ENTRIES have opened for the Accelerate to Zero Awards, which recognise the businesses, organisations, and individuals making significant contributions to decarbonising Scotland’s built environment.
Winners will be announced at a ceremony on November 5 at voco Grand Central in Glasgow, following BE-ST Fest West.
BE-ST Fest, delivered by BE-ST (Built Environment – Smarter Transformation), plays host to discussion and knowledge exchange on how to break barriers to accelerate the journey to net zero. This year, BE-ST is taking the festival on the road, hosting four summit events in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dumfries and Inverness.
The Accelerate to Zero Awards are free to enter. BE-ST has already assembled a panel of judges with expertise across the built environment, academic, and innovation sectors.
So far, the panel includes:
- Parag Cameron-Rastogi – director of real asset analytics, GRESB
- Matthew Clubb – director, mwclubb
- Mat Colmer – senior innovation lead, UKRI
- Charlie Forshaw – construction lead, Rainmaking
- Chiara Fingland – vice chair, Built Environment Change Makers and climate development officer, SCVO
- Susan Hanlin – principal officer of housing retrofit, neighbourhoods, regeneration and sustainability, Glasgow City Council
- Sam King – programme director (skills), Lower Thames Crossing
- Brogan MacDonald – head of sustainability (building structures), Ramboll
- Simon McWhirter – CEO, UKGBC
- Janice Russell – managing director, McTaggart Construction
All the categories from last year are back including the Accelerate to Zero Hero Award which recognises a standout individual or organisation making a remarkable contribution to decarbonising the built environment, chosen by both the judging panel and a public vote. This year, for the first time, entrants can submit video entries to the Accelerate to Zero Awards.
Accelerate to Zero Award 2026 categories include:
- Accelerate to Zero Hero
- Collaborative Partnership Award
- The Gamechanger Award
- The Diversity & Inclusion Award
- The BE Changemaker Award
- Circular Economy Award
- Technology Impact Award
- Skills Impact Award
- Retrofit Accelerator Award
- Community Champion Award
Submit your applications for free here: https://be-stfest.org/accelerate-to-zero-awards
The Accelerate to Zero Awards will be open for submissions until August 28.
