International Call for Projects

The international call for submissions is open to architects, built environment practitioners and practice-based researchers anywhere in the world.

Architectural practitioners are eligible to apply. Interior designers, landscape architects, urban designers, planners, governments and institutions wishing to apply must have worked on an architect-led project. Researchers who work with or are architects on projects are eligible to apply. All applicants may be individuals, groups or partnerships.

Members of the working body organizing the selection, the UIA Secretariat, Council, the Selection Panel Members as well as their current business partners, employees, students and close relatives are not allowed to submit entries.

Applicants may only submit educational projects completed between 2015 and 2025.
Submissions must be in English.
The submission of educational projects must satisfy one of two project categories:

• architectural built (completed) work.
• practice-based research projects. The project must engage with architectural practice and provide tangible outcomes. The research must be implemented in at least one architectural educational project.

Submissions must fully respond to the mandatory written and graphic criteria in the Deliverables.

One key function of the mandatory written requirements is for built environment practitioners and practice-based researchers to justify the project’s impact on the local community. To do this, applicants must interview and transcribe one non-built environment project perspective such as project stakeholders or focus/user groups. Applicants must include the experiences, perceptions and stories of individuals or communities affected by the project. Written permission to publish these perspectives must be obtained from each stakeholder or focus/user group.

Architectural built (completed) projects or practice-based research projects must select the correct country or territory in which the project is located. The UIA will assign each submission to the corresponding UIA Region for the Regional Nomination Boards assessments.

Submissions for educational projects can be architectural projects, interior projects, landscape projects, restoration projects, small projects, project interventions and project improvements. Research content including engagement processes and technical or design guidelines that have been architecturally implemented is acceptable.

Applications must be submitted on or before Monday 30th March 2026, 15.00 PM (CEST). Submissions after this time will not be accepted.

Submissions must be in digital format. Refer to the Deliverables for further details on submission requirements and formats 

All submissions must include high quality graphic documentation that clearly communicates the project. This documentation must be included in one or two A1 panels.

3.1 Photographs of architecture

Professional architectural photography showing the spaces in use, including both exterior and interior views. Images must be high-resolution (minimum 300 dpi) and demonstrate the relationship between the users and the space.

3.2 Floor plans

Clear, fully detailed architectural plans in vector format, properly labelled with scale bars and a north arrow. Must include site context and landscape elements.

3.3 Diagrams or elevations/sections

Analytical drawings that illustrate the project’s key concepts, spatial relationships and technical solutions.

3.4 Spatial analysis

Color-coded diagrams highlighting functional areas and key spatial relationships (learning spaces, social spaces, library, administration, technical spaces) with corresponding area calculations and percentages. These should demonstrate the project’s spatial organization and programmatic distribution.

3.5 Design process photographs

Architectural photography showing unique design processes to engage

stakeholders, user or focus groups and professionals. Images must be high-resolution (minimum 300 dpi) and demonstrate the relationship between the users and the space.

All graphic content should be submitted in one or two high-resolution A1 panels, in JPG (for web display) and vector based PDF format (for publication purposes). File specifications and templates will be provided upon registration.

By entering the call for submissions, the applicant confirms they have legal rights and copyright to all material submitted and have obtained their client’s written approval to enter and for any publicity. If the application contains any content that is not owned by the applicant, the submission will be excluded from consideration. If it is later known that rights have been violated, the project will be extracted from the catalog.

Specific information about project budgets is not released for publication unless approved by the applicant through the application process.

By entering the call for submissions, the applicant agrees to absolve the UIA from any liability relating to confidentiality or intellectual property issues that may be raised by any party.

The UIA reserves the right to exhibit or publish any or all of the entries. By entering the call for submissions the applicant gives permission to the UIA to publish, exhibit and promote the content of the submission (except for project budgets unless approved by the applicant), including by partners or sponsors of the catalog and exhibition, where their use of submission content is specifically related to their promotion of their involvement in the catalog and exhibition. In all promotion, the UIA will endeavor to promote the name of the practices, researches, individuals and organisations and, where the UIA is made aware of their names and to the extent that the UIA can exert editorial control, photographers will be acknowledged. All applicants of selected projects must be prepared to submit further material for exhibition and publication if required, such as additional photography, drawings and other information. The applicant acknowledges that the UIA has the right to reproduce materials in whole or part without payment of release or licensing fees to the holder of publication rights or copyright.

All Nomination Boards and International Selection Panel members must declare perceived conflicts of interest regarding an application. Where there are conflicts of interest, the member presenting a conflict of interest will not assess the project to ensure the assessment process is fair.

At the panel’s discretion, submissions may be recognized for demonstrating exemplary standards beyond those outlined in the requirements, or to reflect the changing nature of built environment practice and research.

The Regional Nomination Board will nominate up to 30 projects per UIA Region for the International Selection Panel’s assessment. The regional project selection will include projects across all three themes and will ensure there is diverse representation of countries and projects.The Regional Nomination Board reserves the right to select fewer than 30 projects, or none at all, if it considers that no project adequately responds to the mandatory criteria.

The International Selection Panel will undertake a final global selection of up to 30 projects from among the nominated submissions. The selected projects will span the three thematic areas and will reflect a balanced and diverse representation across the five regions. The Panel reserves the right to select between 20 and 30 projects, at its discretion.

Boards and Panel decisions are final.

All selected projects will be published in the Atlas of Learning Environments.

1. José Freire, UIA Educational and Cultural Spaces Work Programme, Portugal
2. Pedro Barrán, UIA Educational and Cultural Spaces Work Programme, Uruguay
3. Silvia Giandoriggio, UIA Educational and Cultural Spaces Work Programme, Italy
4. Elena Stoian, UIA Educational and Cultural Spaces Work Programme, Romania
5. Nicole Mechkaroff, UIA Educational and Cultural Spaces Work Programme, Australia
6. Lawrence Leung, UIA Educational and Cultural Spaces Work Programme, Hong Kong
7. Adel Hidar, UIA Educational and Cultural Spaces Work Programme, Tunisia