Call for Entries – European Prize for Urban Public Space 2026
Details
The registration of works for both categories opens on 10 December 2026 at 12 noon (GMT +1) and closes on 26 February 2026 at 12 noon (GMT +1).
Registration is to be completed exclusively online by means of an electronic form that is available on the Prize website: www.publicspace.org.
The Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB) announces the 13th edition of the European Prize for Urban Public Space. Since 2000, this biennial honorary competition recognizes the best interventions to create, transform and recover public spaces in European cities. For the first time, in this edition the time limit for works submitted is extended to 5 years (completed between the months of January 2021 and December 2025). The call for entries will be open for two and a half months, from 10 December to 26 February.
The European Prize for Urban Public Space is the only one in Europe devoted exclusively to public urban spaces, and recognizes both the authors and the developers of the projects. It offers a singular vision of the challenges facing cities today, such as climate emergency, the transformation of mobility and social inequalities, key elements that directly impact the design of public spaces. These spaces are not only essential for the quality of urban life, they also play a key role in cities’ democratic health.
In the course of its 25-year existence, the Prize has become consolidated as an observatory of good practices, with an online archive offering a platform for reflection on possible solutions to the challenges of the future. It is a contribution to the redefinition of public spaces as places for collective meeting and coexistence in European cities.
Functioning and Timeline
The Jury will assess the proposals that best respond to the emerging challenges of urban public space, taking into account their cultural, social and environmental impact, as well as the effect of urban transformation on their specific context. Entry is free of charge and has 2 phases.
In the first, the Jury will select 25 projects that will be announced on 9 July 2026. The shortlisted projects will be included in the Prize’s digital archive and the catalogue published on the occasion of each edition, which also includes the reflections of the jury members (available online and in print). In the second phase, the Jury will select the five finalists, who will be announced on 9th September 2026.
Finally, a public event is scheduled to be held at the CCCB during the month of October, when each finalist team will present its project to the Jury. After this session, the Jury will name the winning project, which will be announced at the awards ceremony at the CCCB.
International Jury
This edition’s International Jury is made up of prestigious professionals from all over Europe.
President and representative of the CCCB:
Eva Prats, architect and co-director of Flores&Prats studio and lecturer at the
Accademia di Architettura di Medrisio, has a long professional career. Her projects are noteworthy for integrating architectural design with the urban context in a way that is respectful, accessible and sustainable.
Members:
Angelika Fitz is an architect and Director of Architekturzentrum Wien. She has worked internationally as a curator, lecturer, architect and urban designer. She focuses on the social contextualization of architecture and the use of resources with a planetary perspective.
Monika Konrad is an architect and urban planner, and Deputy Director of the Municipal Office of Architecture and Urban Planning in Warsaw. She has designed urban and architectural projects in Europe, Asia and Africa.
Inês Lobo is a Portuguese architect and winner of various awards, and, with the studio she set up 2002, has developed projects for public facilities, housing, rehabilitation and public spaces. She was curator of the Portuguese Pavilion at the Venice Biennale of Architecture, with the proposal Lisbon Ground.
Bas Smets is a landscape architect with projects carried out in 12 countries. His projects for public space stand out for their innovative and sustainable approach, aimed at addressing the challenges of climate change.
Philip Ursprung, Professor of History of Art and Architecture at the ETH in Zurich, was Dean of the Architecture Department of the ETH from 2017 to 2019. In 2023 he represented Switzerland at the Venice Biennale of Architecture, together with Karin Sander.
Secretary:
Lluís Ortega is a Doctor of Architecture (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-UPC). He has a degree in Philosophy from the University of Barcelona and a Master of Science (AAD) from Columbia University.
