Home2026 Awards how to enter

2026 Awards how to enter

SAVE THE DATE: 20 May Wyscigi race course Warsaw

In its 24th year, the Central & Eastern European Quality Awards gala welcomes 700 company and sector leaders from across Europe to celebrate success and recognise business excellence in real estate investment across Central & Eastern Europe and Southeast Europe.

Entry for the awards is free of charge. Winning a CEEQA award can serve to motivate teams, partners in the context of business excellence and market shaping achievement.

Entries for the 2026 awards open on 5 January and close on 6 March

Nominees made by the jury are invited to submit an entry form to provide more information for the jury to assess. Providing more detail to support the nomination gets you in front of some of the sector’s most esteemed and experienced leaders of the CEEQA Jury. Candidates short listed for an award as well as the eventual winners receive extensive market visibility to the jury and the market place. Make your nomination count.

Visit the 2025 CEEQA Review page to view last year’s award winners and a review of the CEEQA Gala, Jury Dinner and Live Connect meeting.

About CEEQA

CEEQA is free to enter and is the most prestigious and influential industry recognition and flagship annual event for industry leaders in CEE & SEE commercial real estate. Established in the market place for more than 20 years, the awards recognise excellence in commercial real estate investment, development finance and consulting across 18 countries in Central & Eastern Europe and Southeast Europe, widely regarded as sector’s the most trusted measure of business achievement and market influence.

Winning a CEEQA award can serve to motivate teams, partners in the context of business excellence and market shaping achievement.

CEEQA collaborates each year with business leaders at the highest level of industry experience and influence in CEE & SEE commercial real estate investment, comprising the CEEQA Jury panel, to assess and decide the annual award winners from more than 600 entries each year for the best performing buildings, companies and industry professionals of the year across 18 countries.

Find out more about the 2026 CEEQA Gala here
See who are the members of the 2026 CEEQA Jury here
Reserve you place at the 2026 CEEQA Gala here

How to enter

Entering the awards is free. Any building, company or industry professional from across the sector can enter the awards by submitting an entry form on the CEEQA website when entries open on 19 November.

Submitting an entry form provides the jury with accurate information to support the nomination and improves a candidate’s chances of success.

The short list of candidates following the first round of judging is published on 15 April. The winners are announced on 21 May at the 2025 CEEQA Gala in Warsaw.

2026 Awards itinerary

January Announcement of members of 2026 CEEQA Jury.
6 January Entries open
6 March Entries close
16 March Publication of 2025 long list of candidates including all nominees and entries.
14 April Announcement of 2025 Short List of candidates following the first round of judging.
19 May Jury Dinner and final voting round
20 May 20th annual CEEQA Gala

2026 award categories & entry forms

Qualifying markets

The awards are for business leadership and achievement in commercial real estate development during the last calendar year up to and including 31st January 2024, in five categories. They apply to all business activity and performance conducted within any or all of the 18 listed country markets during the previous calendar year.

New award category

The 2026 edition of the CEEQA awards includes a new award category for Tech services provider of the year (see Company Awards below).

TRANSACTION AWARDS

For influential investment transactions of the year completed during the last calendar year up to and including 31st January 2026, in two categories:

Single asset transaction of the year
Portfolio asset transaction of the year

BUILDING AWARDS

For best-in-class real estate projects of the year completed for occupancy during the last calendar year up to and including 31st January 2026, in five categories:

Office development of the year category sponsor Erste Group
Retail development of the year
Residential & hotel development of the year
Mixed use development of the year category sponsor Cushman & Wakefield
ESG Champion building of the year

To register for this year’s awards and make a submission go here.

The winners and other highest placed entrants in each category from the above listed CEE and SEE markets in the first online scoring judging round are automatically put forward for voting for the overall Building of the year award. It is not possible to enter this category separately:

Building of the year

COMPANY AWARDS

For outstanding companies of the year in business achievement and sector leadership in commercial real estate during the last calendar year up to and including 31st January 2026, in nine categories:

Developer of the year category sponsor Helaba
Industrial developer of the year
Investor of the year category sponsor Panattoni
Lender of the year category sponsor AFI Europe
Legal & financial consulting firm of the year category sponsor AFI Europe
Property management company of the year
Development and construction services company of the year
Tech provider of the year * NEW CATEGORY
Rising star company of the year category sponsor pbb Deutsche Pfandbriefbank

To register for this year’s awards and make a submission go here.

The winners in each category from the above listed are automatically put forward for voting by the CEEQA Gala audience in a live electronic vote to decide the winner in the following category. It is not possible to enter this category separately:

Company of the year

AGENCY AWARDS

For outstanding business achievement and leadership in commercial real estate agency during the last calendar year up to and including 31st January 2026, in three categories.

Agent of the year sponsor CTP
Capital markets agent of the year sponsor Penta Real Estate
Local agent of the year

To register for this year’s awards and make a submission go here.

GRAND AWARDS

For overall market leadership including buildings, companies & people in five categories. The only category in this section for which entries can be submitted is for individual business performance during the past calendar year up to and including 31st January 2026:

Industry professional of the year in partnership with RICS
Rising star industry professional of the year

To register for this year’s awards and make a submission go here.

We wish all award entrants the best of luck. Any companies wishing to explore commercial partnership with CEEQA 2025 please contact us.

SECTOR LEADERSHIP AWARD

CEEQA’s garland annual award is for an individual who has made a significant and durable contribution to the sector regionally and internationally. This award is given by the organiser in consultation with the jury, and is the only award announced before the Gala. It is not possible to enter this award category:

Lifetime achievement in real estate Category sponsor Generali Real Estate. The sector’s garland award for significant and durable contribution to the CEE & SEE real estate market place.