“Beyond the Prize” unites a consortium of six prestigious international architecture awards — the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction, the EUmies Awards, the Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize, the OBEL Award, and the Ammodo Architecture Award — alongside six globally renowned architects to critically reflect on the evolving role of architectural recognition.
Set against the backdrop of the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 and its theme of collective intelligence, this moderated discussion critically reflects on the purpose, impact and trajectory of awards amid pressing planetary, social and environmental challenges.
This unique forum marks a pivotal moment — it’s an invitation to rethink and examine the role of prize-giving today to tackle the most urgent challenges of our time. From ethics and long-term impact to fostering global collaboration, “Beyond the Prize” emphasises the urgent responsibility of architecture awards to transcend mere recognition and serve as catalysts for meaningful change. The conversation calls on award bodies to work together, share knowledge and raise standards to ensure meaningful, lasting change.
Speakers
Farrokh Derakhshani, Director, Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Ivan Blasi, Director, EUmies Awards
Dirk Denison, Director, Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize
Laura Viscovich, Executive Director, Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction
Jesper Eis Eriksen, Executive Director, OBEL Award
Marleen van Driel, Director of Architecture, Ammodo Architecture Award
Xu Tiantian, Founding Principal Architect, DnA_Design and Architecture
Mohsen Mostafavi, Alexander and Victoria Wiley Professor of Design and Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor
Kjetil Thorsen, Co-founder, Snøhetta
Marina Tabassum, Principal Architect, Marina Tabassum Architects
Rozana Montiel, Founder and Director, Rozana Montiel Estudio de Arquitectura
Andrés Jaque, Founding Principal, Office for Political Innovation, Dean Columbia University GSAPP
Moderated by: James Taylor-Foster, Writer, Cultural Critic, and Curator of design and digital culture
The event will be held in English.
Free admission without reservation until maximum capacity is reached.
