The competition, now in its sixth edition, features two prizes. The William Sutton Prize for Sustainability focuses on promoting the restoration and preservation of our natural world while the William Sutton Prize for Connected Communities aims to enhance community ties, promote inclusion, and strengthen the social fabric of Clarion neighbourhoods.The 125,000 overall prize pot will be split across the winners of each category. In addition to funding, the winners will also receive a tailored package of business support and the chance to collaborate with Clarion and their partners and sector-leading experts to turn their boldest and brightest ideas into reality.The initiative is open to English organisations and all UK individuals aged over 18. It is named after Clarion Housing Groups founder, a Victorian entrepreneur who bequeathed his fortune to providing public housing.AdvertisementClarions chief executive Clare Miller said: Through The William Sutton Prizewe are proud to collaborate with those who are pioneering new innovations and cutting-edge thinking. Kickstarting our 125th year anniversary celebrations, this years prize is our most ambitious to date and we are delighted to be able to increase the value of the funding thanks to the support of our partners.Were focusing our efforts on tackling two major societal issues preserving and restoring nature, and the need for truly connected communities and I cant wait to see what innovative ideas are put forward.Bell Phillips Architects won the 2023 prize alongside Building with Nature, an organisation that provides planners and developers with guidance on delivering high-quality green infrastructure. Bell Phillips Architects winning concept (pictured) imagined a pathway to net zero through the development of a new vernacular architecture for all buildings below 11m, using natural building materials.Tim Bell, director of Bell Phillips Architects, said:Winning The William Sutton Prize has enabled Bell Phillips to expand our focus on reducing embodied carbon in all the buildings we design.The Prize has provided us with dedicated research and development time for our in-house carbon calculation tool and to implement the findings of that into live projects across a range of building types it truly has been invaluable.AdvertisementMole Architects the 2022 prize with a zero-carbon community homebuilding system. Previous winners included AJ 40 under 40 star and emerging practice Surman Weston whose Hackney School of Food created a seed-to-spoon food education hub for primary school children within an old building and area of disused land.Clarion Housing Group formed nine years ago following a merger of Circle Housing Group and Affinity Sutton, which was founded after Suttons death in 1900. The housing association is today the largest in the UK, managing 125,000 homes across 170 local authorities.Sutton was born in the City of London in 1833 and created Sutton Carriers, the countrys first door-to-door parcel service. He bequeathed his entire fortune to a range of charitable projects including providing much-needed public housing across the capital.Judges for the latest edition of the prize will include Peter Murray OBE, co-founder of New London Architecture, Tara Gbolade, co-founding director of Gbolade Design Studio, Matt Harvey-Agyemang, co-founder of The POoR Collective, and Greg Fitzgerald, chief executive of Vistry Group.Murray said: It is an honour and privilege to be asked to judge The William Sutton Prize in Clarions 125th anniversary year. We need the best brains with the most ambition to match the transformative impact of Clarions founder, and Im really looking forward to receiving the submissions and meeting the people behind them.Competition detailsProject title William Sutton Prize 2025Client Clarion Housing GroupContract value125,000First round deadline Midday, 8 April 2025Restrictions Applications can be accepted from both not-for-profit and commercial organisations.These may be registered charities, community interest companies, social enterprises, community groups or registered companies, amongst others. Organisations must be registered to work in England and must be able to specify how their idea will make a positive contribution to helping the affordable housing sector and its communities achieve net zero by 2050. Successful projects should take place in EnglandMore information www.clarionhg.com/william-sutton-prize