Launched in 1999, the AR Emerging awards grant early recognition to young designers and celebrate the architectural stars of tomorrow. Established in response to the heavy-hitting Gold Medals Pritzkers and other lifetime achievement awards, the AR Emerging awards recognise a promising portfolio of work and propel young talent onto the international stage early in their careers.

Previous winners include Carla Juaçaba, Shigeru Ban, Rick Joy, Anna Heringer, Sou Fujimoto, Thomas Heatherwick, Neri & Hu, Li Xiaodong and Frida Escobedo.

Final entry deadline: 1 September 2025


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Final entry deadline - 22 August 2025

Why enter?

There is a prize fund of £5,000. All finalists will be published in a special edition of The Architectural Review and present in person to our world-renowned judging panel in November 2025.

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Entry guidelines

AR Emerging is open to up-and-coming practices involved in architecture, urban and landscape design. All practice founders must be born after 1 January 1980 and be aged 45 or under.

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Previous winners

Explore the award-winning practices from last year and gain insight into the innovative approaches that set them apart. Be inspired by the work of firms like A Threshold, Chen Donghua Architects and Material Cultures.

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'It was a great learning process for us as a younger studio, discussing with judges and showing our process and practice. It will definitely motivate us to do more sensitive work, particularly in rural areas where the need is required.'

Avinash Ankalge, Co-founder, A Threshold, winner 2024

'We feel very honoured to be part of this cohort and kind of amazed that we came up with this prize because the work is so strong and so powerful and it's really inspiring.'

Paloma Gormley, Director Material Cultures, Peter Davey Prize winner 2024

'It gave me great encouragement in my future practice and research.'

Donghua Chen, Founding principal, Donghua Chen Architects, Highly commended 2024

'It's been exciting for us to take a moment and reflect on the work we've done and reframe how we present ourselves as a practice. The AR Emerging awards were a really great opportunity for us to do that.'

George Massoud, Director Material Cultures, Peter Davey Prize winner 2024

Watch last year’s winners present live

Are you considering entering the AR Emerging awards? One of the best ways to prepare is by watching last year’s winners present their work to the 2024 judging panel, including Noura Al Sayeh-Holtrop, Geir Brendeland and Adrian Lahoud.

See how A Threshold, the 2024 AR Emerging awards winner, impressed the jury with their ability to educate clients and turn private briefs into meaningful public projects.

Discover the work of Chen Donghua Architects, who were highly commended for their thoughtful approach to shade – ‘a powerful idea in the context of global heating.’ And don’t miss Material Cultures, recipients of the Peter Davey Prize, whose dedication to decarbonising building practices stood out to The Architectural Review editors.

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Download award-winning entry boards

Thinking about entering the AR Emerging awards but unsure how to start your portfolio submission? If yes, get inspired by the 2023 winner, Mexico-based practice TO and last year's highly commended Chen Donghua Architects.

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Partnership opportunities

Be inspired by, and show your support for the world's most interesting up-and-coming architects, engaging with them at the start of their journey. The AR Emerging awards partner programme offers quality content, unique formats and marketing opportunities reaching over 30,000 architects worldwide. A total of three events and extensive cross-media publicity through The Architectural Review are ideal environments to build your brand and generate sales opportunities all in one integrated programme.

If you wish to learn more about becoming a partner, please contact Frazer Stokes on +44 (0)20 3953 2924 or at frazer.stokes@emap.com.


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