The Building and Social Housing Foundation is currently seeking entries for the World Habitat Awards 2009 competition.

The World Habitat Awards were initiated in 1985 and seek to identify practical, innovative and sustainable solutions to current housing issues faced by countries of the Global South as well as the North, which are capable of being transferred or adapted for use elsewhere. The competition is open to all individuals and organisations, including central and local governments, NGOs, community-based groups, research organisations and the private sector.

Each year a panel of international judges assesses the projects entered for the competition and selects two winners. An award of GBP10,000 is presented to the winners at the annual United Nations global celebration of World Habitat Day.

Last year's World Habitat Awards were presented to Champlain Housing Trust, USA and Preventing Typhoon Damage to Housing, Vietnam. Details of these two winning projects and the competition finalists can be found on the World Habitat Awards website at www.worldhabitatawards.org.