The Turner Contemporary in Margate was one of Kent's design projects praised at the launch of the awards.

The quest to find top quality designs across the county has begun.

Every two years, the Kent Design and Development Awards unearth some real gems - from schools to private homes and regeneration schemes to warehouses.

The 2012 awards were launched at the London Golf Club, Brands Hatch.

They are backed by Kent County Council, Ward Homes and DHA Planning, Maidstone, and organised by the Kent Design Initiative, a public/private partnership of developers, house-builders, architects, planners and others.

There are five categories this year - Residential (sponsored by RCC Land and New Homes); Commercial, Industrial and Retail (Thomson Snell and Passmore); Civils and Infrastructure (CTP); Public Buildings (Kent Construction Focus Group); Environmental Performance (Morgan Sindall); and Overall Winner and Project of the Year (DHA Planning).

KCC leader Cllr Paul Carter said the awards were an opportunity to celebrate excellence.

He said: "We are enormously privileged and lucky in Kent to have so many creative architects and development teams."

He singled out the new Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury, and Turner Contemporary, Margate, as outstanding recent examples of good design that had a big economic impact.

Experts argue good design attracts jobs and inward investment, with innovative eco-friendly projects saving resources and helping to create a lower carbon economy.

The deadline for entries is June 15, culminating in a presentation event in November. For more details, visit www.kent.gov.uk/designawards.