LEED Fellow Handbook
Updated January 2026
Introduction
Overview
LEED Fellow is the most prestigious designation awarded by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI®). The LEED Fellow Program was established to recognize outstanding LEED APs. To be selected, LEED Fellows must demonstrate exceptional LEED-related impacts for at least ten years in each of the
four out of five primary dimensions of LEED practice, or mastery elements, which they select. These elements include technical LEED knowledge and skill; exemplary leadership in LEED; significant contributions in LEED-related teaching, mentoring or research related to LEED with proven outcomes; and a history of highly impactful commitment, service, and advocacy for LEED.
Key dates
The LEED Fellow application process is online. The online application includes two parts: Part 1: Initial Qualifications, and Part 2: Application Components. The eligibility requirements listed below are verified by the system when the nominee completes Part 1 and Part 2 of the online application form. Details and key dates of the application period can be found in the 2026 LEED Fellow Application Process and Key Dates (Annex B) supplemental document.
Eligibility requirements
Nominee eligibility requirements
To be eligible to submit an application for the LEED Fellow designation, the nominee must:
Be a LEED AP with specialty in good standing at the time of submission, and continuously, without lapsing, until awardees are announced.
Have held a LEED AP credential for at least eight years on or before January 1 of the year in which they apply. For the 2026 cycle, nominees must have held a LEED AP credential on or before January 1, 2018.
Demonstrate at least ten years of exceptional LEED-related impacts in technical proficiency, and three out of the four remaining mastery elements.
Not be a nominator for another nominee in the same year.
Consider whether the time is right to apply.
Application team
A team effort is required to qualify and apply for the LEED Fellow designation. In addition to the nominee, the application team must include six other people: the nominator, four mastery element endorsers, and one project experience statement writer.
Nominator eligibility requirements
To nominate someone for the LEED Fellow designation, the nominator must:
Be a LEED AP with specialty in good standing at submission, and continuously, without lapsing, until awardees are announced.
Have at least ten years of professional LEED-specific experience.
Not be a nominator for another nominee in the same year. Nominators can only nominate only one individual per year.
Not also be a nominee in the same year.
Not be a LEED Fellow Emeritus
Do not write other statements (mastery element endorsements or the project experience statement) for the person they nominate. Each statement must be written by a unique individual.
Not be a current staff member of USGBC and GBCI (including all subsidiaries).
Not be a current member of the USGBC and the GBCI Board of Directors.
Review the considerations for nominators and endorsers below.
Endorser eligibility requirements
In addition to the nominator and nominee, the remaining application team members are the LEED project experience statement writer and the four mastery element endorsers.
Project experience statement writer eligibility requirements:
Current staff of USGBC and GBCI (including all subsidiaries) may not be LEED project experience statement writers.
Current members of the USGBC and the GBCI Board of Directors cannot be LEED project experience statement writers.
Cannot be a nominator or a mastery element endorser in the same year.
Mastery element endorser eligibility requirements:
At least two of the four endorsers must have a LEED AP with specialty credential in good standing at the time of endorsement and continuously, without lapsing, until awardees are announced.
Only one of the four mastery element endorsements may come from the nominee’s own organization at the time of application.
Endorsers cannot write more than one endorsement for the same nominee. Each statement must be written by a unique individual.
Current staff of USGBC, GBCI, and Arc Skoru (including all subsidiaries) may not be endorsers.
Current members of the USGBC and the GBCI Board of Directors cannot be endorsers.
Cannot be a nominator or the project experience statement writer in the same year.
LEED Fellow Emeritus cannot be endorsers.
Review the considerations for nominators and endorsers below.
Points of note:
To be selected, a nominee must demonstrate exceptional LEED-related impacts for at least ten years in each of the four out of five mastery elements that they choose. As such, very few individuals with only ten years of total professional experience with LEED will be able to demonstrate true exceptionality across all selected mastery elements for that entire ten-year period.
Educational experiences (e.g., earning a bachelor’s or master’s degree) may not be counted toward LEED professional experience.
Activities related to rating systems other than LEED may not be counted towards LEED professional experience.
The LEED Fellow application process is a team effort amongst the entire application team, who must all agree to the program policies stated in this handbook.
Nominees should select nominators and endorsers who know them and their work. It is better to choose nominators and endorsers who can speak directly to the nominee’s work and impact rather than a high-profile person who does not know the nominee.
Nominees should consider whether there could be a real or perceived conflict of interest in the relationship between themselves and each of their endorsers. (e.g., endorsements from supervisors or subordinates).
Family members may not be nominators or endorsers.
Mastery elements
The five primary dimensions of LEED practice are termed mastery elements. These are:
Technical proficiency (required)
Education and mentoring
Leadership
Commitment and service
Advocacy
The application process requires nominees to demonstrate consistent, quantifiable, and exceptional LEED-related impacts over at least the past ten years, in four of these five areas. One of the four must be technical proficiency, and the nominee must choose three additional mastery elements.
Technical proficiency (required)
A LEED Fellow demonstrates expert-level technical proficiency in LEED.
Take a project from start to finish within a LEED rating system.
Have an in-depth understanding of the application of at least one LEED rating system and a general understanding of multiple LEED rating systems.
Demonstrate a long period of sustained high-level contribution to the field.
Is highly respected by peers.
Can understand and communicate the challenges, issues, and benefits of LEED.
Have achieved technical milestones that distinguish them from their peers.
Education and mentoring
A LEED Fellow provides education by furthering the knowledge of existing LEED practitioners and mentoring younger generations of LEED practitioners.
Expand the reach of their work by educating and inspiring others in the field.
Use experience and knowledge to prepare the next generation of leadership.
Identify internal and external education and training needs and provide the means for satisfying those needs.
Engage in research that has added value to the built environment and contributes to the LEED body of knowledge.
Deliver speeches and lectures, and contribute to or write articles or books on issues related to LEED and green building.
Leadership
A LEED Fellow is an organizational and industry leader.
Have a history of exemplary leadership and accomplishment involving advancing and implementing the LEED body of knowledge.
Recognize the opportunity to implement green technology and practice in their organization, clients' buildings or the community, and demonstrate contributions that go above and beyond their typical job responsibilities.
Have led a project team, facilitating the accomplishment of project vision and goals.
Have been actively engaged in the development of LEED.
Commitment and service
A LEED Fellow demonstrates a history of commitment and service to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and LEED.
Be a longstanding USGBC or GBCI volunteer.
Have applied green building values that are in line with those of USGBC or GBCI.
Have a history of public and community service related to LEED.
Advocacy
A LEED Fellow is a longstanding advocate of LEED and makes an impact by getting LEED adopted by organizations, municipalities, or groups that had not previously adopted it.
Positively represent LEED, USGBC, and GBCI regionally, nationally, or internationally.
Advocate for ideas, concepts, and technologies that contribute to the sustainability of the built environment.
Encourage adoption and use of LEED rating systems with clients, communities and government.
Advocate for a holistic approach to sustainability.
Points of note
Each mastery element is defined by guiding statements. These are the most common ways that nominees have historically demonstrated that they have had an exceptional impact. They are not a checklist of requirements, nor the only ways a nominee can demonstrate an exceptional impact.
For a nominee’s impacts to contribute towards being awarded the LEED Fellow designation, their impacts must be specific to LEED.
Application
Application period
The LEED Fellow application is an online application. The link to this online application will automatically appear within the Nominee’s USGBC account under the Credentials section at the time of program launch each year. The link is visible only if the following criteria are met:
The Nominee is a LEED AP with specialty in good standing at the time of application. (If you are interested in applying for LEED Fellow and your LEED AP with specialty credential has expired, please renew your credential(s)).
The Nominee should have held a LEED AP credential for at least eight years on or before January 1 of the year they apply.
To be eligible to apply in 2026, the nominee should have a LEED AP credential on or before January 1, 2018.
To check eligibility, log in to your USGBC account when the program launches each year. Eligible nominees will also receive an email from GBCI informing their eligibility.
If the user is already a LEED Fellow or a LEED Fellow Emeritus, the LEED Fellow online application link will not appear for them.
There are two parts to the LEED Fellow Online application: Part 1 – Initial Qualifications and Part 2 – Application Components. Once the Nominee has completed Part 1 and Part 2 of the online application and their initial eligibility requirements are met, they will be directed to the Payment page. The Nominee’s online application will be considered submitted for the LEED Fellow Program as soon as the payment is successfully completed. Details and key dates are posted in Annex B.
To apply for designation as a LEED Fellow, a qualified nominee must be nominated by a qualified nominator and endorsed by qualified endorsers (see eligibility requirements).
Before applying...
Consider whether the time is right.
Successful applications require significant effort on the part of the nominee and the entire application team. Therefore, before deciding whether to apply, the nominee should consider whether the timing is right. For Example:
You can document the ten years of LEED-specific impacts in Technical Proficiency and three other Mastery Elements, with clear dates and metrics.
Your endorsers are confirmed, available, and can provide specific, evidence-based letters (not general praise) by the deadlines.
You have bandwidth during the program schedule to coordinate letters, compile evidence, and revise after Round 1 feedback as applicable.
To be selected, a nominee must show exceptional impact with LEED for at least ten years in technical proficiency and all three nominee-selected LEED mastery elements. Prospective nominees should be able to clearly list an exceptional impact beginning at least 10 years prior to the year in which they apply in each of their selected mastery elements.
Assemble the application team.
Optimally, the nominee and nominator work together to identify four endorsers and a project experience statement writer who represent a diverse range of informed perspectives regarding the nominee’s LEED practice. These individuals can cumulatively attest to the nominee’s exceptional impacts in four of the five mastery elements over the course of ten years.
Successful application teams typically take an “integrative design approach” to ensure that application components work together to collectively highlight the nominee’s entire career as described in the nominee’s CV/resume.
Considerations for nominators and endorsers
Nominators and endorsers should know the nominee and their work to the degree that they can speak directly to the nominee’s exceptional LEED-related impact.
Each application team member is expected to have read the LEED Fellow Handbook and Key Dates document and should have a full understanding of the program requirements and the selection criteria before deciding to endorse a nominee.
Consider the length and breadth of the individual’s experience. If the individual has only 10 years of total professional experience with LEED, consider whether they have been able to demonstrate the exceptionality that is needed for LEED Fellow.
Remember, the nominee’s exceptionality with LEED needs to have started at a minimum of 10 years ago and continued throughout those 10 years in each mastery element. However, if there are gaps in a nominee's professional career, it is the nominee’s responsibility to explain those gaps in their application and cover LEED-related exceptionality for that time by going back in the timeline.
For examples of exceptional statements from previous years, review Annex A – Exemplary Applications.
Returning nominees
Not all nominees make it on their very first attempt. We encourage such nominees to reassess and reapply for LEED Fellow when they are ready again. We suggest that they keep their previous feedback in mind as they reapply.
Know that a different set of evaluators may review the returning nominee’s new application, and it is possible that previously denied or accepted mastery elements may yield a different decision as part of the new application.
Returning nominees must not include their evaluator feedback comments from previous attempts. This is to avoid any bias as a new group of evaluators review the application material.
Application components
A complete application includes all the following components:
Nominator CV
The nominator’s CV/resume details their impacts in green building for at least ten years and describes the breadth and depth of their experience with LEED. It is not used in evaluating the nominee’s impacts, but may help evaluators to understand the relationship between the nominee and the nominator.
This document is created by the nominator. View nominator eligibility requirements.
Nominee CV
The nominee’s CV/resume details at least ten years of exceptional impact in LEED in each mastery element.
The nominee’s CV acts as a table of contents for the rest of the application. It should include dates, by year, for all activities described to clearly demonstrate the ten-year duration of the nominee’s exceptional impact with LEED in each mastery element. It should briefly indicate the nominee’s role and the exceptional impact of each activity. Further elaboration of these impacts can be given in the statements.
Any project referenced in a statement or endorsement should be included in the nominee's CV in the technical proficiency section. When referencing projects in the technical proficiency section of the CV, nominees must always include the LEED certification level reached and the project ID number.
This document is created by the nominee. View nominee eligibility requirements.
Nominee's personal statement
The nominee’s personal statement details their exceptional LEED-related achievements in their own words. The statement should be organized around the nominee’s technical proficiency and the three selected mastery elements.
This statement is written by the nominee. View nominee eligibility requirements.
Nominator recommendation
The nominator recommendation is a statement by the nominator detailing the nominee’s exceptional LEED-related impacts. The nominator recommendation should be organized around the nominee’s technical proficiency and the three additional nominee-selected mastery elements.
This statement is written by the nominator. View nominator eligibility requirements.
Project experience statement
A statement by the project administrator or other member of a LEED project team describing the nominee’s role and contributions to a LEED-certified project. The statement should describe the nominee’s most exceptional project.
This statement is written by the LEED project experience statement writer. View the LEED project experience statement writer requirements.
Four mastery element endorsements
Four mastery element endorsements attest to the nominee’s exceptionality in each of the four mastery elements highlighted within the online application. Each endorsement must be written by a different endorser. Each mastery element endorsement attests to one and only one mastery element.
Thus, one endorser should write an endorsement attesting to the nominee’s technical proficiency, and the remaining three endorsers should each write endorsements attesting to the nominee’s abilities in one of the other three nominee-selected mastery elements.
Only one endorsement per mastery element will be accepted, and only four total mastery element endorsements will be accepted. Additional endorsements will not be accepted.
The nomination letter, project experience, statement, and endorsement letters must be dated and signed by the respective endorser and preferably written on the endorser’s company letterhead.
View endorser eligibility requirements.
Additional attachments
Beyond the four mastery element endorsements, no further endorsement statements should be submitted. However, nominees may submit additional attachments that provide supplementary information or context for the achievements and impacts referenced in the application as appropriate. Because ten years of exceptional impact is a requirement, nominees can use additional attachments to explain any gaps or breaks in their work experience.
Attachments may include images (with description or narrative), PDF documents, publications, or short audio or video narratives (1-2 minutes) from the nominee or endorsers.
Each image or PDF document will be counted toward the application length limit. The allowed file types are pdf, doc, docx, jpg, jpeg, gif.
Every 60 seconds of audio or video (rounded up to the nearest minute) will be counted towards the application length limit as the equivalent of one page of text. Provide an external URL.
LEED project list
The Nominee may also choose to upload the optional LEED project list if they would like to share a list of the LEED projects that they have worked on. The online application includes a template that can be downloaded, completed, and uploaded within the online application. This is an optional document and must be updated by the Nominee if they choose to utilize it.
This optional document will not be counted towards the application page limit.
USGBC and GBCI staff and current members of the USGBC and GBCI Board of Directors cannot provide supporting letters to nominees to be submitted as additional attachments.
Page limits
Once the Nominee has completed their online application, uploaded the required application components, submitted the application, and completed the payment, GBCI will review the application for page limit compliance. Applications will be disqualified if the page limits are exceeded.
The total length of the application package may not exceed 25 pages. Note that this total includes all application components except for the nominator CV/resume and the optional LEED Project List. Component length limits are listed below:
Nominee personal statement - up to 4 pages
Nominator recommendation - up to 4 pages
Project experience statement - up to 2 pages
Mastery element endorsements - up to 2 pages for each endorsement
Nominee CV/resume and additional attachments - up to 7 pages
Points of note
A nominee’s documentation in response to Round 1 feedback for the year they apply in, is not subject to the page limit.
Applications should be concise but comprehensive.
Applications and supporting documents must be submitted in English. If the application includes language other than English, the nominee is responsible for providing an English translation. Please note that endorser letters that have been translated must contain the original endorser’s signature.
Each statement should highlight different elements of the nominee’s career in a way that minimizes duplication.
Failure to submit the entire application by the stated deadlines will result in the nominee’s disqualification from the LEED Fellow Program. The application form may be resubmitted during the next application cycle.
Endorsers should include a brief statement explaining their relationship to the nominee within their endorsement.
No statement or other document should include quotations or commentary (such as pull quotes) from anyone who is not the approved statement author.
The application should include all necessary context about the nominee’s region (i.e., culture, societal norms, and the prevalence of LEED in their region, etc.) for evaluators to understand the exceptional nature of the nominee’s impact.
Fees
The fee for a LEED Fellow application review is posted in Annex B. This fee is non-refundable and is paid by the nominee when they submit their online application.
Application submission
GBCI encourages nominees not to wait until the last day of the application period to submit their application. Failure of the nominee to submit the entire application by the published deadlines will result in their disqualification from this year’s LEED Fellow evaluation cycle.
Evaluation process
Evaluation
The evaluation committee consists of current LEED Fellows from around the world. Evaluators work in teams, with each evaluator reviewing the nominees’ entire application package and determining if an exceptional impact with LEED has been shown for ten years in each mastery element.
The evaluation process includes three rounds of evaluation:
Round 1: Evaluators perform individual reviews of the nominees’ application components and provide written feedback on whether the nominee has met the level of exceptionality for at least 10 years in each mastery element they have chosen.
During the review process, nominees may receive feedback via the online application and be asked to provide additional clarifications. Nominees are given one opportunity to submit updated application components online. In addition, nominees must submit a brief resubmittal statement explaining how and where they have responded to the Evaluator’s requests. For example nominees might say, “To respond to the request for more information about my role on the projects listed, I have provided more details in my personal statement under the technical proficiency heading on page 3, and my nominator has added additional information on page 1 of their statement."
Before submitting updated applications, nominees also have the opportunity to schedule a feedback call with GBCI staff to discuss the feedback they received.
Nominees are notified by staff once feedback is available. Projected feedback dates are listed in Annex B.
Round 2: Applications updated in response to evaluator feedback are not subject to the application page limitations, but are nevertheless encouraged to be as concise as possible, as the evaluators favor brief but comprehensive responses. It is also recommended that the application material be updated in response to evaluator feedback and that the respective endorsers re-sign and date revised letters.
Once the nominees have addressed their Round 1 evaluators' feedback, the evaluators will review the updated content and update the nominee ratings accordingly. At this stage, evaluators also have a group video call with the rest of the sub-committee evaluators and GBCI staff to discuss the applications that do not have a unanimous decision. These Round 2 group calls aim for the sub-committee evaluators to reach a consensus on each assigned nominee. Please note that the process does not allow the nominee to address evaluator feedback at this stage.
Round 3: If the evaluators cannot reach a consensus on an application during Round 2, it is moved to Round 3. This is the final round of review. Please note that nominees are not permitted to address evaluator feedback at this stage.
Round 3 concludes the evaluation process. Members of the GBCI Board of Directors then accept the list of accepted and denied nominees, followed by an official press release.
Note that the LEED Fellow evaluation process is intentionally designed to ensure decisions are based solely on the application materials submitted and are not biased (positively or negatively) by prior knowledge of a nominee’s work in the industry.
What evaluators are looking for
A well-prepared application highlights not only the nominee’s exemplary achievements in the mastery elements, but also the specific qualitative and quantitative impacts of the nominee’s work in their industry. Consider the following examples related to the mastery element of Commitment and Service:
Poor statement: As Executive Director of our local chapter, I can say nominee X is one of the most committed people I know. Their persistent efforts, both in the workplace (as evidenced by their work as Sustainable Design Lead at ABC Architects) and outside the workplace, are what truly make them a leader. It was with this passion that nominee X founded our local USGBC chapter, a vibrant and active community of professionals. They are also committed to encouraging young professionals, as evinced by the numerous hours they spend chairing our chapter’s Emerging Leaders initiative.
Average statement: As Executive Director of our local chapter, I can say nominee X is one of the most committed people I know. It was with this passion that they founded our local USGBC chapter, a vibrant and active community that is one of the largest in the area. Nominee X uses their unique ability to motivate and engage others in their work chairing our chapter’s Emerging Professionals initiative. They have put in countless hours mentoring, teaching and supporting these young professionals, who continue to drive sustainability globally.
Exemplary statement: As Executive Director of our local chapter, I have seen the impact of nominee X’s commitment and service in our region and beyond. On January 1, 2001, they founded our chapter, which is now a vibrant and active community of 10,000 members. As the chair of our chapter’s Emerging Leaders Initiative, they have used their unique ability to motivate others to engage over 300 young professionals from 2010 - 2018, who now drive sustainability in organizations worldwide.
To demonstrate exceptionality over at least a ten-year period, an application should include:
Strong, specific endorsements. The nominator and all endorsers should be very knowledgeable regarding the nominee’s accomplishments and have the ability to speak directly and specifically to the nominee’s impacts.
Clear descriptions of the dates when each activity occurred. Evaluators are looking to see that a nominee's exceptional impacts started at least ten years ago. For example, when reviewing a 2026 application, evaluators will be looking through each mastery element to identify activities with exceptional impact from the beginning of 2016 through to the end of 2025.
Clear, qualitative, and quantitative descriptions of the exceptional, LEED-related impact of each activity.
Clear descriptions of the nominee’s specific role in creating the impact, and why that activity is being grouped under a given mastery element.
Clear description of how the nominee went above and beyond their everyday role outside of their organization.
GBCI has provided a sample of exemplary applications from prior successful LEED Fellow applications in Annex A. This packet offers a sample of each letter type. Each sample is taken from a different nominee’s successful application. Although the packet provides a diverse selection of samples, it cannot convey how each individual’s application was designed to work together holistically. It is important that the application “tell the story” of the nominee’s impact. With the exception of the nominee’s CV/resume, each application component should fill in a different part of that story and avoid repeating impacts that have already been described. Since the nominee’s CV/ resume effectively functions as a table of contents for the nominee’s achievements and impacts, naturally, it will feature items that the other application components repeat and elaborate on.
If the Nominee’s application components involve plagiarism from the exemplary applications below (Annex A), the application will be disqualified.
Notification
The number of LEED Fellow nominees selected is not fixed and varies based on the quality of applications. The proposed slate of LEED Fellows is approved by the GBCI Board of Directors.
All nominees are notified by staff of the outcome of their review. Projected dates for notifications are given in Annex B. Nominees who are not selected will be given feedback explaining the rationale for the decision and opportunities for growth. They will have the chance to have a one-on-one feedback call with the staff to discuss the final feedback.
Expectation of LEED Fellows
LEED Fellows are expected to participate in the following ways:
COMPLETE AN UPDATED PERSONAL PROFILE ON USGBC.ORG: LEED Fellows are expected to maintain a complete and robust personal profile in the usgbc.org people directory. The profiles should describe achievements related to the mastery elements.
AMBASSADOR: LEED Fellows serve as ambassadors for LEED. Activities may include participating in public speaking engagements or acting as a spokesperson. The LEED Fellow must act in a way that appropriately reflects the mission and values of GBCI and USGBC.
MAINTAIN LEED AP WITH SPECIALTY: LEED Fellows must maintain at least one LEED AP with specialty credential to remain in good standing. Project work, volunteer service, mentorship, presentations, and other professional development activities performed by LEED Fellows may all contribute towards credential maintenance.
SHARE KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE: LEED Fellows are encouraged to share knowledge and experience through presentations, publications, case studies and other materials.
PARTICIPATION IN THE LEED FELLOW EVALUATION COMMITTEE: LEED Fellows are expected to volunteer to take part in the LEED Fellow Evaluation Committee at least once in the subsequent four years after being awarded. This participation is critical to the overall program’s success. Staff appoints LEED Fellows to the committee based on the number of reviews needed.
PARTICIPATE ON COMMITTEES: LEED Fellows are expected to participate on committees related to LEED. LEED Fellows are also encouraged to participate in the annual LEED Fellow Evaluation Committee.
LEED FELLOW EMERITUS: Upon the professional retirement of a LEED Fellow or if a lapse in the LEED Fellow’s sole remaining LEED AP with specialty credential occurs, the LEED Fellow’s status changes to LEED Fellow Emeritus. While no longer eligible to participate on LEED Fellow committees or serve as a LEED Fellow nominator, a LEED Fellow Emeritus is encouraged to continue to participate in activities such as speaking events, publications, and other forms of community engagement.
LEED FELLOW REVOCATION: Behavior that fails to exemplify the ideals of GBCI, and that is inconsistent with its mission and values, may result in revocation of the LEED Fellow designation. View the full policy.
Nominee confidentiality
GBCI recognizes nominees’ rights to privacy and confidentiality. GBCI policy is designed to safeguard this information from unauthorized disclosure. GBCI does not release any account details to third parties without the applicant’s written permission.
Official statistics regarding the LEED Fellow application process, including all data, individual and demographic, are considered confidential.
Contact us
Questions? Review the LEED Fellow FAQ on usgbc.org.
GBCI is committed to supporting LEED Fellows and the LEED Fellow online application process. After having read the handbook, nominees who still have questions or concerns may contact us at LEEDFellow@gbci.org.
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Annex A: Exemplary Applications
Annex B: 2026 LEED Fellow application process and key dates
2026 Eligibility
To be eligible in 2026, a nominee must have originally earned their LEED AP credential on or before January 1, 2018.
2026 application period - Key dates
The LEED Fellow application process is online. The link to this online application will automatically appear within the Nominee’s USGBC account under the Credentials/My Designations section on January 8, 2026. Please refer to the table for application period key dates:
January 8, 2026 - February 10, 2026 6:00 PM Pacific Time
January 8, 2026 - February 10, 2026 6:00 PM Pacific Time
Nominee Submits: The information requested in the online application form related to themselves, their nominator, and each member of the application team.
Nominee Submits: All application components are listed in the LEED Fellow Handbook.
Submit your online application.
LEED Fellow Introductory Webinars (Free Sessions) conducted in December 2025
Webinar 1
Passcode: EHC!E51U
Webinar 2
Passcode: TrT6q3+!
GBCI encourages nominees to apply early and not wait until the final day to submit either their initial qualification or final application. Early submission helps:
Ensure the portal can flag any eligibility or formatting issues with time to correct them.
Provide sufficient time for nominators and endorsers to finalize and, if needed, revise their letters.
Avoid last-minute technical or payment problems that could delay submission past the deadline.
If you have questions, take a look at the FAQ that has been prepared here. If you can’t find the answer to your question, email leedfellow@gbci.org.
Remember, failure of a nominee to submit either their initial qualification information, their application components, or their application payment by the published deadlines will result in their disqualification from the 2026 LEED Fellow evaluation cycle.
Nominee Round 1 feedback
Nominees can expect to receive written Round 1 feedback on their application in late April/early May 2026. During this period, nominees may schedule a feedback call with GBCI staff and upload revised materials addressing the feedback.
Nominee final outcome notification
Nominees will be notified of the final outcome of their review in September 2026. In October, selected nominees will be formally recognized at Greenbuild 2026 in New York, NY, USA.
LEED Fellow fees
Once the nominee has completed Part 1 and Part 2 of the online application, a non-refundable fee of $250 will be charged in order to submit the application successfully. Upon payment completion, GBCI will commence review of your application’s page limit. If the page limit criteria is not exceeded, GBCI will further send the application for the evaluator’s review.
Annex C: Sample LEED Fellow application form
View sample screenshots of the LEED Fellow application form via the links below.
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