Rules

Created in 1995 at the initiative of the Fondation de l'Architecture et de l'Ingénierie, now operating as LUCA – Luxembourg Center for Architecture, the Luxembourg Architecture Award (LAA) honours outstanding projects in the fields of architecture, interior design, engineering, urban planning, and landscape design. For its 9th edition, the award categories have been adapted to better correspond to contemporary challenges related to the production of architectural and urban space.

The LAA therefore recognises projects which meet both disciplinary requirements and the needs and aspirations of Luxembourgish society.

Projects may be submitted by:

• Their authors (architects, interior designers, engineers, landscapers, urban or spatial planners, film directors, illustrators, photographers, researchers, editors, etc.), who must be based in Luxembourg or have a strong connection to the country;
• Private or public project owners who wish to promote the architectural quality of their buildings, structures, indoor and/or outdoor spaces.

Project owners/clients must have the authors' consent prior to submission. Projects cannot be accepted without this prior consent.

The award organiser accepts no liability in the event of any mistakes, omissions or negligence by the applicant.

The projects submitted must have been realised in the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg and completed between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2025.

Each participant may submit up to ten (10) projects.

Any project that was submitted for a previous edition of the LAA is no longer eligible.

Projects submitted to the LAA must meet the conditions outlined in these rules. By registering, participants accept these regulations in full.

NB: the terms 'project' and 'work' are treated as equivalent in these regulations, on the website and on the LAA online application form.

The members of the international jury are appointed by the organiser. No partners, sponsors or members of LUCA's bodies (team, board of directors, advisory board) may sit on the jury, except for LUCA's Director, who only takes part as an observer and has no voting rights.

The Ministry of Culture will appoint a representative to act as jury secretary, also with no voting rights.

The jury is made up of six experts in the fields of architecture, interior design, engineering, urban planning, and/or landscape design who are known in one or more of these fields for their built work, their contribution to architectural culture and/or their scientific output.

The members of the 2026 LAA jury are as follows:

• Ivan Blasi Mezquita, Director of Programs, Fundació Mies van der Rohe (ES)
• Klaas De Rycke, Partner, Managing Director, Bollinger+Grohmann (FR), and Visiting Professor, Master in Architecture, University of Luxembourg (LU)
• Peter Cachola Schmal, Director, Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM) (DE)
• Eléonore Mialonier, Project Manager, Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg (LU)
• Inge Vinck, Principal Architect, inge vinck jan de vylder architecten (AJDVIV/IVJDVA) (BE), and Professor, Baukunstklasse Kunstakademie Düsseldorf (DE)
• Julie Wilhelm, Architect, MW architectes, and Vice-President, Maison Européenne de l'Architecture - Rhin Supérieur (FR)

The jury will appoint a Chair. In the event of disagreement between the members, the Chair will have a casting vote to make a final decision.

Prizes will be awarded to exemplary projects in the following categories:

1. Building for Sustainability
2. Working with Finesse
3. Engaging with the Existing
4. Living Together
5. Representing and Documenting

The jury reserves the right to move a project to another category if it deems it appropriate.

Categories 1 to 4 include the following sub-categories:

• S — projects under 1,000 m²
• M — projects above 1,000 m²
• L — urban and landscape projects

Category 5 has no sub-categories – the jury is free to award as many prizes as it deems appropriate.

The jury will assess the entries to select up to ten (10) nominees in each category. The jury has full authority in its choices. Its deliberations are confidential and its decisions are final and binding.

The jury will award a maximum of one (1) prize per subcategory.

Special awards:

AUDIENCE AWARD: awarded via an online public vote. Only the nominated projects that have been selected by the jury may take part.

Each project must be submitted individually via the designated LAA website (architectureaward.lu). Submissions by any other means will not be accepted.

All documents must be submitted via the website between 17 March and 30 April 2026 (11.59 p.m. Luxembourg time).

Each participant must create a user account, which can be used for submitting one or more projects. The number of submitted projects is limited to ten (10).

For a project to be accepted:

• The online application form must be completed in full.
• All documents required for this project must be uploaded to the website.

The jury will select the nominated projects and the winners based on the documents provided and will visit the finalist projects before selecting the winners per category. The jury reserves the right not to award certain prizes at its discretion.

Participants must ensure, as far as possible, access to their projects on 19 and 20 May.

Participants must submit the following for each project (via their account on the website):

• Descriptive text (maximum 1,500 characters, including spaces): Origin of the project, initial request or programme, choices and intentions in terms of architecture, urban planning, and/or landscape design. Accepted file formats: DOC, DOCX or ODT.
• Graphic documents: Drawings, sections, elevations and any other documents that allow a clear understanding of the project and its objectives.
• Exterior photos: 2 to 5 images (if applicable), 300 dpi, copyright-free.
• Interior photos: 2 to 5 images (if applicable), 300 dpi, copyright-free.
• Video of the project (optional).

The graphic documents must meet the following requirements:

• Format: A3 minimum
• File: JPEG, PNG, TIFF or PDF
• Resolution: 300 dpi

Participants undertake to provide all information requested. The organiser cannot be held liable under any circumstances for any omission or negligence on the part of the participant, regarding intellectual property, the other project designers or any other form of collaboration.

The organiser may publish any of the documents or data provided without additional authorisation or payment of copyright fees (only within the scope of this competition).

All eligible projects will be published on the LAA website (architectureaward.lu).

The nominated projects will be published before the winners are announced to allow the public to vote online for the AUDIENCE AWARD. They will also be showcased in the exhibition, on the website, on social networks, in the LAA catalogue and any other materials associated with the award, among other channels.

The winning projects will not be announced until the LAA ceremony.

The jury will provide the reasons for choosing the winners in an official declaration during the ceremony.

Participants must submit their entries in French or English. They must include a project summary in English in text format.

The jury will be conducted in English.

Participation fees are calculated according to a sliding scale, based on the number of projects submitted:

• 1st project submitted: €160
• 2nd project submitted: €120
• From the 3rd project submitted: €80 per submission

Participation fees are payable by credit/debit card only at the time of submission. Submissions will not be accepted or assessed by the jury unless the application fees have been paid in advance.

The organiser may use all of the data provided via the website to contact the participants, other project's partners and contributors within the scope of the Luxembourg Architecture Award.

The organisers, jury and press (at the organiser's request) are authorised to contact the participants, other designers and contributors using the contact details provided on the website. This personal data is collected, saved, processed and assigned for a specific purpose. It will be used solely for the organisation of the competition. For website administration purposes, our service provider will have access to participants' data. This data will not be disclosed to third parties.

Data pertaining to the submitted projects will be partially published and saved for documentation purposes. Participants have the right to access this data or have it erased or withdrawn.

• 17 MARCH — Call for Projects
• 30 APRIL — Submission Deadline
• FROM 1 TO 21 JUNE — Public Vote
• 25 JUNE — Ceremony & Exhibition Opening
• 10 OCTOBER — End of Exhibition

Download the LAA 2026 Rules (PDF)