Light of Tomorrow – International VELUX Award 2026
Prizes
With a €33,000 prize fund, eight winning teams will be selected: five regional, three special, and one global award. Winners will also be invited to a European workshop and award ceremony, where they will present to the jury.
Theme and objectives
The International VELUX Award for Students of Architecture has been relaunched as Light of Tomorrow for its 2026 edition. Endorsed by the UIA since 2004, the award invites students worldwide to investigate the role of daylight in architecture and everyday life.
Now in its 12th edition, the competition has engaged over 6,500 student teams from 130+ countries, making it one of the world’s largest awards for architecture students. It encourages participants to explore daylight as a source of energy, health, sustainability, and well-being.
Key criteria
The award is open to all registered architecture students worldwide (individuals or teams) enrolled in the 2025–2026 academic year. Multidisciplinary teams are welcome, and each project must be validated by a teacher.
Jury Members
The entries will be evaluated by an international jury:
- Níall McLaughlin (Ireland)
- Liene Jākobsone (Latvia)
- James Carpenter (USA)
- Oya Atalay Franck (Switzerland) – UIA representative
- Elena Arregui Jaeger (Spain) – VELUX Representative
Alternate juror:
- Doris Wälchli (Switzerland) – UIA representative
Eligibility
Registration and submission take place exclusively on the D/A competition platform.
Results
REGIONAL WINNERS
Woven Time, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (Kenya)
The Light as Memory, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (Chile)
Sun the Quilt, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology (China)
Filtered Light, National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture (Ukraine)
Woven Light, Lund University (Sweden)
SPECIAL PRIZES
In addition to the regional awards, three special prizes were granted for outstanding work in the following categories:
Daylight in New Buildings: Reclaiming the Tropical Plaza, Chulalongkorn University (Thailand)
Daylight in Building Transformations: Folding Light, Tsinghua University (China)
Daylight Investigations: Evaporative Cooling Celosia, Royal Danish Academy (Denmark)
Key dates
2026-06-29 Ceremony
2026-05-13 Results
2026-04-27 Jury Meeting
2026-04-06 Submission Deadline
2026-03-30 Registration Deadline