Buildner’s Unbuilt Award 2026
Dezeen Competitions: Buildner’s Unbuilt Award 2026 competition seeks entries for unrealised architecture projects. All forms of unbuilt projects are welcome.
Participants should submit plans for small, medium or large-scale projects that celebrate boldness, imagination and creativity.
Organiser: Buildner
Competition: Buildner’s Unbuilt Award 2026
Judges: yet to be announced
Registration deadline: 23 September 2026
Winner announcement: 1 December 2026
Prizes: €100,000 spread across three categories: small, medium and large projects. Per category, there will also be five honourable mentions and a student winner, as well as a special award for the best presentation. All winners and honourable mentions will be featured in the annual Unbuilt Book, with winners receiving a dedicated chapter
Competition overview
Buildner’s Unbuilt Award 2026, celebrating its third edition, honours the boundless creativity and visionary spirit of architecture.
The competition shines a spotlight on the significance of unrealised 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.
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 realisation, or conceptual ideas seeking acknowledgement, all forms of unbuilt projects are welcome.
Submissions are categorised 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.
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.
Eligibility and judging criteria
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 realisation, or conceptual ideas seeking acknowledgement, all forms of unbuilt projects are welcome.
How to enter
Designers can get information on entry requirements here.
Submission deadlines
Early bird registration is from 30 October 2025 to 26 February 2026.
Advance registration is from 27 February to 9 July, and last-minute registration is from 10 July to 23 September.
The final registration deadline is 23 September. Closing date for submission is 20 October.
Winners will be announced on 1 December.
About Buildner
Buildner publishes international architecture competitions, providing a platform for designers and architects to showcase their work and shape the future of the built environment.
For over ten years, the platform has published more than 140 competitions and had over 400 guest jury members.
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