2026 Golden Hammer Awards

June 25, 2026 / Cyane Crump / Comments Off

The Golden Hammer Awards began in 2000 to honor excellence in neighborhood revitalization projects throughout greater Richmond. The program recognizes professionals and community members improving our neighborhoods through restoration, adaptive reuse, new construction, placemaking, and historic preservation.

Celebrate the Golden Hammer Awards
Thursday, October 29, 2026 5:30-7:30 p.m.
at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery – Richmond

Submit your project for a Golden Hammer Award!

Application fees are $100 for businesses, $25 for nonprofits and community member entries. Applications must be submitted before 11:59 p.m. on September 11, 2026.

Projects must be completed after January 1, 2025 and located in the greater Richmond area (City of Richmond, Counties of Chesterfield, Hanover, and Henrico) to be considered for the categories of: Best Restoration, Best Adaptive Reuse, Best New Construction, Best Residential, Best Placemaking & Urban Design and our newest award: Best Design.

Interested in becoming a sponsor? Contact Noelle Stith at [email protected] for sponsorship information and opportunities.

Golden Hammer Awards 2026 Application

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Judging Criteria

Quality of the renovation/restoration/installation – inside and/or outside:

Design, materials, and construction methods utilized in the project.
Creative design or physical form was used to solve a difficult problem or to express a thoughtful, local, environmentally-sound solution.

Initial condition to completion:

What was the scope of the work undertaken by the nominee? A new project?
A “remodeling” project or complete renovation?

Impact on the surrounding area:

What was the physical impact the project had on improving the surrounding area?
Has the project created additional opportunities for others to improve the neighborhood?
What civic impact did the project initiate or establish?
Was community engagement included as part of the design process?
Did the project create a sense of a public place for the neighborhood?

Risk taken by the owner or developer:

Was the project pioneering in the neighborhood or section of a neighborhood?
Was there financial risk taken or challenging site conditions unique to the project?

Heavier weight is given to projects that:

Have a positive impact on the surrounding area
Utilize high-quality, sustainable materials, improves energy efficiency, or minimizes carbon footprint
Are creative or innovative in approach
Contribute to the overall revitalization of the community
Are elegant design solutions
Provide opportunities for community-driven design
Offer something back to the Richmond community

Applications are due September 11, 2026 at 11:59pm.
Projects must be completed after January 1, 2025.

Contact Person Name*

First Last

Contact Person Email*

Contact Person Phone*

Project Information:

Project/Building Name*

Project/Building Address*

Project/Building Completion Date*

Property/Building Owner Information:

Property/Building Owner Name

First (or Company Name) Last

Property/Building Owner Address

Property/Building Owner Phone

Property/Building Owner Email

Project Team Information

Architecture Firm

Developer

Draftsman (if outside of Architecture Firm)

Engineer

Contractor

Landscape Architect

Tax Credit Consultant

Interior Designer

Historic Tax Credit Certification*

Yes

Historical Use of Building (if known)

Previous Use(s)

Other

Project Description

Program Project Description*

Description to be used in the program (1100 minimum characters & 1500 max characters).

Project Description for Judges (More details for them.)*

Description to be used by Judges. What would you like for them to know about your project? Floorplans are really useful as well.

Select ALL Categories That Align With Your Project*

Please note that in judging sometimes projects get moved to other categories depending on their criteria. Judges will make the final decision on which category a project is judged on. Depending on the submissions pool, additional categories may be awarded. It is helpful to know which categories you believe your project aligns with.

Best Restoration

Best Adaptive Reuse

Best New Construction

Best Placemaking & Urban Design: Large Scale (i.e. parks, urban streetscapes etc.) or small Scale (i.e. community gardens, grassroots programming)

Best Residential

Best Design (New Category)

Project Photos*

Photos: Please include up to 10 High Resolution photos of the project, named clearly to indicate what they are to be used during the judging process. 1. Tell your story through pictures! Include at least two of each of the following: before, after, interior, exterior, and details. When possible, photos that show before and after of the same space are helpful for the judges. 2. ALL PHOTOS MUST BE LABELED AS: PROJECT ADDRESS_DESCRIPTION_BEFORE/AFTER. 3. Each submission should have a resolution of 150-300 dpi. Save the file in JPG format. 4. Please no collages or text overlays.

Additional Materials:

Site plan and/or relevant floor plans: These plans can provide critical information beyond photos. Many architect driven projects include these plans, please include if your project has them. Documents must be labeled as project ADDRESS_SITE PLAN/FLOOR PLAN_BEFORE/AFTER. Save the file in PDF format.

Drop files here or

Accepted file types: pdf, jpg, Max. file size: 5 GB, Max. files: 12.

Terms and Conditions

I have read, understood and agree to the following: Historic Richmond has the rights to use your submission in publication, both in print and online, and in promotions, publications, and exhibitions. Competitors will be credited when submissions are used. All submissions will be archived and will not be returned. The applicant has filled out the form and agrees that all companies involved have been included to the best of their knowledge and owners are aware of the submission.

Acknowledgement*

I agree to the terms and conditions.

Application Fee

There will be an application fee of $100 for businesses, $25 for nonprofits and community member entries.

Total

Credit Card

Card Details

Cardholder Name