The UIA began collaborating with national professional organisations on organising international competitions in 1949. Entrusted by UNESCO to supervise the application of the Regulations and assist competition organisers, the UIA is proud of the successful UIA-endorsed competitions which led to the construction of buildings such as the Sydney Opera House, the Centre Pompidou and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.
The International Union of Architects has many years of experience overseeing and assisting in the organisation of international competitions in architecture and urban planning. In 1956, the UIA drew up a set of standard regulations for international competitions in architecture and urban planning, which UNESCO subsequently ratified.
The framework and objectives embodied in the UNESCO Regulations have endured for more than sixty years, prioritising design quality and innovation. They are based on the main tenets of transparency, equal treatment and non-discrimination and guarantee professional evaluation under anonymity. The experience and authority conferred on the UIA by UNESCO allows us to serve as a reference in terms of ethics and prestige in the realm of international architecture and urban planning competitions globally.
The UIA promotes excellence in architecture, sustainability and cultural diversity. Professional international architecture design competitions endorsed by the UIA have taken place all over the world and have resulted in some of the most iconic edifices of the 20th century.
The UIA advises organisers in the preparation and conduct of professional and student design competition. Support from the UIA gives organisers access to architects or architecture students as well as to media and professional institutions worldwide. Endorsement by the UIA is an assessment of conformity to UNESCO Regulations and the UIA best practice recommendations. It is a guarantee of fair conduct of the competition with equitable conditions for the competitors and the organizer. UIA endorsement is a quality label.
Awards/Prizes recognise the quality of realized or theoretical work of excellence in different domains and promote the highest standards of design quality, creativity and innovation. They elevate awareness for specific aims and challenges of society and the profession in addition to honouring exemplary contributions by highlighting the cultural dimension.
The UIA advises on the organisation of international architectural awards/prizes.
Support from the UIA gives organisers access to architects or architecture students as well as to media and professional institutions worldwide. UIA endorsement ensures impartial and professional evaluation of the entries. UIA-endorsed architecture awards/prizes have taken place all over the world and are characterised by their cultural dimension.
In July 2021, the UIA General Assembly declared 2022 the “UIA Year of Design for Health”. This commitment urges all UIA Member Sections to encourage architects and their clients to […]
TIF-HELEXPO, a national exhibition and conference organizer based in Thessaloniki, Greece, organised an international multidisciplinary project competition with prequalification for the design of Thessaloniki ConfEx Park, located in the heart of Thessaloniki, currently home to 1.1 million people and Greece’s second largest city.
The International VELUX Award, a biannual international student ideas competition endorsed by the UIA since 2004, has announced its Regional Winners for the 2020 Edition.
UNESCO with the support of the Government of United Arab Emirates, the Prime Minister of Iraq and the UN Secretary-General, organised an international, single stage, open and anonymous architecture competition for the Reconstruction & Rehabilitation of the Al Nouri Complex in Mosul, Iraq.
The UIA endorsed ArXellence 2, an open, one-stage, international ideas competition for the Design of the New Central Business District of Thessaloniki, Greece. The competition was organised by ALUMIL S.A., an international company dealing in aluminium and advanced architectural aluminium systems based in Greece. Its goal was to contribute to the regeneration of a declining urban area of Thessaloniki by presenting innovative designs for the new central business district.
Visit the competition website.
The UIA endorsed the international competition for the architectural landscape design concept of Tuchkov Buyan Park in Saint Petersburg (Russia). Architects and landscape designers from all countries were invited to submit their expressions of interest for this single-stage restricted competition.
The urban regeneration project linking the Italian city of Gorizia with the Slovenian city, Nova Gorica, and creating a shared central area to be known as Europe Square – Piazzale Della Transalpina and the hub EPICenter, was conducted as part of a campaign for the title of 2025 European Capital of Culture (ECoC).
The UIA endorsed the international architectural design competition for the National Concert Hall in Vilnius, Lithuania. Architects from all over the world were invited to design one of the most important future spaces in the capital city of Lithuania and to submit their proposals to the Vilnius City Municipality.
The International Architectural Design Competition for the Knowledge and Innovation Center in Tripoli, Lebanon was managed by the Lebanese Federation of Engineers and Architects on behalf of the Tripoli Special Economic Zone and the Government of the Republic of Lebanon.
The invited international, two-phase project competition was launched in March 2018 to identify the best and most environmentally-friendly solution for a mixed-use office space in the heart of the “European Quarter” in Brussels demarcated by streets Rue de la Loi, Rue de Spa, Rue Joseph II and the Chausée d’Etterbeek.