The Greenovate Awards are back for 2025 with more prizes, new categories and an important milestone to celebrate – 10 years of inspiring young people to design practical sustainability solutions for South Africa’s built environment.
Entries are open for the prestigious competition, founded in 2015 by Growthpoint Properties in partnership with the Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA).
Since its launch, Greenovate has grown into the country’s leading platform for student sustainability innovation, giving honours and final year students the chance to see their ideas tested against real industry challenges.
Greenovate was created to bridge the gap between academia and industry. At the time, students were graduating with strong technical skills but little exposure to sustainability in practice. Growthpoint and the GBCSA set out to change that, giving students access to mentorship, real projects and the opportunity to present their research to senior leaders in the property and engineering sectors.
Over the past 10 years, Greenovate has done more than launch careers. It has become a recognised talent pipeline for the industry, introducing new thinking and fresh energy into the conversation about sustainability. More than R1-million in prize money has been awarded to students from over nine universities nationwide, across property, engineering and proptech streams.
Winning ideas have gone on to influence the market, with Growthpoint piloting projects such as a smart energy management system developed by student winner Julian Banks. Alumni including Wardah Peters have returned to the programme as mentors, showing how Greenovate has built a community of sustainability professionals and thought leaders.
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Greenovate has added two new awards, each worth R10 000 and sponsored by Growthpoint.
The Sustainability in Action Award will go to the engineering project with the best potential to be implemented within Growthpoint’s portfolio or systems. Judges will be looking for relevance to Growthpoint’s sustainability objectives, ease of implementation and measurable impact on resource efficiency, emissions reduction or operational cost savings.
The Transformative Impact Award will recognise the property, quantity surveying or construction project that demonstrates the strongest alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and overall ESG performance. Criteria include clear links to SDG targets, contribution to ESG indicators and measurable impact on global sustainability priorities.
These new prizes add to an already significant prize pool. The top three projects in both property and engineering will receive R40 000, R20 500 and R14 000 respectively. The competition also offers the coveted IFC prize linked to EDGE Expert Accreditation, and top students benefit from GBCSA Accredited Professional candidate courses.
Finalists present their projects to an expert panel of judges, and winners are announced at the Greenovate Awards gala dinner. Top teams are also invited to participate at the Innovation Stage at the annual GBCSA Convention – a career-defining opportunity to showcase their work to business leaders and influencers.
“Reaching the 10-year mark with Greenovate is a proud moment for Growthpoint. This initiative has grown into a genuine talent pipeline for the property industry, bringing fresh thinking into how we manage and develop sustainable buildings. What excites us most is seeing student ideas translate into solutions that can be implemented in our world today. By investing in young innovators, we are investing in the future of the built environment and the resilience of our sector,” says Engelbert Binedell, chief operating officer of Growthpoint Properties.
Lisa Reynolds, CEO of the Green Building Council South Africa, comments: “Greenovate was created to give students a voice in the sustainability conversation, and ten years later it has become a powerful platform for the next generation of leaders. Every year we see young people tackling complex challenges with creativity and rigour, and that gives us real confidence in the future of green building. The competition has not only shifted student perspectives, it has also influenced the industry by embedding sustainability into education, research and professional practice.”
Entries for the 2025 Greenovate Awards close on 10 November 2025. The competition’s mentoring day is 26 November, and the judging and gala dinner take place on 27 November. The competition is open to honours and final year students in property studies, construction, quantity surveying and engineering.
Students can register and find more information at www.greenovatecompetition.co.za/register.