RE:UK Research Award 2026
Recognising outstanding research in UK real estate
Entries are now open for the RE:UK Research Award 2026, celebrating research that advances understanding, challenges thinking and helps the UK real estate industry learn.
Building on the success of AREF’s Annual Research Award, the award recognises high-quality, original research from across the RE:UK membership and gives researchers the opportunity to gain industry-wide recognition for their work.
The deadline for entries is Friday 18 September 2026. Shortlisted entries will be announced in mid-October with the winner revealed on Wednesday 11 November.
Why enter?
Research plays an important role in helping the real estate industry understand change, make better decisions and identify new opportunities - but the work behind it can often go unrecognised.
The RE:UK Research Award provides an opportunity to put outstanding research, and the teams behind it, in the spotlight.
The winning research team will:
Authors of highly recommended papers will also be invited to present their research as part of the webinar and receive recognition for their achievement.
What are we looking for?
Criteria
The winner will be selected based on:
- The research's contribution to the UK real estate industry, although research with a wider geographical remit is also welcome.
- The topical nature and relevance of the research and information presented.
- The new understanding or insight it brings to an area.
- The extent to which it helps the industry learn.
A maximum of one piece of original research per organisation will be considered.
Research must have been published by your organisation or shared with clients between 21 August 2025 and 21 August 2026.
The research does not need to have been publicly available when originally produced, but entrants must be happy for their findings to be shared and presented if successful. Client-specific or confidential research that cannot be discussed publicly is therefore not eligible.
How to enter
The award is open to all RE:UK and RE:Scotland members.
Organisations may submit a maximum of one paper, so research teams within larger organisations should coordinate internally before entering.
Papers can be submitted in any format, including PDF, Word or web-based research.
Through our online application form, you'll be asked to submit:
- Your research paper or a link providing access to it.
- Author name(s).
- Organisation.
- Publication date.
- A short summary of the research.
- Contact details for the research team.
Entries must be submitted by Friday 18 September 2026
Ready to submit your entry?
Judging
Entries will be assessed by an experienced panel of professionals from across the real estate industry:
- Kim Politzer, Fidelity International (Chair)
- Alistair Dryer, LGPS Central
- Will Lawrence, CMS
- James Lenton, Thriving Investments
- Bill Page, Legal & General
- Ryan Richards, Knight Frank
- Laura Sweet, Swiss Life Asset Managers UK
- Rachel Portlock, RE:UK
New for 2026: can AI pick a winner?
For the first time, we will also be introducing an AI judge alongside our expert industry panel.
As an experiment, AI will be given a defined set of questions based on the award criteria and asked to critique each paper independently. Its assessment will then be compared with the conclusions of the human judging panel.
The final award will continue to be determined by our industry judges, but if AI reaches a different conclusion, we may give its chosen paper a special mention.
It will be an interesting opportunity to explore where human and AI assessments align - and where they differ.
Previous winners
The RE:UK Research Award builds on an established track record of recognising outstanding research from across the industry.
Launched under the AREF brand, the award has previously been won by:
2025 winner – Legal & General
UK Living Sector Investment: Slipstream into the mainstream
2024 winner – PATRIZIA
The role of amenities in strategic asset selection
Terms & Conditions
- Research must have been published or shared with clients between 21 August 2025 and 21 August 2026.
- Only one paper may be submitted per organisation.
- Only Real Estate:UK and Real Estate:Scotland members are eligible for the award.
- Papers can be submitted in any format, including PDF, Word or web.
- Research previously commissioned by RE:UK (including IPF, AREF and the BPF) is not eligible for the award.
- Research must be suitable for sharing with the wider industry and must not contain confidential or client-specific material that cannot be presented publicly.
- A member of the research team must be available to present the research during the morning of Wednesday 25 November 2026 if selected as the winner or highly recommended.
- All submissions must have been received by Friday 18 September 2026.
Contact us
Got a question on the award or just want to find out more? Please contact Rachel Portlock.