International Architecture & Design Awards 2026 Unveils Its Most Inspiring Winners Yet

The Architecture & Design Community (ADC) has officially announced the winners of the landmark fifth edition of the International Architecture & Design Awards (IADA). Bringing together innovative submissions from 53 countries, IADA 2026 stands as the strongest and most internationally diverse edition since the inception of the awards program.

The 2026 edition highlights the rapid evolution of contemporary architecture and spatial design. For the first time, IADA introduced dedicated AI categories, recognizing the growing importance of artificial intelligence as a creative tool and expanding the competitive field to celebrate novel forms of technological innovation.

Unprecedented Standards of Creativity and Sustainability

According to the international grand jury, this year’s entries reached an exceptionally high standard across all competing disciplines. The evaluation process proved to be more demanding than ever due to the remarkable creativity, technical skill, and originality displayed by participants. Among the biggest surprises were student projects, which thoroughly impressed the jury with their bold conceptual confidence, forward-thinking solutions, and professional execution.

Sustainability remained a core theme of IADA 2026. A vast majority of the winning projects demonstrated how thoughtful design can meaningfully respond to pressing environmental challenges through responsible material procurement, adaptive reuse strategies, energy-conscious solutions, and human-centered design philosophies.

Selected Winners

The following list represents a selection of the exceptional projects honored at the International Architecture & Design Awards 2026:

Platinum Winners (First Place)

• Invest in Sharjah (Cinematography and Video Production) – Ahmed Al Mutawa, DXP Films, United Arab Emirates
• Techo International Airport (Airport, Train Station & Terminal Design) – Foster + Partners, United Kingdom
• Forest Archetype (Residential Interior Design) – Genta Takano, GLA, Japan
• China Merchants Shekou Nantong Heyuan (Architectural and Facade Lighting) – Xin Tian, Navi Lv, Yijie Yang, Yingping Tian, Music of Architects, China
• Plateaux (Alternative Unique Packaging Design) – Antonia Skaraki, Greece

Gold Winners (Second Place)

• Kentfield Residence (Residential Interior Design) – Swatt + Partners / Momo Wong Design, USA
• Kirchenstandort Witzhelden (Public Building & Civic Architecture) – Kastner Pichler Schorn Architekten, Germany
• Aatma Manthan Museum (Showroom, Exhibit & Gallery Interior Design) – Sanjay Puri Architects, India
• Catharsis (Pop-ups, Temporary & Modular Structures) – Simona Garufi Studio, Spain

Silver Winners (Third Place)

• Maya Villa (Private Residence & Custom Home Design) – PT Golden Tree Architects, Indonesia
• International Stomatology Center (Healthcare & Medical Facility Design) – GAP İnşaat (GAP Construction), Türkiye
• NEMO (Private Residence & Custom Home Design) – ZROBIM Architects, Belarus

Bronze Winners (Fourth Place)

• NH (Restaurant, Bar & Cafe Interior Design) – Shunsuke Ohe, LUSTYdesign Inc., Japan
• Puddingstone Park (Renovation, Restoration & Adaptive Reuse) – Hutker Architects, USA