2025 Green home + design awards

We encourage builders, designers, architects, landscape artists, homeowners and any creatives with projects that fall into the categories listed above to apply.

• NEW BUILD - single family or multi-unit homes (up to 4 units).

• ADDITION, REMODEL, OR ADAPTIVE REUSE

• DIY or NONPROFESSIONAL DESIGN/BUILD - projects completed by homeowners and nonprofessional designers.

• ADUs or SMALL PROJECT - up to 800sf.

• MATERIALS or METHODS INNOVATION - projects that have utilized innovative building materials or methods.

• SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE - landscaping projects that restore habitat biodiversity, prioritize native plants, and implement sustainable practices to improve soil health and reduce chemical fertilizer use.

Note: to qualify, project should be residential and may be single family or multi-family (up to 4 units).

To apply, please submit the following items using our online form (link below) – Important note: we encourage you to draft your application in a Word document before using the online form, as it will not save your work until you click “submit”).

A single project may be submitted in no more than 2 categories. There is no limit to the number of projects you may enter.

• Project description (300 words or less) – please provide a brief overview describing important elements of your project, including any design challenges/solutions and efforts to minimize operational energy needs, reduce embodied carbon, emphasize occupant and environmental health, and prioritize sustainability. Do not include the name of your company, designer, builder or architect in the description.

• Project images – Each entry must include at least one and no more than 10 high-resolution photos to represent the project. Images can include photos, drawings, or site plans. Each image should be at least 300 dpi in JPG, PNG, TIFF, EPS, or PSD file formats and no more than 30MB file size. Photos must include the project title and photographer name in the file name. Please submit using the online form.

  We strongly encourage applicants to use professional photography, if possible. All photographs submitted must be available to be published free of charge in Green & Healthy Maine HOMES magazine, and related media including but not limited to greenmainehomes.com, promotional emails about the awards, and on Green & Healthy Maine social media channels. It is the applicant’s responsibility to clear the terms of this usage with the photographer. Note: A photographer’s license will be required of award winners as a prerequisite of the project’s printing in the magazine.

• Application Fee – use the online form to submit payment. Applications are $75 for the first project and $55 for any additional applications. Projects in the DIY or nonprofessional design/build are $55 per entry.

Click here to fill out the online application form. [link]

All entries must be submitted by September 19, 2025, 11:59PM.

Applications will be rated and winners selected by an independent panel of jurors whose primary location of work is outside of Maine. Jurors have been selected in recognition of excellence in the green building field and for their contributions to the industry. Green & Healthy Maine staff will not contribute to the award decisions and will honor the choices of the jury. Jurors will have option to recognize additional categories not mentioned above should outstanding applications warrant it.

August 26: Submissions Open

Sept. 19 at 11:59PM: Submissions Close

Sept. 25 – Oct. 10: Application judging

Oct. 14-15: Winners notified

November 6: Winners announced at Green Home + Design Awards held at the new passivhausMAINE training center in Freeport.

Spring 2026: Award winners featured in Spring issue of Green & Healthy Maine HOMES magazine and on the greenmainehomes.com website.

Green & Healthy Maine HOMES retains publishing rights for photography and text from winning entries to be printed in the magazine and displayed on greenmainehomes.com.

Applicant benefits:

All applicants will receive a project poster displayed at the awards event and a complimentary ticket to the event. Award posters are yours to keep at the end of the evening and must be picked up by close of the event.

Winner benefits:

All first-place winners for each category will receive the applicant benefits noted above. In addition, winning projects will be featured on the Green Home + Design Awards page on our website, with backlinks to team member websites. The Awards page will remain live on our site throughout the year and into subsequent years. Winning projects will be featured in the 2026 spring edition of the Green & Healthy Maine HOMES magazine and featured in one of our monthly e-newsletters. Winners will also receive award logo graphics to use in your promotion of the awards.