Premier Trophy Awards

The awards recognise the highest standards of skill, craft, and innovation within the painting and decorating sector, highlighting the diversity of talent and dedication among UK professionals.

The 2026 Premier Trophy Awards is closed for entries.

Entry closed on 9 January 2026.
The 2026 Awards ceremony will be held at Plaisterers’ Hall, London on 2 July 2026.

The prestigious Premier Trophy Awards is the PDA’s flagship annual independent competition for the painting and decorating sector. The objective of the awards is to demonstrate the outstanding skill and craftsmanship, show the efficiency of service to clients, and develop the highest standards of excellence for the industry.

In order to represent the diversity of the sector, there are seven categories, which cover both internal and external applications:

This could include the use of conventional coatings, spray work, paperhanging, and projects with a colourful design.

This could include the use of conventional coatings, wood stains, decorative techniques, and specialists’ finishes such as gilding, marbling graining and artwork.

This represents the vast quantity of work carried out in small domestic and small contracts area. For this award you should be a company with no more than seven employees.

This includes domestic dwellings, housing association contracts, apartments, and student accommodation.

This includes offices, leisure centres, hotels, retail outlets, education, and health establishments.

This category is where at least 70% of the work is on new surfaces that have not been painted or coated before using conventional coatings, wall coverings, or spray work.

This could include the use of conventional and high-performance coatings to transport infrastructures and works or premises.

The glittering awards ceremony takes place each year at the historic Plaisterers’ Hall, with awards presented to those who have excelled in their category. One winning entry from across all categories is selected as the Supreme Winner – an accolade that marks exceptional professionalism, expertise and dedication to the craft.

The Awards are open to all UK painting and decorating firms, whether you’re a sole trader, small contractor, or national firm. Entries are judged independently by assessors from The Institute of Clerks of Works and Construction Inspectorate.

Apprentice of the Year

According to Build UK and CITB, construction needs to recruit over 50,000 new entrants per year. Under the umbrella of the Premier Trophy Awards, the PDA recognises new talent entering our sector through the Apprentice of the Year competition. The winners of the annual competition are presented during the Awards ceremony.

A brief history

Launched in 1987, the Premier Trophy Awards were the brainchild of professionals and suppliers who joined forces to improve the profile of the sector at the Building Employers Confederation headquarters.

As a result, the National Federation of Painting and Decorating Contractors (NFPDC) implemented a competition with the appointment of the Clerk of Works Incorporation Council (ICW) as independent inspectors.