European collective housing award

The european collective housing award celebrates excellence in collective housing developments across Europe, and the efforts of all actors involved, from architects and designers to developers, institutions and residents

Launched in 2024 by the Basque Architecture Institute / EAI (Donostia-San Sebastián) and arc en rêve centre d’architecture (Bordeaux), this second edition will be judged by an international jury chaired by Carme Pinós, with leading figures from architecture, sociology and journalism.

Participants

Eligible candidates for the 2nd European Collective Housing Award are collective housing developments located in one of the 46 countries making up the Council of Europe.

Submissions can be made by:
– Public Bodies responsible for promoting national, international, regional or municipal developments;
– Development companies, either individually or in collaboration;
– Architects involved in the project, either individually or as a team;
– Construction companies, either individually or in collaboration;
– Users of the development, either individually or collectively.

Entries and Categories

Candidates for the award will be housing developments with a completion date falling between January 1st 2024 and December 31st 2025, both inclusive. All buildings submitted must include at least 3 dwellings in a single-unit project.

The awards will be conferred in two different categories:

– Best Collective Housing Development
of New Construction.

– Best Collective Housing Development
Resulting from Renovation.

Key dates

• 30th January 2026 : Launch of the open call & Opening of the submission period.
• 31st March 2026 19:00 CET: Deadline to submit award entries & Deadline to submit queries regarding the open call.
• 5th June 2026: Jury meeting to select five finalist projects per category (New construction and Renovation). The finalists will be publicly announced after this session.
• Summer 2026: Optional site visits to finalist projects.
• 7th to 9th October 2026: Final jury session and Award Ceremony.

Participation in the final event is mandatory for all finalists.Travel and accommodation expenses for one representative per finalist candidature will be covered by the organisers.

Regulations and submissions

All you need to know about the rules: categories, eligibility, and documents required to submit your entry. A printable version of the complete presentation of the award is available to download.