April 16, 2026, 4pm
Barcelona 08038
Spain
The Fundació Mies van der Rohe and the European Commission have announced today in Oulu (Finland) the winners of the 2026 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture / Mies van der Rohe Awards:
The 2026 Architecture Winner is the Palais des Expositions in Charleroi by AgwA and architecten jan de vylder inge vinck.
The 2026 Emerging Architecture Winner is Temporary Spaces for the Slovenian National Theatre Drama in Ljubljana by Vidic Grohar Arhitekti.
Selected from 410 nominated works across Europe, both projects share a precise and committed approach: embracing constraints, engaging with existing structures, and transforming them into new forms of collective life.
As noted by jury president Smiljan Radic, these works operate in a “suspended moment between disappearance and permanence,” revealing an architecture that unfolds between what falls and what remains. The jury—Nikolaus Hirsch, Carl Bäckstrand, Chris Briffa, Zaiga Gaile, Tina Gregorič, and Rosa Rull—highlights how this edition of the EUmies Awards acknowledges the impact of adaptive reuse on contemporary architectural practice in Europe.
From Oulu to Barcelona
The announcement in Oulu—European Capital of Culture 2026—took place in the AaltoSiilo, a former industrial structure by Alvar and Aino Aalto, itself a reflection on transformation and continuity.
On May 11 and 12, the EUmies Awards continue in Barcelona, UNESCO/UIA World Capital of Architecture, with the EUmies Awards Days, a two-day programme bringing together winners, finalists, shortlisted teams, and a wide network of contributors.
EUmies Awards Days 2026
Curated by Post-Like, the programme unfolds through talks, encounters, and shared experiences across the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion and the Palau Victòria Eugènia. Conversations between architects, clients, policymakers, and jury members expand the discussion beyond the projects themselves, addressing how architecture engages with existing realities and evolving social conditions.
The exhibition of the 40 shortlisted works offers a broader view of contemporary European architecture, while the Out & About programme, organised with Guiding Architects, extends the experience into the city.
Ceremony and celebration
The Awards Ceremony will take place on May 12, 2026 at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona. From performative actions by Meritxell de Soto to a gastronomic intervention by Veraguas, and the closing celebration with DJs Golpe de Amistad, the programme moves between formats: formal and informal, reflective and festive.
A collective effort
The 60,000 EUR biennial prize, which is the most prestigious in European architecture, is presented by Fundació Mies van der Rohe with the support of the Creative Europe programme of the European Commission, in collaboration with the Advisory Committee, ACE, EAAE, and through the contribution of a broad network of experts, professional organisations, architects, clients, and all those involved in each work. Together, they sustain a platform that reflects on how and where we live, and how we might transform it.
