Because of the pandemic, governments around the world have implemented lockdowns in various shapes and forms to help reduce or control the spread of Covid 19. During this time, many were not allowed to visit and experience public spaces. This has caused a yearning for public spaces in communities especially those that have been subjected to multiple lockdowns. Placemaking however can also be a means to strengthen community bonds during this challenging time, raise awareness and protection to improve public health and help those effected by Covid 19 (communities or local businesses) once lockdowns were relaxed.

Placemaker Awards ASEAN 2021 is proud to announce a new category in our awards, ‘Placemaking During the Pandemic’, which aims to showcase the creativity and ingenuity of placemakers from around the ASEAN region and how they have taken to the unique challenge that is the pandemic. As the pandemic continues and more and more communities are kept indoors local authorities, private organisations and NGOs have done their best to lessen the blow of the pandemic, helping communities that otherwise would not be able to help themselves.

The Placemaker Awards ASEAN 2021 wants to shed light on these initiatives to give them the recognition they deserve because while placemaking is about sustainability and the ongoing improvement or adaptation of public spaces to meet community goals and needs. People matter most and we would like to showcase how resilient and important public spaces are when it comes to recovery.

We invite any Government Organisations, Private Organisations and NGOs from all around the ASEAN region to enter so that your efforts can be recognized and inspire others to take up the challenge of placemaking during the pandemic. Great ideas should be shared.

•	Submissions must cover projects that took place between January 1, 2020 to the September 20, 2021.
•	All work and projects must have been conceptualised and implemented by organisations and communities throughout ASEAN that showcases authentic efforts to improve their local communities through the initiation of projects that add to the public realm and protects public health.
•	Entrants from the following countries are eligible: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
•	Submissions should be focused on urban public spaces such as parks, plazas, squares and open space formats such as community-serving spaces.
•	Submissions should be focused on urban public spaces such as parks, plazas, squares and open space formats such as community-serving spaces.
•	Submissions from private-public spaces are also allowed such as retail and commercial developments that add to the quality of life for surrounding communities.
•	Your submission can include programmes that raise awareness and/or enhance the protection of health (can be mental or physical health or a combination of the two).
•	Applications are open to everyone and can be submitted by public organizations, non-governmental organizations, developers, designers, community advocates, and others.
•	Applicants must also be the group responsible for driving the placemaking programmes to be it the creation, maintenance, programming and marketing of the public space and associated programmes.