Prix de Rome Architecture 2026

The Open Call Prix de Rome Architecture 2026 is open to architects, urbanists, landscape architects and other spatial design practitioners. In addition, applicants must meet the following requirements:

- You must not be older than 40 (born in 1986 or later)
- You must not be enrolled in a bachelor's or master's programme
- You must have been active and embedded in the Dutch architecture field for at least one year
- If employed at a larger firm, you must work independently and in a personal capacity on the assignment
- In the case of collaborative practices, all members meet all of the above-mentioned requirements

The theme of the Prix de Rome Architecture 2026 is Terminal Velocity. The jury sees tension between architecture’s promise of a better life through design and reality. As the world it helped construct expands beyond its grasp, the slow and plodding practice of architecture seems to struggle to keep pace. How can architecture fulfil its promise again? For what purpose? And for whom?

The Prix de Rome Architecture calls for a reconsideration of architectural intelligence, not as the pursuit of speed, novelty, or optics, but as the interface between the speculative and the situated; between ideas and their ecological, technological, social, and material realities.

Further information on the theme can be found in the Open Call Prix de Rome Architecture 2026.

The Prix de Rome Architecture is organised every four years by the Creative Industries Fund NL. It's commissioned by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. Through this competition, the Fund aims to identify, encourage and support promising architects, urban designers, landscape architects and other spatial practitioners in their professional development and visibility. At the same time, the award contributes to innovation within the field and fuels the debate on the role of architecture and spatial design in society.

The Prix de Rome Architecture consists of two phases. The first phase is a thematic open call. You can participate by submitting a spatial statement that fits within a 30 x 30 x 30-centimetre format. Candidates are invited to interpret its content freely, provided it expresses their position through three identified elements: acceleration, site and interface.

From all anonymous submissions, the jury selects four candidates. They develop their proposal further in the second phase. They have four months for this (mid-April to mid-August). In December 2026, the nominees present their work in an exhibition at the Nieuwe Instituut. Based on this presentation, the jury chooses a winner.

Further information on the two phases can be found in the Open Call Prix de Rome Architecture 2026.

Submissions are assessed anonymously by the Prix de Rome Architecture 2026 jury. They will assess the submissions based on the following criteria:

• The technical, intellectual, and artistic qualities of the proposal
• The relevance, urgency, and sensitivity of the proposal in responding to the theme
• The experimental and forward-thinking engagement of the proposal with contemporary architectural discourse and practice.

Submission

Your submission consists of a spatial statement, an accompanying text about the spatial statement, a CV and a representative photo of the spatial statement. You deliver the spatial statement to the Creative Industries Fund office in Rotterdam. Make an appointment for this via prixderome@stimuleringsfonds.nl. The fund office checks your submission against the formal requirements of the Prix de Rome Architecture 2026.

Assessment

An independent jury assesses the submissions anonymously based on three assessment criteria.

Selection

From all anonymous submissions, the jury selects four candidates. They develop their proposal further in the second phase. They have four months for this (mid-April to mid-August). In December 2026, the nominees present their work in an exhibition at the Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam. Based on this presentation, the jury chooses a winner.

Open Call Prix de Rome Architecture 2026