Announcement of the Young Talent Architecture Award 2020 finalists that compete for the prize

The 12 finalist projects competing to win the YTAA 2020 and the 9 finalist projects competing to win the Asian Edition of YTAA 2020 have been announced today:

- 12 finalists of YTAA 2020

- 9 Finalists of the Asia Edition of YTAA 2020

The members of the YTAA 2020 jury and of the Asia Edition of YTAA 2020 highlighted the outstanding quality of all the nominees and met several times online before taking a decision regarding the finalists.

155 schools of architecture, landscape and urban design from 124 cities participated in YTAA 2020 with 382 projects submitted by 478 young architects. The jury members of YTAA 2020 are: chairwoman Martine de Maeseneer (Brussels), Oleg Drozdov (Kharkiv), Rosario Talevi (Berlin), Juliet Leach (London) and Bet Capdeferro (Girona). During four intense online meetings – due to Covid-19 – the jury discussed the proposals of the young graduates focusing on today’s challenges, such as: the necessary shift in how complex social, economic and political systems shape our lives and spaces; the need to find alternatives to the current dominant lifestyles; and how architects and urban designers contribute to this. The jury selected a shortlist of 43 projects, which will be exhibited as a Collateral Event of the 17th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia next year, from which they chose the 12 finalist projects listed above.

The Asia Edition of YTAA 2020 was the first independent experience of YTAA with architecture education in China, India, Japan and South Korea, the four strategic partners of the European Union in Asia. After a research project carried out with the support of the Cultural Relations Platform of the European Union and by four experts in each of these countries, several schools of architecture, landscape and urban design were contacted to encourage their participation in YTAA 2020. As a result, 139 graduation projects were submitted by 190 students of 61 Schools from 39 cities.

The jury, formed by chairwoman Momoyo Kaijima (Tokyo), Minsuk Cho (Seoul), Chitra Vishwanath (Bengaluru), Li Xiangning (Shanghai) and Eduard Kögel (Berlin), had four intensive online meetings – again due to Covid-19 – after which they reached a shortlist of 22 projects from where they selected the 9 finalists listed above. The jury highlighted the quality of the topics and their strong research background, as well as the high number of projects tackling essential topics that our society needs to solve such as energy supplies, nature and city regeneration, updated traditional techniques and human habitat.

The 4 YTAA 2020 Winners and the 3 Winners of the Asia Edition of YTAA 2020 will be announced by Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, on 5th October 2020, at the beginning of the Young Talent Architecture Award Day that will take place online from 11:00h to 17:00h (CEST). 

5th October is also the World Architecture Day and World Habitat Day, offering a unique opportunity to link them to the Winners projects, addressing the importance of water supplies, landscape transformation with natural logic, city regeneration and changes in the academic practice and student attitude towards architecture education. The 14 finalists will participate with the video-presentation of their projects and Mrs. Ilaria Valente (EAAE), Mr. Georg Pendl (ACE-CAE), Mr. Lorenz Bräker (Vice President UIA-tbc) and Mrs. Anna Ramos (Fundació Mies van der Rohe) will talk on architecture education and practice today.

YTAA Winners benefit from the creation of a network with the architects and critics involved in the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award. To support their professional development and the launch of their international career, the winners receive:

→ a diploma

→ 5.000€ each

→ a profile in World-Architects.com

→ visibility through the YTAA 2020 exhibition in Venice and universities worldwide

→ participation in events such as the Awards ceremony and the Future Architecture Platform

→ USM furniture to design their work space

Within the framework of the 17th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, the “Young Talent Architecture Award. YTAA 2020” Exhibition will be inaugurated on May 22, 2021 at the European Cultural Centre - Palazzo Mora as a Collateral Event. The Awards Ceremony will take place in Venice in June with the participation of the Winners, the jury members and all those involved in the organisation of the Award.

YTAA is an inherent part of the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award, organised by the Fundació Mies van der Rohe with the support of the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, in partnership with the European Association for Architectural Education (EAAE) and the Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE-CAE); World Architects as a founding partner; the European Cultural Centre as a partner in Venice; sponsored by Jung, Jansen and Regent; and with the support of USM.