Norman Foster
Norman Foster Foundation
Spain
IntroductionBuildner Annual Awards
Invitation-only competition
Prize
50,000€
This competition, is part of a strategic partnership between Buildner and ArchDaily.
Learn moreRecognition among the recognised
Buildner Medal 2027 is an exclusive competition for architects and designers who have already won a qualifying Buildner competition. Eligibility is reserved for previous 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Prize winners, as well as recipients of selected additional awards such as Student, Sustainability, and other special distinctions, from qualifying Buildner competitions. Unlike Buildner’s open competitions, the Medal is not available to the general public. It brings together a select field of previous Buildner winners and gives their awarded projects the opportunity to be considered again alongside other recognised work at a higher level of competition.
Small participant pool
Buildner Medal brings together a small, highly qualified field of previous Buildner award recipients. The expected participant pool is typically around 50–75 projects, creating a more focused and selective competition than an open-entry format. Participant numbers may vary from year to year depending on the number of qualifying Buildner competitions and eligible award recipients.
Prizes that make a difference
The Buildner Medal concentrates its prize fund where it can have the greatest impact. Rather than spreading smaller awards across a large number of participants, it offers substantial prize funding intended to support meaningful next steps: from advancing a project or practice to funding research, development, or future work.
Access through winning
There is no public registration for the Buildner Medal. Access is granted only through qualifying Buildner competitions marked “Qualified for Buildner Medal.” Winning one of these competitions automatically places the awarded project into the Medal programme, with no additional application or submission required. Participation cannot be purchased or entered independently. It is earned through prior achievement.
How it worksThe stream, the gate, the room
- IChoose a Buildner competition
- IIRegister before the registration deadline
- IIIWin the competition
- IVCompete with other winners for the grand annual 50,000 € prize
Qualifying competitionsMarked “Qualified for Buildner Medal”
Buildner competitions that offer qualification for the Buildner Medal:
Winning one of these competitions automatically places the awarded project into the Medal programme. No additional application or submission is required.
JuryBuildner Medal 2027
Jury
The jury panel for The Buildner Medal 2027 has not yet been published. Buildner is committed to selecting the most qualified industry professionals to comprise its jury panels. These panels include architects and experts from related fields to ensure fair and objective evaluation of all entries. All communication regarding the competition should be directed exclusively to Buildner staff. Explore some of the names featured in previous Buildner competition jury panels:
Philippe Starck
Creator
France
Farshid Moussavi
Farshid Moussavi Architecture (FMA)
United Kingdom
Alison Brooks
Alison Brooks Architects
UK
Lyndon Neri
Neri&Hu Design and Research Office
China
Nathalie De Vries
MVRDV
Netherlands
Amanda Levete
Founder, AL_A
Francine Houben
Founding Partner, Mecanoo
Netherlands
Ben Van Berkel
Founder and Principle, UNStudio
Netherlands
Lucy Tilley
Adjaye Associates
UK
Fernanda Canales
Fernanda Canales
Mexico
David Gianotten
OMA -Office for Metropolitan Architecture
Netherlands
Gordon Gill
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
United States
Ece Calguner Erzan
Interiors Principal, SOM
USA
David Basulto
Founder, ArchDaily
Germany
Will Plowman
Partner at Foster + Partners
UAE
Patrik Schumacher
Director of Zaha Hadid Architects
UK
Manuela Gatto
Director, Zaha Hadid Architects
UK
Melodie Leung
Director, Zaha Hadid Architects
UK
Paulo Flores
Director, Zaha Hadid Architects
UK
Charles Walker
Director of Zaha Hadid Architects
UK
Michael Maltzan
Michael Maltzan Architecture
United States
Steven Rainville
Olson Kundig
United States
Roberto Bannura
Steven Holl Architects - SHA
China
Andrew Whalley
Grimshaw
United Kingdom
Eli Synnevåg
Snøhetta
Norway
Jette Hopp
Director, Snøhetta
Norway
Julia Murphy
Managing Partner at SOM
USA
Stefan de Koning
Partner at MVRDV
Netherlands
Doriana Fuksas
Studio Fuksas
Italy
Winy Maas
Founder, MVRDV
Netherlands
Flora Lee
Associate Partner, MAD Architects
USA
Martin Voelkle
Partner at BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group
USA
Thomas Christoffersen
BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group
Denmark
Carlo Ratti
Director, MIT Senseable City Lab
USA
Micael Calatrava
Calatrava Grace and Calatrava International
UAE
Christina Seilern
Studio Seilern Architects
UK
Bertrand Schippan
Partner, MVRDV
Netherlands
Beatriz Colomina
Director of Graduate Studies, PhD Program, School of Architecture, Princeton University
United States
Anupama Kundoo
Architect and Professor at TU Berlin
Germany
Moshe Safdie
Safdie Architects
USA
Silvana Ordinas
Founder and Partner, Peter Pichler Architecture
Italy
Vishaan Chakrabarti
Practice for architecture and urbanism: PAU
USA
Deborah Berke
TenBerke Architects
USA
Julien De Smedt
JDS Architects
Denmark
Michael Meredith
Princeton University, MOS
USA
Christele Harrouk
Editor in Chief, ArchDaily
Lebanon
Prizes50,000 € prize fund
Prizes
Buildner Medal recipients will share a 50,000 € prize fund, created to provide meaningful financial support beyond the recognition itself. The award is intended to give selected projects and practices the resources to move forward, whether through further development, research, or future work. Awarded projects will also be featured in the Buildner Medal, a dedicated printed publication documenting the year’s selected work, and will receive additional international exposure through a dedicated publication on ArchDaily.
Total prize fund
50,000€
Awarded among invited projects only. Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals, a Student Award and six honourable mentions.
FirstGold Medal25,000€
SecondSilver Medal15,000€
ThirdBronze Medal5,000€
SpecialStudent Award5,000€
Recognition6 honourable mentions
Publicity
ArchDaily feature
As part of the collaboration between Buildner and ArchDaily, the competition winners will be showcased on ArchDaily, a leading architecture news platform.
This feature will greatly boost the winners’ visibility to millions of architecture professionals and enthusiasts worldwide, increasing their chances for new opportunities, attracting new clients, and establishing their reputation in the industry.
Read more about Buildner and ArchDaily partnership
&
Publicity campaign
The Buildner’s extensive global publicity campaign for the competition winners
A
Featured interview
An exclusive interview, published together with the results and shared across Buildner’s channels: the winning work, in the authors’ own words.
B
Audience of 2,000,000+
Winning work is amplified across Buildner’s social networks, the buildner.com readership, newsletter campaigns and media-partner features, a combined audience of two million plus.
C
The book
Awarded projects are featured in the Buildner Medal, a dedicated printed publication documenting the year’s selected work. Publicised, and immortalised in print.
Key datesBuildner Medal 2027
Key dates
Competition winners are automatically submitted to the Buildner Medal. No further action is required.
Launch date
23 September 2026
Closing date
2 November 2027
Announcement of the winners
14 December 2027
Eligibility check
Does my Buildner competition qualify?
I
Is your competition part of the Medal programme?
Qualifying competitions carry the mark “Qualified for Buildner Medal” in the competition brief and on the competition page. If the mark is there, winning takes you into the Medal.
II
Were the results announced inside the Medal window?
Medal 2027 takes the competitions whose results are announced between its launch date and its closing date, the two dates above. Results announced after the closing date go automatically to Medal 2028. Results announced before the launch belong to earlier editions and do not qualify.
FAQBuildner Medal 2027
Competition related questions
An annual award for architects and designers who have already won a Buildner competition. Their winning projects compete again, only against other winners, for a 50,000 € prize fund.
First, second and third prize winners, and winners of selected special awards such as the Student and Sustainability awards, from competitions in the Medal programme.
No. There is no public registration, and a place can’t be bought. The only way in is to win a qualifying competition.
Look for the “Qualified for Buildner Medal” mark in the competition brief and on its page. If the mark is there, winning takes you into the Medal. The first qualifying competition is Kingspan Microhome 2026.
Only if that competition was part of the Medal programme and its results were announced inside the Medal window. Results announced before the Medal launched don’t count.
Your project moves automatically to the next year’s Medal. Each Medal takes the results announced between its launch date and its closing date. For 2027, that is 23 September 2026 to 2 November 2027.
No. Your awarded project enters automatically, with no new application or submission.
A share of the 50,000 € prize fund: Gold Medal 25,000 €, Silver Medal 15,000 €, Bronze Medal 5,000 €, a Student Award of 5,000 € and six honourable mentions. Awarded projects also appear in the printed Buildner Medal book and in a feature on ArchDaily.
