The highly-anticipated Platinum sponsor has been announced for the 2025 William Sutton Prize. Now in its sixth year and headed by the UK's largest housing association, Clarion Housing Group, in 2025 the Prize will be supported by Wiggett Group, a trailblazer in social housing and local authority supply.

Open for applications until 8th April 2025, The William Sutton Prize is designed to honour groundbreaking solutions that not only transform the lives of social housing residents, but also tackle some of society's most urgent challenges.

Continuing the legacy of Victorian philanthropist and entrepreneur, William Sutton, whose work led to the establishment of Clarion Housing Group, prize winners will receive a combination of grant funding and tailored business support to transform their ideas into real-world solutions. Marking Clarion's 125th anniversary, a £125,000 prize fund will be awarded this year to the winners of two categories: The William Sutton Prize for Sustainability and The William Sutton Prize for Connected Communities.

As Platinum sponsor, Wiggett Group is at the forefront of supporting real opportunities that can deliver lasting improvements to the built environment and local communities supported by the sector. With more than 40 years of experience, Wiggett Group has developed a strong national presence and a reputation as one of the most established construction companies in the UK. The team is dedicated to the planning, management and execution of a variety of construction projects, with a specialism for delivering projects in collaboration with some of the country's largest housing associations.

Reece Wiggett, CEO of Wiggett Group, commented: “At Wiggett Group, we strive to provide a better of quality of living for those living in the thousands of homes that we serve each year within the social housing sector. This value is whole heartedly reflected within the premise of The William Sutton Prize, which we are proud to be sponsoring this year. We are excited to support the development of pioneering solutions that will enhance people's lives and improve environmental conditions.”

Financed jointly by Clarion Housing Group and its corporate partners, The William Sutton Prize will be awarded to the winners of two categories and announced at a London ceremony in September. Past winners include well-known architecture practices including Bell Phillips Architects, Mole Architects and Jas Bhalla Works, alongside social enterprises and charities such as the Hackney School of Food and Pride of Place Living. 

Clare Miller, Chief Executive of Clarion Housing Group, said: “Kickstarting our 125th anniversary celebrations, this year we are delivering the most ambitious William Sutton Prize to date. This would not be possible without the support of our partners and sponsors, and we are delighted that Wiggett Group has joined us as our Platinum sponsor. Together we hope to uncover and reward bold solutions that tackle some of our most urgent challenges.”

Applications for The 2025 William Sutton Prize close at midday on the 8th of April. To find out more about The William Sutton Prize or to apply, visit www.clarionhg.com/william-sutton-prize

Notes to Editors

For further information contact Gemma Moyle at The Oracle Group – gemma@oraclepr.co.uk

Judges

The winners of the sixth William Sutton Prize will be determined by two judging panels, as follows:

The William Sutton Prize for Sustainability: Regenerative Places

• Chair: Jock Lennox, Chair of the Clarion Housing Group Board
• Bukky Bird, Group Sustainability Director of Barratt Developments
• Greg Fitzgerald, Chief Executive of Vistry Group
• Tara Gbolade, Co-Founding Director of Gbolade Design Studio
• Peter Murray, Co-Founder of New London Architecture
• Miles Lewis, Director of Sustainability at Clarion Housing Group
• Nick Wood, Regional Managing Director (South) at Clarion Housing Group

The William Sutton Prize for Connected Communities

• Chair: David Orr, Chair of the Clarion Housing Association Board
• Andrew van Doorn OBE, Chief Executive of HACT

• Dr Chris McGinley, Senior Research Fellow at the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design at the Royal College of Art (RCA)

• Matt Harvey-Agyemang, Co-Founder of The POoR Collective
• Michelle Reynolds, Chief Customer Officer at Clarion Housing Group
• Phil Miles, Director of Clarion Futures (the charitable foundation of Clarion Housing Group)
• David Hunter, Director of Housing at Clarion Housing Group

Additional application guidance

The William Sutton Prize for Sustainability: Regenerative Places

Up to £75,000 in funding available

Whilst we are open to receiving applications that tackle any issues in this space, we are particularly interested in receiving submissions addressing any one (or more) of the following focus areas:

• Regenerative & Climate Resilient Design
• Retrofitting & Renewable Energy
• Resource Efficiency & Carbon Reduction
• Biodiversity & Recovering Nature
• Wellbeing & Placemaking

The William Sutton Prize for Connected Communities

Up to £50,000 in funding available

Key focus areas include:

• Innovative Technology Solutions: smart tech that breaks down barriers and enables communities to connect.
• Intergenerational Interventions: scalable new ideas that bridge generational divides and promote intergenerational interactions.
• Social Inclusion: projects or frameworks that focus on community building through an intersectional lens.
• Community Spaces: proposals that present novel and creative ways to bring communities together, increasing social networks.

Applications can be accepted from individuals, not-for-profit and commercial organisations. 

Individuals must be over 18 years old and residing in the UK, and organisations must be registered to work in England. Successful projects should take place in England.

Applications for The William Sutton Prize for Sustainability must prove that they can actively contribute to the restoration and preservation of our natural world, ultimately benefiting current and future residents and communities.​

Applications for The William Sutton Prize for Connected Communities must evidence how their proposal can improve social housing residents' physical, emotional and social wellbeing, promoting a healthy and welcoming environment for all.

About Clarion Housing Group

Clarion Housing Group is the UK's largest provider of affordable housing. We are committed to playing our part in tackling the housing crisis, both as a social landlord and developer of new housing.

More than 350,000 people call a Clarion home their home. Our mission is to provide and maintain good quality housing for our residents and to build communities through high quality design and placemaking.

We are a social business, reinvesting our profits into building new homes and providing support and opportunities to our residents through Clarion Futures, our charitable foundation.

Web: www.clarionhg.com  

Twitter: @Clarion_Group