Showcase your idea. Seen or unseen. Submit.

100,000 €

Prize

This competition, is part of a strategic partnership between Buildner and ArchDaily.

Learn more
Buildner’s Unbuilt Award 2026, celebrating its third edition, honors the boundless creativity and visionary spirit of architecture. The competition shines a spotlight on the significance of unrealized designs, celebrating bold ideas and imaginative visions that, even without being built, capture the essence of innovation and exploration. It offers a global stage for architects and designers to showcase their most daring concepts, challenge conventional thinking, and inspire the future of the built environment.

Where creativity meets recognition

Concepts, completed or in progress, seen or unseen

Participants are invited to submit their work, offering unrestricted freedom to highlight their creativity and vision. Whether it's designs still on paper, detailed plans awaiting realization, or conceptual ideas seeking acknowledgment, all forms of unbuilt projects are welcome.
Submissions are categorized as small, medium, or large, so every project gets the recognition it deserves. Buildner aims to showcase the incredible potential of these unbuilt designs, applauding the imagination and commitment of architects and designers striving for innovation and excellence.

Small, medium large?
Submit!

Your creativity, rewarded.
Join now.

The Buildner Unbuilt Award 2026 offers life-changing prizes, including a €100,000 prize fund shared across three categories, a dedicated chapter in the annual Unbuilt Book, and the prestigious Continuum Trophy, designed by renowned designer Germans Ermičs. Participants have the opportunity to showcase their creativity on a global stage and gain recognition for visionary ideas that shape the future of architecture.
Unbuilt Award 2024 winners

Categories

Select one of three categories based on project size: Small scale up to 100 sqm, medium scale from 101 to 999 sqm, and large scale over 1,000 sqm.

Small Wonders

up to 100 sqm

Medium Marvels

from 101 to 999 sqm

Large Visions

over 1.000 sqm

Brief

The full competition brief can be downloaded as often as required; no additional information will be provided after registration.

Full Competition Brief

Download brief

Jury

The jury panel for Buildner’s Unbuilt Award 2026 Architecture Competition 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’s Unbuilt Award competition jury panels:

Amale Andraos

Co-Founder, WORKac; Columbia GSAPP

United States

David Basulto

Founder, ArchDaily

Germany

Manuela Gatto

Director, Zaha Hadid Architects

UK

Christele Harrouk

Editor in Chief, ArchDaily

Lebanon

Melodie Leung

Director, Zaha Hadid Architects

UK

Amanda Levete

Founder, AL_A

 

Jürgen Mayer H

founding partner of J.MAYER.H und Partner

Germany

Michael Meredith

Princeton University, MOS

USA

Lyndon Neri

Neri&Hu Design and Research Office

China

Will Plowman

Partner at Foster + Partners

UAE

Carlo Ratti

Director, MIT Senseable City Lab

USA

Lucy Tilley

Adjaye Associates

UK

Prizes

Buildner Unbuilt Award 2026 offers life-changing prizes, including a €100,000 prize fund, a feature in the annual Unbuilt Book, and the prestigious Continuum Trophy designed by Germans Ermičs. See the full list below.

Prize Fund

100,000 €

The Buildner Unbuilt Award winners

Small scale category winner

20,000 €

Medium scale category winner

20,000 €

Large scale category winner

20,000 €

Honourable mentions

Five small scale
category honourable mentions

1,000 € x 5

Five medium scale
category honourable mentions

1,000 € x 5

Five large scale
category honourable mentions

1,000 € x 5

Student prize winners

Small scale category winner

5,000 €

Medium scale category winner

5,000 €

Large scale category winner

5,000 €

The best presentation award

All categories compete for one prize

10,000 €

Continuum trophy

The winner of each of the three categories will receive a special trophy designed by renowned designer Germans Ermičs, recognized for his innovative approach to materiality and color
in contemporary design.

Continuum embodies the fleeting purity of an idea—unformed yet perfect, balanced between presence and absence, weight and weightlessness, reality and imagination. Like a drop in still water, an idea creates waves—some fade, some endure, but all leave an imprint. This piece captures the quiet persistence of thought, the fluid nature of creativity, and the endless cycle of ideas in motion. Much like the Ouroboros, an ancient symbol of renewal and continuity, it serves as a reminder that no idea is ever truly lost—only transformed.
Germans Ermičs
Trophy design author
About Germans Ermičs

Germans Ermičs is a designer known for his distinctive approach to materials, color, and space. With a background in graphic design and a degree from the Design Academy Eindhoven, he brings a spatial and architectural sensibility to his work.

His glass pieces were celebrated for their innovative use of color, blurring the boundaries between objects and their surroundings and giving form to the intangible.

Since founding his studio in Amsterdam in 2014, Ermičs has created furniture and immersive installations that challenge conventional perceptions of materials, space, and light—offering new ways to experience the built environment.

Publicity campaign

The Buildner’s extensive global publicity campaign for the competition winners

Reach over 2,000,000 viewers

Publications on Buildner's social networks (over 600,000 followers) and newsletter campaigns (over 250,000 subscribers).

Media partners

The competition results will get international art and design media coverage and will be featured in the world’s leading architecture media outlets.

Interview

Exclusive interview published with the results and shared on Buildner's social networks.

Movie

The competition winners will be granted and opportunity to submit a movie about themselves. The video will be published on the Buildner's website and social networks.

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
&

Key dates

Send reminders
Closing date for registration
23 September 2026
Competition Q&A deadline
28 September 2026

In order to guarantee equal opportunities to all competition participants.

No new questions will be answered after this deadline.

Closing date for project submission
20 October 2026
23:59 (LONDON TIME)
Announcement of the winners
1 December 2026
Competition Q&A deadline
28 September 2026

In order to guarantee equal opportunities to all competition participants.

No new questions will be answered after this deadline.

Registration fees

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EARLY BIRD

30 Oct - 26 Feb

75 €

65 €

Register now
ADVANCED

27 Feb - 09 Jul

95 €

75 €

LAST MINUTE

10 Jul - 23 Sep

125 €

95 €

EARLY BIRD

30 Oct - 26 Feb

75 €

65 €

Register now
ADVANCED

27 Feb - 09 Jul

95 €

75 €

LAST MINUTE

10 Jul - 23 Sep

125 €

95 €

EARLY BIRD

30 Oct - 26 Feb

75 €

65 €

Register now
ADVANCED

27 Feb - 09 Jul

95 €

75 €

LAST MINUTE

10 Jul - 23 Sep

125 €

95 €

+4.5% VAT

FAQ

Contact us for more questions
The competition is open to everyone. No professional qualifications are required. You can participate individually or in a team of up to four members.
You can submit any unbuilt architectural project — whether conceptual, theoretical, or visionary — including designs in progress or those never realized.
Yes. The competition welcomes architectural, interior, furniture, and landscape design projects as long as they align with the theme of unbuilt work.
Projects are divided into three categories: - Small scale: up to 100 m² - Medium scale: 101–999 m² -Large scale: over 1,000 m²
Choose your category based on the main focus of your design. For example, if your project includes a 30 m² house within a larger architectural complex that exceeds 100 m², decide what represents the core of your proposal. If the small house is central, select the small-scale category; if the larger ensemble defines your concept, choose the large-scale category.
Consider what you want to highlight. If your small building sits within a park and the park is not the main feature, you don’t need to include it in the total area. But if the park and building are conceptually connected, include both. There are no strict rules — use your judgment and focus on your main design vision.
You must submit one presentation board only. Rearrange and condense the key drawings, text, and visuals from your previous four panels into a single, clear A2 landscape panel (maximum 10 MB).
Yes. You can submit a project created during your studies. When registering, select the category that reflects your current status. If you are no longer enrolled, register as a professional, designer, or enthusiast.
Yes. You can submit multiple projects, either within the same category or across different categories, as separate entries.
Each project must be presented on one A2 landscape panel (max 10 MB) including all visuals and explanatory text. The text must be in English.
No. Only a single static presentation board is accepted. Video or multimedia files cannot be uploaded.
No. The presentation must be anonymous. Any identifying information on your board will result in disqualification.
Each category winner receives €20,000. Five honorable mentions per category receive €1,000 each. A special €10,000 award is given for the best presentation, making a total prize fund of €100,000.
The Continuum Trophy, designed by Germans Ermičs, is awarded to each category winner. It symbolizes the continuous flow of creative ideas and architectural innovation.
Yes. Winning and shortlisted projects are featured on Buildner’s website, ArchDaily, partner media, and in Buildner’s printed book.
Yes. Projects from other competitions can be resubmitted as long as you hold full rights to the design.
Yes. The competition accepts visionary and speculative designs, including those without a defined site or location.
The competition welcomes both architectural and interior design projects, including small-scale and furniture design concepts.
Absolutely not! You’ll always keep full ownership and authorship of your project. Submitting to a Buildner competition doesn’t mean giving up your rights — it simply gives us permission to share and promote your work as part of the competition. We may feature your project on our website, social media, newsletters, books, or exhibitions — all to celebrate your creativity and inspire others. This permission helps us give your work the visibility it deserves, without needing to ask you each time we publish it.
To register, simply click on "Register Now," fill out all necessary fields, select your preferred payment method, and submit your details. You will be redirected to PayPal or a card payment gateway to settle the competition fee. Upon confirmation of your payment, we will send you an email containing your Unique Identification Code (UIC). You must then log in to your Buildner account using your architecture.info credentials and validate your UIC to complete the process. Learn more here - https://architecturecompetitions.com/how-to-enter-a-competition
You can add/remove/edit team member information as often as you want in the upload panel, up until the submission deadline. Learn more here - https://architecturecompetitions.com/how-to-add-team-members-after-april-2023
No. Competition entries are evaluated anonymously. The participant registration type is only revealed upon the announcement of the results.
Please contact us – [email protected] and we will address the problem directly.
Yes you can submit previously published project for The Buildner's Unbuilt Award.
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