GBCSA 2026 Certification Timelines

2026 Certification Submission and registration Timelines

Thank you to our project teams, property owners, and developers who are leading the way in advancing environmental sustainability within the built environment. Your hard work and commitment to green building excellence are truly valued.

To ensure that your certified project can be communicated and celebrated at the Convention, or achieve certification ahead of specific dates, please take note of the following timelines:

GBCSA’s annual convention takes place 27-29 October 2026.

During this time, we will unfortunately not be available to process certifications or payments.

To be eligible for an award at the 2026 Convention your project will have needed to have achieved its certification between the period of 1 Jul 2025 – 30 June 2026.

GBCSA's annual closure is from 18 December 2026 to 6 January 2027.

During this time, we will not be available to process certifications or payments.

Should you wish to get projects registered in 2026 to benefit from the current registration rates and/or certified in 2026, we urge you to get your projects registered/submitted timeously.

The GBCSA team will not be contactable from 12h00 on 11 December 2026.

Registrations: Please consider the full payment process when factoring in the time required to finish the invoicing and payment requirements of your company.

Certifications: Please consider the entire certification process required for Round 1 and Round 2 within your project programme. Green Star APs and/or EDGE Experts and Auditors are responsible for communicating this to project owners and guiding projects teams by taking these timelines into consideration.

GBCSA’S Annual Convention timelines

Please take note of the following timelines in relation to Convention:

ZENDESK

Dates to consider where there will be interruptions to Zendesk tickets.

• Please ensure Zendesk tickets (normal TCE or clarification) are submitted by 6 October 2026. These will have the standard two-week turnaround time.

• Any Zendesk tickets submitted from 7 October 2026 could experience delays. Any Zendesk tickets submitted close to the Convention period are subject to the availability of GBCSA staff, assessors, moderators and/or reviewers.

GBCSA's Annual Closure timelines

Please take note of the following timelines in relation to Annual Closure:

ZENDESK TICKETS

There will be interruptions to Zendesk tickets.

• Please ensure Zendesk tickets (normal TCE or clarification) are submitted by 23 November 2026. These will have the standard two-week turnaround time.
• Any CIR & Eligibilities, or tickets requiring TAG submitted from 24 November 2026 will experience delays due to the office shutdown period.

REGISTRATION ACTIVATION AND PAYMENTS

• If there is a project that you would like to be fully registered and activated before the GBCSA office shutdown, please ensure that a signed certification agreement and payment is received by 7 December 2026.
• If you would like your project to benefit from 2026 fees, please ensure the GBCSA receives payment and the signed certification agreement is uploaded/submitted by 31 December 2026. Full activation, however, will happen once the GBCSA team is back in office from 7 January 2027.
• For bulk registrations, please make certain of your account procedures for the invoice and payments process when seeking benefit from 2026 fees- this process can take between 2-4 weeks from project registration (for Green Star via Certification Engine or manually and EDGE via the EDGE App) to tax invoice, to make payment runs. The GBCSA will not be contactable from 12h00 on 11 December 2026.

Please be advised that GBCSA will be adhering strictly to the deadlines outlined in this document. Late submissions cannot be accommodated, and the certification process will not be fast-tracked, as doing so places undue pressure on our staff, assessors, moderators, and reviewers. Deadlines are carefully set to balance workloads across the year, so we encourage project teams to plan ahead and submit on time to ensure a smooth process.

For multiple or bulk project submissions in 2026, please contact the GBCSA in advance to discuss the proposed submission timelines.

We expect 2026 to be an exciting year for Green Star, Net Zero, EWP and EDGE certifications, as building owners and occupants continue to enjoy the health, environmental, and financial benefits of certified green buildings. We look forward to partnering with professional teams to help bring their green ambitions to life this year.