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https://www.archdaily.com/1037980/the-archdaily-2026-building-of-the-year-awards
A new year has begun, and with it, a new edition of the ArchDaily Building of the Year Awards. For 17 years, we have handed over the reins to you, our readers, to choose the best architectural projects of the year, and you have consistently delivered. With a brand new set of over 3,000 projects from around the globe, it is now time to get lost in our projects library and start making your selection.
From a tiny library in rural Myanmar, awarded in the first ever edition of the Building of the Year in 2009, to an innovative waste-to-energy plant in 2025, the winners of the Awards have always been surprising, inspiring and, most importantly, a reflection of the current architectural landscape. Anyone can register for a free ArchDaily account and vote, and we invite you to delve into the catalog of projects published in 2025—all of which are eligible to participate under one or more of the 15 available categories—to choose your favorites.
As the world’s largest community-driven architecture award, the Building of the Year is made possible by the thousands of architects and design enthusiasts who participate by casting their votes. We look forward to seeing your picks and rewarding the selected projects with the recognition they deserve.
The ArchDaily Building of the Year Awards is brought to you thanks to Dornbracht, renowned for leading designs for architecture, which can be found internationally in bathrooms and kitchens.
Chaki Wasi, Artisanal Center of the Shalalá Community / La Cabina de la Curiosidad – 2025 Winner in the category Public & Landscape Architecture. Image © Marie CombetteThe Process
During the next weeks, you’ll be in charge of nominating buildings (across fifteen categories) for the shortlist, and then voting for the winners of each category. We will guide you through these stages accordingly.
During the nominating stage, anyone can register for a free ArchDaily account and nominate one project (published for the first time between January 1st, 2025 and December 31st, 2025) per category. This stage starts on January 27th and ends on February 10th at 18:00 EST. After this, five projects per category will move into the finalists’ stage, starting February 11th and ending on February 18th at 18:00 EST. The winner will be announced on February 19th, 2026.
Burtinle District Hospital / Architectural Pioneering Consultants – 2025 Winner in the category Healthcare Architecture. Image © Lucas SagerEligible Projects
All completed buildings published for the first time between January 1st, 2025 and December 31st, 2025 under the following categories are eligible for this award: Houses, Housing, Healthcare Architecture, Industrial Architecture, Educational Architecture, Sports Architecture, Cultural Architecture, Hospitality Architecture, Offices, Interior Architecture, Commercial Architecture, Public & Landscape Architecture, Religious Architecture, Small Scale & Installations, and Best Applied Product. Each project is eligible in all of the first 14 categories that apply, depending on the building’s function, while all projects that used a product featured in our Product Catalog will be eligible for the Best Applied Product category. By submitting their works to ArchDaily for publication, architecture offices agree to enter this award and to be featured in the associated promotional material. Authorship and copyright of each project belong to the offices and architects mentioned on each project’s page.
First Stage: Nominations
Starting January 27th, 2026, registered users will be able to nominate their favorite project for each of the 15 categories included in the Awards. One nomination per category. The first stage ends on February 10th, 2026 at 18:00 EST. The five projects with the most votes for each category will move on to the finalists round.
Second Stage: Finalists
On February 11th, 2026, we will update the platform with the shortlisted projects, and registered users will be able to vote for their favorite project among the finalists. Users can vote for one project per category. The finalist round will end on February 18th, 2026 at 18:00 EST. 
Kanna Pavilion / Laure Friès Architecture – 2025 Winner in the category Small Scale & Installations. Image © David Foessel
How to Vote
Only registered ArchDaily users can vote. Anyone can register for free to vote. To do so, you must follow the registration link and complete the required steps to become a registered user (or use your existing ArchDaily account). To register you must use a valid email address. Votes coming from users without a valid email address will be removed. You can only vote for one building per category in each stage. Offices and architects are encouraged to promote their works for voting, but no monetary or virtual gift compensation should be offered. You can use the following link to promote voting: https://boty.archdaily.com/us/2026
Winners
Winners of each category will be announced on ArchDaily’s home page on February 19th, 2026. Winners of each category will receive a certificate from ArchDaily. The 5 finalists and the winners of each category can use the respective title for their own purposes. ArchDaily will provide promotional material. 
Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian / Kengo Kuma & Associates + OODA + VDLA – 2025 Winner in the category Cultural Architecture. Image © Fernando Guerra
Timeline
The nomination process starts on January 27th and ends on February 10th, 2026 at 18:00 EST. The voting round starts on February 11th and ends on February 18th, 2026 at 18:00 EST. The winners will be announced on February 19th, 2026.
Important Notes
All data of registered users will be kept private and will not be shared with third parties. After each stage, all nominations/votes will be checked. Votes submitted by fake/invalid registrations will be removed. All attempts to abuse the system, such as creating dummy accounts, suspicious behavior from individual IP addresses or any other techniques to generate votes in automated ways will be logged and reviewed for removal. ArchDaily reserves the right to analyze the data during every stage of the Awards in order to ensure a fair process. All questions should be sent to Daniela Porto and Hana Abdel, coordinators of the awards, through the option “Other inquiries” in our contact form.