William Sutton Prize

Prize for Connected Communities

The William Sutton Prize for Connected Communities supports impact-led ideas that enhance social housing residents’ physical, emotional and social wellbeing.

Transforming social housing and empowering communities

The William Sutton Prize for Connected Communities provides up to £25,000 in funding, along with expert support from Clarion and the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design at the Royal College of Art, to support impact-led ideas that enhance social housing residents’ physical, emotional, and social wellbeing.

This category focuses on fostering community connections and promoting citizen inclusion, both in process and outcomes, to create healthier, more welcoming environments for all.

Prize for Connected Communities winners

The team from Motivez with their trophy and Clare Miller, Chief Executive of Clarion Housing Group.12

Sustainable London by Motivez

Sustainable London empowers young social housing residents to tackle environmental inequality through STEM. It builds confidence, skills, and leadership, helping them improve air quality, shape greener communities, and access opportunities they wouldn’t normally see.

The team from NeighbourlyLab and Neya with their trophy and Clare Miller, Chief Executive of Clarion Housing Group.12

Neya AI Super-Neighbour by NeighbourlyLab

Neya helps neighbours connect, share, and support each other, reducing isolation, boosting wellbeing, and building stronger communities. Its friendly AI platform makes everyday interactions easier, fostering pride, safety, and belonging, especially for newcomers or those living alone.

Winners in their own words

Hear directly from the inspiring winners of the 2025 William Sutton Prize for Sustainability as they share what winning means to them, and how they plan to drive real change.

The sixth edition of the William Sutton Prize

In 2025, we called for submissions that centred on one or more of the following areas: 

  • Innovative Technology Solutions: people-driven technology interventions that break down barriers and enable communities to connect in intuitive and meaningful ways.
  • Intergenerational Interventions: scalable new ideas that are desirable across age ranges, with potential to bridge generational divides and promote intergenerational interactions.
  • Social Inclusion: concepts and projects that engage under-served communities to help them feel heard, build belonging, and community by adopting an intersectional lens.
  • Community Spaces: proposals that present novel and creative ways to bring communities together within a space to increase social networks, be it physical, virtual or a blend of both.

The judges

The esteemed judging panel was a diverse group of experts and industry leaders dedicated to identifying and supporting groundbreaking ideas that drive meaningful change.

  • Chair: David Orr, Chair of the Clarion Housing Association Board
  • Andrew van Doorn OBE, Chief Executive of HACT
  • Dr Chris McGinley, Senior Research Fellow at the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design at the Royal College of Art (RCA)
  • Matt Harvey-Agyemang, Co-Founder of The POoR Collective
  • Pam Bardouille, Chair of St Quintin Park Residents Association
  • Michelle Reynolds, Chief Customer Officer at Clarion Housing Group
  • Phil Miles, Director of Clarion Futures (the charitable foundation of Clarion Housing Group)
  • David Hunter, Director of Housing at Clarion Housing Group

More information

For more information about the William Sutton Prize, please get in touch.

More William Sutton Prize categories

The William Sutton Prize for Sustainability

Supporting projects that contribute to the restoration and preservation of our natural world.

The William Sutton Prize Scholarships

Supporting the next generation of innovators in architecture and sustainability.