FMB opens entries for 2027 Master Builder Awards with FOTON pick-up as top prize

The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has opened nominations for its 2027 Master Builder Awards, with free entry for members until 8 January 2027 and a FOTON Tunland pick-up truck for the overall winner.

The trade body said every nominee is automatically in the running for the pick-up, supplied by headline sponsor FOTON. The FMB's press release put its value at over £42,000, while its listing for the London ceremony gives a figure of £42,000.

Regional and UK Nations ceremonies will be held in spring 2027, the FMB said, with finalists competing for the national titles on 24 September 2027 at the Royal Armouries in Leeds. TV presenter Nick Knowles will host the final.

Brian Berry, Chief Executive, Federation of Master Builders, said: "I strongly encourage every FMB Master Builder company to enter our Awards. Your work deserves recognition, and the Awards are your chance to show homeowners the standard they should expect."

Categories and eligibility

According to the FMB's entry page, the 2027 categories include Small, Medium and Large Renovation Project, Housebuilder, Kitchen, Bathroom, Commercial or Public Sector Project, Sustainable Building, Young Builder, Above and Beyond, Business Excellence and Workplace Culture.

The Workplace Culture Award is judged only at national level and will not feature at the regional ceremonies in England or the nations ceremonies in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the FMB said.

Projects entered must have been completed between 1 January 2025 and 1 January 2027. The formal deadline is 5pm on Friday 8 January 2027, and nominations submitted by 11.59pm on 23 December 2026 go into an early-entry prize draw.

Homeowners can also nominate a Master Builder, an individual tradesperson, a team or an apprentice, the FMB said, and it asked members to tell clients that nominations are open.

The awards are open to FMB members in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Non-members can enter provided they join before 8 January 2027, and the FMB's terms set no limit on the number of entries a Master Builder can make or be nominated for.

Judging

The FMB's awards terms state that judging is conducted across seven regions and home nations, including Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, North, Central London and South. All judging panels are made up of people independent of the FMB, its employees and the entrants.

Charlee Jackson of Jackson Building Solutions Ltd, which won the Sustainable Building Award in the Southern Counties in 2025, said: "Knowing the award was judged by our peers makes it mean so much more."

Paul Dempsey, Managing Director of True Build Trade Services Ltd in Scotland, said in the FMB release that the awards give the whole team external recognition for the standards they work to achieve every day.

The sponsor and the prize

FOTON, which the FMB described as a Chinese commercial vehicle manufacturer, plans to introduce the Tunland to the UK in early 2027. The FMB said it is the brand's first vehicle to be made available in the UK market.

The FMB's awards page describes the prize for the 2027 Overall Master Builder of the Year as a FOTON Tunland V9 with a payload of more than one tonne, 3.5-tonne towing capacity and 4x4 capability.

George Wallis, Head of Marketing at FOTON UK, said in the release that the company was proud to support the awards and shared values of craftsmanship, strength and user-led innovation.

Other 2027 sponsors listed by the FMB include Buildscout, JCB and JCB Finance, People's Partnership, TradePoint, The Digital Department and Citation. The FMB said sponsorship opportunities for the 2027 awards are still available.

Background

The 2025 Overall Master Builder of the Year was Neath-based R & M Williams Limited, which the FMB reported drove away in a £42,000 Isuzu truck. Mark Williams of the firm said on the FMB awards page that there is nothing to lose and a lot to gain from entering.

The FMB describes itself as the UK's largest trade association for small and medium-sized (SME) building companies, with around 6,500 vetted SME building company members. Every company that joins undergoes vetting and inspection before becoming a Master Builder, it said.

The London regional ceremony for 2027 takes place on 7 May 2027 at the Hilton London Paddington.