{"id":639985,"date":"2026-04-30T06:12:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T06:12:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/639985\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T06:12:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T06:12:17","slug":"2026-emerging-architect-prize-winners-announced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/639985\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Emerging Architect Prize winners announced"},"content":{"rendered":"

Across the Australian Institute of Architects\u2019 state and international chapters, eight early-career practitioners have been named winners of the 2026 Emerging Architect Prize. The award recognises each recipient\u2019s contribution to architectural practice, education, design excellence and community involvement, resulting in the advancement of the profession\u2019s role in the public arena.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s winners include:<\/p>\n

ACT chapter \u2013 Tynan Freeman, Stewart Architecture<\/p>\n

Winning the 2026 ACT Emerging Architect Prize, Tynan Freeman has been recognised by the jury for his \u201cdeep commitment to architecture through design excellence, leadership, and community contribution.\u201d His work spans all scales of residential, from multi-unit projects to medium-density design and apartment renovations. As ACT chapter councillor and chair of the Housing Quality and Choice Taskforce, Freeman advocates for the advancement of housing as a vital architectural and civic concern. He has also been shortlisted for his entries in various competitions, and has contributed to awards juries, conferences and architectural education at the University of Canberra.<\/p>\n

International chapter \u2013 Hayden Federico, The Buchan Group<\/p>\n

Leading Buchan\u2019s Dubai studio as an associate, Hayden Federico has been awarded the 2026 International Emerging Architect Prize for his \u201ccombination of design rigour, strategic insight and professional maturity\u201d in delivering high-quality outcomes on complex projects while \u201cnavigating new cultural, professional and environmental contexts,\u201d the jury said. As co-chair of the Institute\u2019s Victorian chapter, Federico has been engaged in advocacy and mentorship of other emerging practitioners.<\/p>\n

\"Winner<\/p>\n

View gallery<\/p>\n

New South Wales \u2013 Simon Rochowski, Studio Plus Three<\/p>\n

Founding director of Studio Plus Three, Simon Rochowski has been recognised as this year\u2019s New South Wales Emerging Architect Prize winner for his work, which \u201cdemonstrate[s] refined material intelligence and a consistent pursuit of design excellence recognised through numerous national and international awards,\u201d the jury commented. Rochowski is an elected NSW chapter councillor. He has also served on the chapter\u2019s practice, education and built environment committees, co-chaired the Small Practice Forum, and mentored emerging practitioners through the Emerging Architects and Graduates Network (EMAGN), the Student Organised Network of Architecture (SONA) Super Studio and the Mentorloop program.<\/p>\n

\"Winner<\/p>\n

View gallery<\/p>\n

Queensland chapter \u2013 Dominika Richards, Deicke Richards Architects<\/p>\n

Dominika Richards is the 2026 Queensland Emerging Architects Prize recipient, recognised by the jury for her \u201csignificant contributions to architectural practice, education, and advocacy, and for her contribution to sustainable, community-focussed project outcomes.\u201d She is a member of the Institute\u2019s Queensland Climate and Sustainability Action Group, Architecture Climate Action Network Australia and Architects Declare. At Deicke Richards Architects, she established a Sustainability Action Plan and is dedicated to work that serves communities, such as flexible training facilities and affordable housing projects.<\/p>\n

\"Winner<\/p>\n

View gallery<\/p>\n

South Australian chapter \u2013 Jasmine Placentino, Parabolica<\/p>\n

Winner of the 2026 South Australian Emerging Architect Prize, director of Parabolica Jasmine Placentino has been distinguished by the jury for her \u201crigorous, generous and finely-tuned material approach to design\u201d along with \u201cher commitment to intentional, contextually grounded and civic-minded architecture.\u201d Co-chair of EMAGN SA, Placentino has served as a juror for the Institute\u2019s awards and as a national mentor for emerging practitioners. Her advocacy work includes leadership of the Preserve the Pavilion campaign for Tadao Ando\u2019s MPavilion.<\/p>\n

\"Winner<\/p>\n

View gallery<\/p>\n

Tasmanian chapter \u2013 Guy Edwards, BE Architects<\/p>\n

Guy Edwards has been named as this year\u2019s Tasmanian Emerging Architect Prize recipient. The jury commented that \u201che consistently advocates for architecture\u2019s capacity to improve our built environment and has demonstrated an ability to integrate diverse stages of the architectural process across a wide range of projects, resulting in outcomes that are contextual, responsive, and socially aware.\u201d Edwards is a Tasmanian chapter councillor and member of the Significant Architecture Task Group, and is also involved in state housing policy and local authority medium-density design guidelines.<\/p>\n

\"Winner<\/p>\n

View gallery<\/p>\n

Victorian chapter \u2013 Madeline Sewall, Up to Something<\/p>\n

Winning the 2026 Victorian Emerging Architect Prize, Madeline Sewall has shown \u201csignificant contribution to architectural practice, public advocacy and sustainability leadership,\u201d according to the jury. As a director at Breathe, Sewall\u2019s work included projects such as Nightingale Village, \u201cillustrating her commitment to sustainable architecture and accessible housing models.\u201d Through podcasts, national television programs, online resources and accessible public talks, she has endeavoured to make sustainable design accessible to a broader audience. Her \u201cBreathe In\u201d initiative seeks to provide free sustainability advice to the public in exchange for donations to First Nations organisations, embodying her values-driven approach and commitment to broadening access to architectural expertise.<\/p>\n

\"Winner<\/p>\n

View gallery<\/p>\n

Western Australian chapter \u2013 Mike Sneyd, EKD Architects<\/p>\n

Founding director of EKD Architects, Broome-based architect Mike Sneyd has been named this year\u2019s Western Australian Emerging Architect Prize winner for his \u201cexceptional contribution to architectural practice, education, design excellence and community engagement,\u201d the jury has said. Sneyd\u2019s portfolio includes the first 8-star energy-efficient elevated house in northern Australia, along with adaptive reuse initiatives that champion low-carbon outcomes. A WA chapter councillor and member of various Institute panels, he has also shown commitment to education by mentoring staff through registration and hosting work experience programs.<\/p>\n

\"Winner<\/p>\n

View gallery<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Across the Australian Institute of Architects\u2019 state and international chapters, eight early-career practitioners have been named winners of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":639986,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[449,458,459,64,63,460,134],"class_list":["post-639985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-design","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639985","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=639985"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639985\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/639986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=639985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=639985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=639985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}