who have created and implemented projects of any scale that enrich the quality of life in Raleigh through design.

Educational

Awards in this category are for education-related facilities at any level of instruction, including preschool, elementary, middle, high school, college, or continuing education.

Awards are made based on project merit, as determined by the selection criteria. Awards are not necessarily made in every category, nor are there a predetermined number of awards in a category in any given year.

Selection Criteria

Entries are evaluated by the awards jury using the following general criteria:

Exhibition of a new standard of excellence, thereby providing an example for the future.
Demonstration of awareness of the importance of good stewardship of the land.
Demonstration of community involvement and innovation.
Preservation or restoration of existing topography, trees, and other natural features.
Significant improvement of an existing site or structure, and/or preservation of important historic or cultural features.
Provision of attractive and safe conditions that meet and exceed requirements of applicable ordinances, policies, conservation areas, and designated historic districts and properties.
Integration of sustainable building principles, architecture expressive of how the project's green features function, and thoughtful conservation/enhancement of existing features of the site and the surrounding community.