2026 Awards entry deadline extended
The Association for Rental Living, the membership body for all institutionally backed, professionally managed purpose-built rental living sectors, has announced the extension of the entry deadline for its prestigious 2026 ARL Awards to 30 September.
Designed to honour key contributors across the rental living sector, the free-to-enter annual awards have this year increased from four categories to six, along with a seventh, one-off award to mark a decade of the Association for Rental Living’s operations.
It is due to this category expansion and high levels of interest that nominations will now be accepted until 23.59 on Wednesday 30 September 2026.
2026 Association for Rental Living Awards include the new categories of Culture Champion, Secret Superhero and Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, which add to the existing annual awards: Rising Star, Industry Shaper and Lifetime Achievement, along with the special Decade of Dedication Award.
The diversity of the categories ensures that contributors to rental living success and evolution can be recognised at different stages of their careers, from established sector movers and shakers to the next generation of industry shapers.
The 2026 awards ceremony will take place during the evening of 10th November 2026, immediately following the ARL Annual Conference and concurrent NextGen Pathways Conference.
The Rising Star Award honours an exceptional emerging professional who has demonstrated outstanding initiative, influence and leadership early in their career, while the Industry Shaper Award recognises transformative progress driven by those who challenge convention, champion new ideas and create lasting change. In addition, the Lifetime Achievement Award is to recognise individuals whose leadership, vision and commitment have helped define the sector’s future through lasting contributions.
The new Culture Champion Award celebrates individuals who inspire, support and empower those around them through outstanding contributions to creating an inclusive, positive and engaging workplace culture. The new Secret Superhero Award recognises people who quietly make a remarkable difference and the new Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Award celebrates an individual who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in championing EDI to create a more equitable, representative and welcoming sector for all.
Finally for 2026, the Decade of Dedication Award recognises an individual whose unwavering support, commitment and contribution have helped shape the Association for Rental Living’s remarkable journey over the past ten years.
Brendan Geraghty, Chief Executive of the Association for Rental Living, comments: “We are delighted to expand the 2026 Association for Rental Living Awards to recognise more of the talented and dedicated individuals who make a difference to the rental living sector every day. The sector’s rapid expansion and evolution over the past ten years could not have taken place without the vision, passion and hard work of so many people. It will be our privilege to recognise a number of those contributors through the ARL Awards on 10 November.”