Our Great Places Awards honour outstanding development projects that show a commitment to design excellence and innovation in urban design, sustainability and heritage conservation and contribute to a built environment that enhances our quality of life.
On this page:
About the Great Places Awards
Great places bring people together! They foster community pride, promote feelings of safety and well-being and contribute to the quality-of-life Kitchener residents expect. The Great Places Awards celebrate the people, businesses and organizations who make Kitchener a great place to live, work and play.
The Great Places Awards include:
- Urban Design Awards (first given in 1988)
- Mike and Pat Wagner Heritage Awards (first given in 1997)
- more categories added in 2015
Through the Great Places Awards, we honour projects that:
- demonstrate a commitment to design excellence and innovation in the areas of urban design, sustainability, and heritage conservation
- contribute to creating a built environment that enhances our quality of life
We’re setting the bar high for urban design in Kitchener, creating a city we love while celebrating creative, innovative approaches to great design.
Watch this video to see the winners from 2019 and find a list of winners on this page.
Nominations
Nominations for our Great Places Awards closed on April 28, 2023.
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Categories and nomination criteria
Open the accordions below to learn about each award category and the nomination criteria.
Future Design Leaders |
This award may be given to an exemplary project completed by secondary or post-secondary students, which is either theoretical or studio based, focusing on urban design, public realm or land-use planning innovation, with a study site in Kitchener. The winning project for this award will receive a maximum $2000 scholarship sponsored by Melloul Blamey. Eligibility
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Master Planning |
This award may be given to an exceptional plan or study of a significant area within Kitchener that provides a development strategy for urban transformation. Eligibility
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Mike and Pat Wagner Heritage Awards |
The Mike and Pat Wagner Heritage Awards honour people, property owners, businesses, organizations and institutions who have contributed to conserving our city's cultural heritage resources. The awards are named after former Kitchener city councillor Mike Wagner, who was a strong advocate for heritage, culture and the arts, and Pat Wagner, a longtime member of the Heritage Kitchener committee and recipient of the Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Award for Lifetime Achievement. Up to four awards may be presented in each of these categories:
Eligibility
Submission requirements Nominations must include the information requested through the nomination form including supporting material. |
Neighbourhood Design |
This award may be given to an exceptional, approved and substantially built subdivision that includes our neighbourhood design objectives, which include walkability, variety, place-making, conservation, connectivity, transit-supportive and safety. Eligibility
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People's Choice |
Voting for this award will open in September 2023. Subscribe to this page using the green button on the left to be notified when voting opens. This award may be given to a project that receives the most votes from the community through online polling and/or in person at select locations/times. Eligibility
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Placemaking |
This award is given to a distinct feature(s) that makes a project or place outstanding, such as public art, landscape features, architectural elements and streetscape elements. They can range from a unique feature of a larger development project to a neighbourhood-initiated community project. Eligibility
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Schmalz Award for Design Leadership |
Named after W.H.E. Schmalz, the architect who designed Kitchener's first city hall, clock tower and many other local buildings, this award represents the best overall project of the program. Eligibility
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Sustainable Kitchener |
This award may be given to either a civic or private-development project that demonstrates innovation and exceptional design with respect to sustainable development, water conservation, energy conservation and generation, air quality, waste reduction and management, supporting active transportation and transit-oriented development. Eligibility
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Urban Design Awards |
These awards cover four categories, recognizing either civic or private projects that demonstrate urban design excellence and innovation in site and building design, which is context-sensitive, functional, engaging and memorable. Categories
Eligibility
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Shortlisted nominees
Nominated projects shortlisted in each award category will be notified later in 2023 and will be required to prepare and submit a detailed presentation board about the project.
Past winners
Open the accordions below to find past Great Places Awards winners.
2019 winners |
Mike & Pat Wagner Heritage Awards - Preservation / Restoration Category Mike & Pat Wagner Heritage Awards - Rehabilitation/Adaptive Re-use Category Placemaking Award Sustainable Kitchener Award Urban Design Excellence Awards - Low-Rise Category Urban Design Excellence Awards - Mid-Rise Category Urban Design Excellence Awards - High-Rise Category Urban Design Excellence Awards - Civic Category People’s Choice Award Schmalz Award for Design Leadership |
2016 winners |
Future Design Leaders Award
Master Planning Award
Mike Wagner Heritage – individual contribution
Mike Wagner Heritage – preservation/heritage award
Mike Wagner Heritage – rehabilitation/adaptive reuse award
People’s Choice Award
Placemaking Award
Sustainable Kitchener Award
Urban Design Excellence Award – low-rise category
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