The UK housing association Clarion Housing Group is holding an ideas contest for radical concepts to transform the lives of social housing residents (Deadline: 8 April)The organisations William Sutton Prize is now in its sixth edition and features two awards and an enlarged 125,000 prize fund to celebrate Clarions 125th anniversary.The first award The William Sutton Prize for Sustainability focuses on promoting the restoration and preservation of the natural world.The second award The William Sutton Prize for Connected Communities meanwhile aims to enhance community ties, promote inclusion and strengthen the social fabric of Clarion neighbourhoods.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 infrastructureThe 125,000 overall prize pot will be split between the winners of each category. In addition to the funding, the winners will also receive a tailored package of business support and the chance to collaborate with Clarion and its 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.Clarions chief executive, Clare Miller, said: Through The William Sutton Prize we 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.Bell Phillips Architects receiving the 2023 prizeTim 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.Mole Architects the 2022 prize with a zero-carbon community homebuilding system. Previous winners included 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 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 detailsDeadline: Midday, 8 April 2025Competition funding source: Clarion Housing GroupProject funding source: n/aOwner of site(s): n/aVisit the competition website for more information