LUCA Announces Details of Luxembourg Architecture Awards 2026

On Tuesday 3 March 2026, the Luxembourg Centre for Architecture (LUCA) announced the details for the ninth edition of the Luxembourg Architecture Awards (LAA) during a press conference at its premises in Luxembourg-Clausen.

Following a six-year hiatus, the Luxembourg Architecture Awards (LAA), organised under the initiative of the LUCA since 1995, returns for 2026 with new categories, a refreshed visual identity, a dedicated cultural programme and the addition of a new award, the Lëtzebuerger Architekturpräis.

The LAA is presented for the work of architects, consulting engineers, urban planners, interior architects, landscape architects and landscape engineers to promote and encourage professional creativity and to demonstrate the vitality and quality of contemporary creation in Luxembourg.

The press conference was opened by Luxembourg Minister of Culture, Eric Thill, who thanked LUCA for its “long-term contribution to the promotion of architecture in Luxembourg”, its work with the Ministry of Culture and highlighted the impact of the prize on Luxembourg’s architectural community and its influence on the architects of the future, describing it as a “rich, interesting and innovative project to strengthen young, new and talented architects and to motivate them”.

Minister Thill then announced the first edition of the Lëtzebuerger Architekturpräis, created by the Ministry of Culture. 

Established as part of the implementation of the Kulturentwécklungsplang 2018–2028, the Lëtzebuerger Architekturpräis will be awarded every four years, in collaboration with LUCA, in order to recognise and promote architectural excellence in Luxembourg. It will honour an architect for their entire body of work and career – whether national or international – as well as for their sustained commitment to Luxembourg’s architectural and cultural scene.

Aligned with the other national prizes of the Ministry of Culture, the Lëtzebuerger Architekturpräis carries an award of €10,000. The award ceremony will take place on Thursday 25 June 2026 as part of the Luxembourg Architecture Awards (LAA), at the Hémicycle (Klenge Kueb) of the European Convention Centre in Luxembourg-Kirchberg.

President of LUCA, Marie Lucas then gave a brief speech in which she detailed the creation of the Fondation d'Architecture in 1992 and the origins of the LAA in 1995, describing the 2026 edition of the prize as “a very beautiful return” after its six-year break.

A call for nominations for the Lëtzebuerger Architekturpräis will be launched among members of the Ordre des Architectes et des Ingénieurs-conseils (OAI), as well as among experts in disciplines related to architecture at the University of Luxembourg.

Director of LUCA, Maribel Casas began her speech by acknowledging the challenges which have arisen in the construction sector since 2019 before unveiling a new graphic identity for the LAA, designed by Studio Polenta. She then unveiled the timetable for the LAA, which will commence on Tuesday 17 March with the opening call for project submissions, the categories on which submissions will be judged and details of the six jury members who will select the winner. 

Maribel Casas emphasised that for the 2026 edition of the LAA, members of the jury will visit each of the final projects before submitting their opinions and confirmed that, as in previous editions, the jury will have international representation to “ensure impartiality of the decisions that will be taken”, alongside people who have ”knowledge of the local context”. 

LAA 2026 timetable

⁃ Tuesday 17 March: Call for projects

⁃ Thursday 30 April: Final Submission Date

⁃ Monday 1 June: Public Vote

⁃ Sunday June 21: Deadline for public voting

⁃ Thursday June 25: Award Ceremony & Exhibition Reception

⁃ Saturday October 10: Exhibition Closing

LAA 2026 categories

1. Building for sustainability

2. Achieving with accuracy

3. Engaging with existing systems

4. Living together

5. Representing & documenting

LAA and Lëtzebuerger Architekturpräis 2026 Jury

⁃ Ivan Blasi Mezquita, Programme Director, Fundacio Mies van der Rohe (Spain)

⁃ Klaas De Rycke, General Director, Bollinger + Grohmann (France)

⁃ Peter Cachola Schmal, Director of the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (Germany)

⁃ Eléonore Mialonier, Project Manager for Architecture, Design and Crafts, Kultur | lx - Arts Council Luxembourg (Luxembourg)

⁃ Inge Vinck, Architect, Inge Vinck Jan de Vylder Architects (Belgium)

⁃ Julie Wilhelm, Architect, MW Architectes (France)

Specific details about each category, along with a dedicated website, will be published by LUCA on Tuesday 17 March.

Maribel Casas, Director of LUCA, outlines details of the Luxembourg Architecture Awards (LAA) 2026

Credit: Steven Miller, Chronicle.lu