SURF, Scotland’s Regeneration Forum, is pleased to announce the 2026 shortlist for the prestigious SURF Award national awards scheme, which showcases success in responding to regeneration challenges in communities across Scotland.
The SURF Awards are delivered each year by SURF, a regeneration forum with over 300 cross-sector member organisations across Scotland, in partnership with the Scottish Government. 2026 marks the 28 years of the SURF Awards process.
This year saw an outstanding response to the call for applications and having assessed applications from Orkney to the Dumfries and Galloway, across five categories, SURF’s independent panel of 20 judges, drawn from national bodies and community groups, have agreed upon 15 shortlisted projects for 2026. By category, they are:
Housing and Regeneration:
- The Quadrangle, Ruchill (Glasgow)
- Silverlea (Edinburgh)
- Chapel Works, Montrose (Angus)
Removing Barriers to Employability:
- Warehouse Skills Development Programme (Aberdeen)
- Social Bite – Jobs First Programme (National)
- Lone Parent Positive Workplaces (Fife)
Creative Regeneration:
- Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s Craigmillar Residency (Edinburgh)
- Sauchiehall Street Culture & Heritage District (Glasgow)
- Cashback for Young Parents (Fife)
Community Led Regeneration:
- Maslow’s Community (Govan)
- Àros an Rubha (Isle of Lewis)
- Oban Collective’s Re_Store (Oban)
Improving Scotland’s Places:
- Pigeon Park (Glasgow)
- Slamannan Regeneration Project (Falkirk)
- Number 30 The Square, Huntly (Aberdeenshire)
Since 1998, the SURF Awards have identified successful regeneration projects of all sizes from across Scotland. This year’s shortlisted projects feature major place-making investments, employability initiatives, and activities delivered by community groups and arts organisations in both urban and rural contexts, from Dumfries and Galloway to Aberdeenshire, and projects operating at a national level.
The judging panel will be carrying out visits throughout October to all of these diverse projects to develop a better understanding of their impact and the situations they are responding to. Before deciding on a winning project in each category.
The five category winners will then be announced by Scottish Government Minister for Business and Fair Work, Tom Arthur, on the evening of Thursday 10 December at the 2026 SURF Awards Presentation Dinner event in Glasgow’s Voco Grand Central Hotel.
The 2026 SURF Awards are delivered by SURF in partnership with the Scottish Government, with additional support from Creative Scotland, ng homes, Scotland’s Towns Partnership, Scottish Procurement Alliance and South of Scotland Enterprise.
Minister for Business and Fair Work Tom Arthur said: “The SURF Awards are an important opportunity to celebrate the individuals, organisations and partnerships that are working tirelessly to support communities throughout Scotland.
“Community-led regeneration shows what can be achieved when local people are empowered to shape the future of their places. These projects are delivering lasting social, economic and environmental benefits, helping communities to thrive through stronger local assets, more vibrant places, and better prospects. That is why we are investing up to £52 million this year to support regeneration activity across Scotland.
“My congratulations go to every shortlisted project, and I look forward to recognising their achievements at this year’s awards.”
SURF Chair Diane Gray reflected: “We are delighted with the number of applications for the SURF Awards this year. The shortlisted projects show the breadth and range of regeneration work being delivered across the country, and the judging panel look forward to visiting them to find out more.”
Emma Scott, Awards and Communications Manager at SURF said: “This year’s shortlist and wider application process showcase the wealth of inspirational, and often life-changing, activity taking place in communities across Scotland. SURF look forward to sharing more about the work being done by this year’s finalists over the coming months, and thanks all of the projects who took time to apply and share their work with us.”
