About the Awards
The Best of Green Building, California
Somewhere in California right now, someone is designing a building that changes what's possible. A space that does more with less. A project that proves sustainability and ambition aren't tradeoffs.
We want to know who they are.
The California Green Building & Community Awards exist to find that work, celebrate it, and put names to it, the people, projects, and organizations raising the bar across the state.
Nominate them. One winner is named in each category, recognized live at the Green Gala on December 10, 2026.
This is our moment to honor the best of what this community can do.
*Attendance is open to all. Whether you're a longtime member or attending for the first time, the Green Gala is your invitation to be part of this community.
Nominations & Awards Timeline
May 27
Submissions Open
Submissions launch at the Annual California Green Building Conference. Self-nominations are welcome and encouraged.
September 30
Submissions Close
Nominations due by midnight on September 30, 2026.
October 26
Finalists Announced
A shortlist of finalists in each category are notified directly.
December 10
Awards Ceremony
A single winner in each category is announced live at our annual Green Gala celebration.
Nominations are open to all of California.
Anyone can submit a nomination for themselves, their organization, their project, or someone whose work deserves to be seen. There is no entry fee.
How to Enter
1. Choose your category
Review the eight award categories and select the one that best fits the work you're nominating. A nomination may only be submitted to one category.
2. Submit your nomination
Complete the nomination form with a project or candidate description, supporting materials, and contact information. Self-nominations are welcome and encouraged.
Via online form
3. Wait to be notified in the week of Oct 26
The Categories
The California Green Building Awards (left tab) and Community Awards (right tab) honor two different kinds of leadership: the projects raising the bar for sustainable design, and the people and organizations driving the movement forward.
Each award recognizes a distinct contribution to California's green building future. A single winner is named in each of the 17 categories, recognized live at the Green Gala in 2026 at the Audrey Irmas Pavilion.
★ Highest Honor
Project of the Year
Recognizes a project that exemplifies overall excellence in sustainable design, construction, and operations by demonstrating exceptional performance across multiple categories, including energy, water, carbon, waste, health, equity, and nature-based solutions. This award honors the project that best embodies the spirit of the CA Green Building Awards, representing innovation, leadership, and measurable impact in advancing the future of green building.
Green Building Awards
Energy
Recognizing a project that goes above and beyond CalGreen’s Title 24 energy baseline, while incorporating solar, battery storage, and/or all electric readiness.
Green Building Awards
Water
Recognition of a project that achieves significant water savings through nature-based solutions, onsite reuse, or retention and recharge.
Green Building Awards
Carbon
Recognition of a project that meaningfully addresses embodied and/or operational carbon throughout design, construction, and operation.
Green Building Awards
Waste
This award recognizes a project that has successfully incorporated waste diversion and mitigation strategies from design through construction and O&M.
Green Building Awards
Health
Recognition of a project that puts health at its center through features such as material choices, daylighting, access to nature, and biophilic design.
Green Building Awards
Equity
Recognition of a project with equity considerations at the core of its design. Includes at least three of the following: community engagement, material health, access to public transportation, and/or cultural responsiveness.
Green Building Awards
Nature-Based
This award recognizes a project that has successfully incorporated relevant strategies into the building design, landscape biodiversity, and balanced site ecology.
Community Awards
Emerging Leader Award
Recognizing an individual who is still early in their career, but is demonstrating industry leadership in pushing us all forward to a more sustainable built environment.
Community Awards
Kevin Devine Award
This award honors the life and work of Kevin Devine, commemorating a leading green building operations and maintenance, or facilities professional who demonstrates the highest values that Kevin represented: true leadership and setting an example for others.
Community Awards
Environmental Justice Award
Honors an organization or person who has led in putting equity and the environment at the center of focus for projects and buildings across our state.
Community Awards
Community Impact Award
Recognizes outstanding leadership paving the way toward a more sustainable future.
Community Awards
Corporate Sustainability Award
Recognizes a company creating lasting change through ambitious goals, policy, and action towards a more sustainable future.
Community Awards
Volunteer of the Year
Honors a USGBC-CA member who consistently and actively contributes to and supports USGBC-CA and its community, and inspires others to do the same.
Community Awards
Sustainable Entertainment Award
Recognizes a company, organization, or person in the entertainment industry who is creating lasting change through ambitious goals, education, policy, and/or action toward a more sustainable future.
Community Awards
Partner of the Year
Recognizes outstanding organizational leadership and commitment to accelerating the transformation of California into a more sustainable region for all.
Community Awards
Heart of the Chapter
Honors a USGBC-CA member(s) who has/have gone above and beyond in their dedication to creating a more sustainable future for us all and inspires us to keep doing this work.
The Venue
Audrey Irmas Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA.
Extraordinary in its stature and ambitious in its vision, the Audrey Irmas Pavilion beckons Angelenos to gather – for celebration and community. Located adjacent to the historic sanctuary of Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Koreatown, the Pavilion is a standing testament to Los Angeles, to the historic and contemporary – a gift to all who delight in the joy of gathering.
Parking
Valet & street parking available
Transit
Metro B Line · Hollywood/Vine
Accessibility
Fully ADA accessible
The Theme
California State Parks
We picked this theme because it says what we believe: protecting a place worth protecting isn't just something California does in its parks, it's the same instinct behind every net-zero building, every resilient community project, every person pushing this industry forward.
Each ticket sold, each bid placed in the silent auction, and each conversation started here helps power USGBC-CA's work across the state for another year.
Event Sponsors
