The purpose of the Award
The aim of this annual award is to honor five living architects, urban and landscape designers who are committed to sustainability.
Their work offers a clear insight into the quest for ecologically responsible, contemporary architecture which is:
- fully in step with the ethical, civil, and social concerns of today
- innovative in the areas of ecology, energy, materials, and technology
- progressive in its search for new standards for both public and private facilities.
Timeline
The purpose of the Award
The aim of this annual award is to honor five living architects, urban and landscape designers who are committed to sustainability.
Their work offers a clear insight into the quest for ecologically responsible, contemporary architecture which is:
- fully in step with the ethical, civil, and social concerns of today
- innovative in the areas of ecology, energy, materials, and technology
- progressive in its search for new standards for both public and private facilities.
The 2027 Theme: Architecture Is Equity
After having investigated the sources of architectural and urban innovation with “Architecture Is Experimentation” in 2023, the possible transdisciplinary transmission of sustainable design goals with “Architecture Is Education” in 2024, courageously innovative and adaptive scenarios of building processes with “Architecture Is Construction” in 2025, and the art of intelligently valorizing “what is already there” with “Architecture Is Transformation” in 2026, the Scientific Jury of the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture™ has decided to take a socio-political stance in 2027.
Can architecture become a catalyst for equity?
Can planning processes and public spaces for dialogue foster democratic engagement and social cohesion?
In an era when democratic institutions are under mounting pressure, public trust in civic engagement is increasingly fragile. For some, this disillusionment translates into protest or withdrawal; for others, it manifests in calls for broader inclusion that too often go unheard.
Yet the vitality of democracy depends on tools that reignite public interest, inspire active involvement, and create meaningful avenues of participation.
Architecture and urban planning hold profound potential as catalysts for more equitable forms of civic life, with planning methods that foster inclusivity, generate collective visions and cultivate spaces for dialogue. Such practices do not simply produce buildings or urban forms; they nurture the civic capacities essential to democratic life: the ability to listen, to negotiate, to imagine, and to build together.
- In what ways can architectural methods and design practices be reimagined as instruments of equity?
- How might ecological and civic circularity guide the transformation of our built environments?
- What strategies can ensure the cultural, social, and economic adaptability of participatory design, particularly in transitional societies?
- How can principles of flexibility, adaptability, and recyclability support inclusive use and co-existence within architectural and urban ecosystems?
- Which geo- and bio-sourced materials, morphologies, and evolving practices of care and repair are required to guarantee democratic access to high-quality architecture and design?
Exploring these questions situates architecture and urban planning not only as technical fields but also as civic practices—essential to reimagining democracy, deepening participation, and shaping resilient, just, and inclusive living environments.
Eligibility and Participation
The Global Award for Sustainable Architecture™ is open to all architects, designers, urban and landscape designers around the world.
Entries may concern studied or built projects, or work related to research, writing, or experimentation, and must be submitted in English.
Participants may nominate themselves or be nominated by a colleague, expert, or critic, with the nominee’s written consent. Members of the Organizing Body, the jury and their associates, business partners, employees, and close relatives are not eligible. Likewise, anyone involved in the preparation of the Award at any stage is not permitted to participate or assist a participant.
Award Format and Evaluation
The Award follows a single-stage, open procedure. There is only one category each year, with a previously defined theme, and five global winners are selected annually. There are no regional awards or selections.
Entries should demonstrate innovation, design quality, and a significant contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Award does not recognize a single project, but rather a nominee’s professional, scientific, social, and political engagement.
Submissions must be made using the official template available through the Global Award submission platform.
Recognition
The jury selects five winners who each receive a Diploma and are invited to the annual Global Award Symposium, with travel and accommodation costs covered. Part of the recognition also lies in joining the Global Award Community, a think-tank that has become a do-tank, where laureates collaborate worldwide by researching, experimenting, teaching, advocating, publishing, and building together.
Timeline
Submissions for the 2027 Global Award for Sustainable Architecture™ are open until January 30, 2026.