2026 LEAD Awards – Celebrating Excellence in Learning Environment Design
02 Feb 2026
Enter the 2026 Learning Environments Australasia Design (LEAD) Awards
Across Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia, educators and school communities are reimagining how learning happens - and the spaces where it takes place. The 2026 Learning Environments Australasia Design (LEAD) Awards exist to celebrate exactly that: learning environments that thoughtfully support educational vision, innovation student outcomes.
If your school, early learning centre, TAFE or university has recently built, renovated or re-imagined a learning space - or implemented an innovative education initiative - the 2026 LEAD Awards offer a unique opportunity to showcase your work, share your story, and be recognised alongside learning education projects from across the region.
The LEAD Awards are Learning Environments Australasia (LEA)’s annual regional awards program, recognising excellence in the planning, design and delivery of educational facilities.
Established in 2008, the awards have grown into a respected benchmark for quality learning environment design, bridging education and design practice to highlight spaces where pedagogy and place work together.
Entries are welcomed from across Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia, and projects are celebrated not just for how they look, but for how effectively they support teaching, learning, wellbeing and community connection.
Entries for the 2026 LEAD Awards opened in November 2025, with registrations and payment closing Friday 13 February 2026.
LEA Awards programs
The awards are open to LEA Members, including schools and education providers working in partnership with designers, consultants and builders. Not a member? Join Now.
Eligible learning environments include:
• Early learning centres and kindergartens
• Primary and secondary schools
• Specialised and inclusive education settings
• Universities, TAFEs and vocational facilities
• Libraries, community education spaces and outdoor learning environments
• New campuses, single buildings, renovations or small projects
Projects must have been occupied for at least six months and completed within the past three years.
Enter the 2026 LEAD Awards
For education leaders and school communities, entering the 2026 LEAD Awards is about more than recognition.
Benefits include:
• Showcasing your school’s vision for learning and teaching
• Sharing successful design approaches with the wider education sector
• Celebrating collaboration between educators, students and project teams
• Raising your school’s profile nationally and regionally
• Being featured in the 2026 Contemporary Learning Spaces publication
• Having your project exhibited during the LEA 2026 Unleash Conference
It’s also a powerful way to acknowledge the effort that goes into creating spaces that genuinely support learning.
Enter the 2026 LEAD Awards
The 2026 LEAD Awards feature eight categories, ensuring projects of all scales can be recognised:
1. Innovative Education Initiative
2. New Campus with Educational Facilities
3. New Building/s or Facilities – Large
4. New Building/s or Facilities – Small
5. Modernisation/Renovation – Large
6. Modernisation/Renovation – Small
7. Small Project (under AUD $2 million)
8. Landscape / Outdoor Learning Area
Enter the 2026 LEAD Awards
1. Confirm your LEA membership (membership must be current. Not a member? Join now.)
2. Register and pay by COB Friday 13 February 2026
3. Submit your entry via the AwardForce portal by 11pm Friday 20 February 2026
Clear guidance, sample entry forms and FAQs are available to support first-time entrants.
Enter the 2026 LEAD Awards
• Entries open: November 2025
• Registration & payment due: Friday 13 February 2026
• Entry submissions due: Friday 20 February 2026
• Awards presentation: Thursday 15 May 2026
Enter the 2026 LEAD Awards
Winners of the 2026 LEAD Awards will be announced at the 2026 LEAD Awards Dinner, held during the 2026 Unleash Annual Regional Conference in Perth | Boorloo on Thursday 14 May 2026.
All entered projects will also be displayed in an exhibition for conference delegates and the public in the foyer of the Perth Convention + Exhibition Centre.
The 2025 LEAD Awards dinner awards dinner sold out - early purchase is strongly recommended to secure your seat at this highlight celebration.
Purchase your 2026 LEAD Awards Dinner Ticket/s
We would love you to attend the 2026 Unleash conference in Perth, however you do not need to attend the conference to purchase a LEAD dinner ticket. These can be purchased via the 2026 Unleash conference website.
Purchase your 2026 LEAD Awards Dinner Ticket/s
