Quality Building Award 2026 Nominations Open Now Eligibility Expanded to Include More Greater Bay Area and International Projects to Foster Cross-Regional Exchange

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 9 September 2025 – Nominations for the “Quality Building Award 2026 (QBA 2026)” is open now. The biennial Quality Building Award, hailed as the “Oscar of the Construction Industry,” is jointly organized by ten top professional institutions and organizations in Hong Kong’s architecture and construction sectors. With a history spanning over two decades, the award aims to recognize outstanding building projects in Hong Kong, mainland, and overseas, as well as teams that have demonstrated exceptional collaboration and teamwork.

QBA 2026 is chaired by The Hong Kong Institute of Housing (HKIH). The theme for this year is “Smartly We Build | Sustainably We Thrive | Inclusively We Lead,” focusing on honoring projects that employ intelligent, sustainable, and inclusive solutions. The goal is to drive industry innovation and green development, promote social collaboration, and collectively build a prosperous and sustainable future. This year, the award categories have been further expanded to encourage greater participation from projects in the Greater Bay Area and overseas regions.

Expanded International and Greater Bay Area Categories to Foster Cross-Regional Collaboration

Hong Kong has the distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support of mainland and being closely connected to the world. As an industry that relies heavily on cross-regional collaboration with both mainland and international partners, the construction sector can benefit from strengthening external connections and technical exchange opportunities. QBA 2026 has expanded the eligibility of two categories: “Building Outside GBA (include International)” and “Building in GBA (Not include Hong Kong).” These categories are open to high-quality projects from mainland and around the world, with no requirement for involvement from Hong Kong-registered companies. Projects only need to submit proof of completion. Whether residential or non-residential, new construction or renovation, all eligible projects are encouraged to participate.

This initiative aims to promote professional interaction among Hong Kong, Greater Bay Area, and the international community. It encourages cross-regional teams to showcase their outstanding work, share experiences and technologies, and further strengthen Hong Kong’s role as an international hub.

Ms CHANG Yuk Kam, Patricia, Chairlady of QBA 2026 Organizing Committee, stated, “We hope the award will inspire the industry to move beyond solely pursuing scale and height, and instead focus on integrating innovative technologies and sustainable practices that truly meet the needs of users and communities. Particularly against the era of Hong Kong’s integration with the Greater Bay Area, cross-disciplinary and cross-regional collaboration has become an inevitable trend. The relaxed eligibility criteria this year are designed to encourage more teams from the Greater Bay Area and internationally to participate and collectively elevate regional building standards.”

Mr HO Chun Hung, JP, Chairman of QBA 2026 Jury Panel and Director of Buildings Department, HKSARG, stated, “Architecture is not merely a fusion of technology and art, but also a vital force driving social progress. We encourage entries to fully embody the spirit of ‘people-oriented’ design, showcase sustainable and inclusive architecture, and apply innovative and smart technologies in design, construction, building management and maintenance, thereby injecting new impetus into making Hong Kong a more livable city.”

Nomination Details and Key Dates

Nominations for the QBA 2026 opens now. The deadline for submissions is 12:00 noon HKT on Friday, 28 November, 2025. Teams from Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area, and around the world are encouraged to submit entries across multiple categories, including but not limited to residential, commercial, cultural, public facilities, and urban redevelopment projects.

Schedule

Award Categories

Categories	Nomination Requirements
Hong Kong Residential (Single Building)	Nominated new building must be a single independent structure/ single tower, not part of a complex containing other buildings. The Major Function of the nominated building must be for residential use.
Hong Kong Residential (Multiple Buildings)	Nominated new buildings must be a group of buildings/ more than a single tower of similar kinds, which form a residential complex. The Major Function of the nominated multiple buildings must be for residential use.
Hong Kong Non-Residential (New Building – Government, Institution or Community)	The Major Function of the nominated new building must be for non-residential use and for GIC use. Nominated new buildings may be single or multiple buildings.
Hong Kong Non-Residential (New Building – Non- Government, Institution or Community)	The Major Function of the nominated new building must be for non-residential use and for non-GIC use. Nominated new buildings may be single or multiple buildings.
Hong Kong Building (Renovation / Revitalization)	Any nominated existing building must have undergone and completed a renovation, restoration, revitalization or similar process to its physical structure and/or communal facilities. Nominated existing buildings may be residential or non-residential buildings.
Hong Kong Temporary Building	Nominated building must be designed and constructed for temporary purpose and / or constructed of short-lived materials. Nominated new building may serve one or several functional uses, such as residential, commercial, institutional, and for exhibition & leisure purposes. *Nominated project teams should submit a photo and video documenting their project, to be remotely assessed by the judging panel.
Building Outside GBA (include International)	Nominated buildings must be outside the territorial limits of the Greater Bay Area (GBA)# Welcome participation from all companies, without the requirement of providing proof of being based in Hong Kong. Nominated buildings can be new or existing buildings, with a valid certificate of completion. Any nominated existing building must have undergone and completed a renovation, restoration, revitalization or similar process to its physical structure and/or communal facilities. The Major Function of the nominated building may be a residential or non-residential building. *Nominated project teams should submit a video documenting their project, to be remotely assessed by the judging panel. **Nominated project teams are not entitled for Quality Excellence Award, Sustainable Development Award nor Innovative Project Award
Building in GBA (Not include Hong Kong)	Nominated buildings must be outside the territorial limits of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region but within the Greater Bay Area# Welcome participation from all companies across the Greater Bay Area, without the requirement of providing proof of being based in Hong Kong. Nominated buildings can be new or existing buildings, with a valid certificate of completion. Any nominated existing building must have undergone and completed a renovation, restoration, revitalization or similar process to its physical structure and/or communal facilities. The Major Function of the nominated building may be a residential or non-residential building. *Nominated project teams should submit a video documenting their project, to be remotely assessed by esteemed team of assessors. In addition, the jury panel will conduct a site visit to the building to further evaluate the project’s merits. **Nominated project teams are not entitled for Quality Excellence Award, Sustainable Development Award nor Innovative Project Award

^# Greater Bay Area (GBA) includes Macao Special Administrative Regions, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing.

Award Types

Award Type	Description
Quality Excellence Award	Only one Quality Excellence Award will be presented to a project within the territorial limits of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, with an outstanding OVERALL quality that is judged to be the BEST among all the Grand Award Winners.
Grand Awards*	There will be a Grand Award Winner(s) for each nomination category. This is the highest recognition to projects at the category level.
Merits*	There will be recognition of merit(s) for each nomination category.
Finalists*	There will be recognition of finalist(s) for each nomination that has passed the first screening, site visits and that has been presented at the Finalist Presentation to Jury Panel . #Finalist qualification will be usurped if the project team is unable to present at the Finalist Presentation to Jury Panel .
Special awards	Description
Sustainable Development Award	This will be a recognition for the finalist with an outstanding quality in green and sustainability
Innovative Project Award	This will be a recognition for the finalist with an outstanding quality in innovative design and construction technology.

* QBA 2026 Organizing Committee reserves the right not to bestow an award if the Jury Panel deems that no nomination is worth receiving that particular award. The decision of the Jury Panel shall be final.

** Finalist qualification will be usurped if the project team is unable to present at the Finalist Presentation to Jury Panel.

Honorary Patron and Jury Panel Members

Official category details, the latest updated jury panel, and further information can be found at www.qba.com.hk, or follow Quality Building Award social media as below:

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Please download the event photos here.

Photo Captions
Photo 1: Quality Building Award 2026 now open for nomination. Ms CHANG Yuk Kam, Patricia, OC Chairlady of QBA 2026 (middle), Mr HO Chun Hung, JP, Director of Building, Buildings Department, HKSARG (right), Ir ZA Wai Gin, Tony, chairman of Jury sub-committee (left) are speakers of QBA 2026 award briefing session, sharing tips and information with potential award participants.

Photo 2: Ms CHANG Yuk Kam, Patricia, OC Chairlady of QBA 2026 welcomes teams from various regions to participate and witness the birth of more high-quality buildings.

Photo 3: Mr HO Chun Hung, JP, Director of Building, Buildings Department, HKSARG encourages prospective teams to join QBA 2026.

Photo 4: Mr ZA Wai Gin, Tony, chairman of Jury sub-committee said the theme of QBA 2026 revolves around creating a sustainable green smart city, encouraging industries to inject technology and green energy into architecture.

Hashtag: #QualityBuildingAward2026

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