3D Mapping Award

3D Mapping Award

The annual British Cartographic Society 3D Mapping Award is supported by GD3D® the 3D geospatial brand from Garsdale Design. It is an exciting competition open to everyone in any industry creating interesting, informative, exciting 3D cartography (real or imagined) using any technique and/or medium!

[Scroll to the end for a list of past winners.]

Currently we find 3D representations all around us, whether it is a web map, a survey plan, a planning visualisation, or even a computer game. This can come in many forms from a simple isometric drawing through to full haptic virtual reality.

We don’t care what industry you are in or what software you use, whether you are a surveyor, cartographer, GIS user, artist, engineer, data scientist, or other, we just want to see your amazing 3D representations and hope the entries will challenge everyone’s perception of what 3D cartography is!


There are many interpretations of what 3D cartography is, so we don’t want to limit entries. We propose an award for an overall winner based on communication of the intended message, legibility, simplicity, visual impact, and composition. There will also be commended awards for those we see as having merit in particular areas, science, statistics, visualisation, urban, natural environment, fictional, and other.

Entries will be considered by a panel of judges, appointed by the GD3D® team at Garsdale Design and the BCS Awards Committee. The panel will judge the quality and design of the map in relation to the purpose for which the map was produced.

The award comprises a crystal trophy to be retained by the winner and a certificate. The winning entry will be put forward for the BCS Award. Those commended will receive a certificate.

All entries will be exhibited at the BCS Conference and the winners will be published in The Cartographic Journal and on the BCS website following the Awards Ceremony.

We don’t want to limit the entries but as guidance below is an example list of entry types. This list is not exhaustive, and the judging panel will consider other formats as appropriate:

  • Web map
  • 3D print
  • Game executable
  • VR formats compatible with HoloLens, HTC Vive, Apple & Android
  • GIS format
  • PDF
  • Paper
  • Mobile Application (Android or iPhone)

You can read more about the other awards from the British Cartographic Society here.

Past Winners

2022/2023

WINNER: Cherry Blossom Invitation by Zhang Jiangyue, Wang Lingqi, Zhang Yiqi, Huang Xuyuan, Weng Min, Kang Mengjun, and Su Shiliang at Urban Computing & Visualization Lab
Highly Commended: Thames Water by Loraine Rutt
Highly Commended: The Great Fire of 1666 in Modern London by Julian Hoffman Antion
Commended: BLOOD AND PLASMA POWERHOUSES by Matthew Lam

2021/2022


WINNER: Tokyo Eat Map by Julian Hoffman Anton
Highly Commended: Mapping the Blue Ridge Parkway by Daniel Watts
Commended: Harran University Osmanbey Campus by Halil Ibrahim Senol
Commended: Map of Caithness (1929/2021) by Kirsty Maclean
Commended: QE2 Replica Chart by Peter Bolt

2020/2021

WINNER: ‘Screwed’ by Kenneth Field
Highly Commended: Campus Map by Raluca Nicola
Highly Commended: Moon: Landscapes and Lunar Landings by Kenneth Field
Commended: An interactive 3D visualisation of Banegraven Project by Eric Armitage

2019

WINNER :Coral Cities by Craig Taylor – Ito World :The Coral Cities — mapzilla

Highly Commended: Old Zurich in Photos by Raluca Nicola
Highly Commended: Mars in 3D by Kenneth Field
Highly Commended: St Helens by Brandon Brooks
Highly Commended: 3D Maps of South America by Mrs Jo Safadari & Oak Class (Year 3), Summer Fields Pre-Prep

2018

WINNER: The Multi-Layer Wood Map – Overview Maps, David Kidd :Overview Maps Custom Wood Maps
Which also won the The British Cartographic Society Award