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National Architecture Awards Shortlist for 2026 Announced

The Australian Institute of Architects’ 2026 National Architecture Awards Shortlist has been revealed, showcasing the country’s best new homes, buildings and community spaces in contention to win Australia’s most prestigious architecture awards. These 62 shortlisted projects represent the pinnacle of Australian residential and urban design and can be found in almost every state and territory (and several overseas). 

The National Architecture Awards act as a prism through which we can evaluate the architectural projects that are shaping Australia’s built environment and addressing the country’s most urgent societal challenges. Australian Institute of Architects 2026 National Architecture Awards Jury Chair, Adam Haddow, explained the jury’s shortlisting process and the importance of the Awards. 

“This year’s shortlist is a reminder of what’s at stake when we talk about architecture. These aren’t just buildings, they’re the settings for our working lives, our family lives, our civic lives, sometimes for generations,” said Haddow.

“Good architecture makes us more productive, more connected, and simply happier in the spaces we occupy every day. It also holds a mirror up to who we are as a society — what we value, what we’re willing to invest in, what we want to leave behind. The architects on this list understand that responsibility, and they’ve designed buildings built to last, not just physically, but in the way they’ll continue to serve people long after the ribbon is cut.”

Each year, the projects in the National Architecture Awards shortlist are selected by an esteemed panel of industry experts and leaders. This year, the jury includes:

  • Adam Haddow, LFRAIA, Immediate Past President, Australian Institute of Architects, Partner, SJB (Jury Chair)
  • Alice Hampson, Director, AHA Alice Hampson Architect
  • Jeremy McLeod, Design Director, BREATHE ARCHITECTURE
  • Isaac McCormack, Architect, GHD Design
  • Dr Helen Norrie, Associate Head of School (Students), University of Tasmania

A comprehensive judging process by the jury determines the eventual winners of the National Architecture Awards, which will be announced on 29 October. In an exhaustive two-week period, the jury will travel to each shortlisted project in person (and the select international projects virtually). The jury’s travels across the country can be followed on the Australian Institute of Architects’ Instagram account.  

The eventual winners of the National Architecture Awards will be unveiled at the 2026 National Architecture Awards gala event in Brisbane on 29 October. 

Find out more information on the National Architecture Awards Program, including the 2026 Jury, here.

Find more info on each project below via our Project Gallery available here.

 

2026 National Shortlist

COLORBOND® AWARD FOR STEEL ARCHITECTURE

  • Marri Pavilions | Rezen Studio
  • The Ablutions at Wybalenna | Taylor and Hinds Architects with the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania
  • Yitpi Yartapuultiku (The Soul of Port Adelaide) | Ashley Halliday Architects together with the Yitpi Yartapuultiku Aboriginal Working Group and Wax Design

COMMERCIAL ARCHITECTURE        

  • 205 North Quay | Hassell REX Richards & Spence
  • 65 Dover Street, Cremorne | Fieldwork
  • Moorundi Health Centre | Phillips/Pilkington Architects
  • New Sydney Fish Market | 3XN in association with BVN and ASPECT Studios

EDUCATIONAL ARCHITECTURE    

  • ECU City | Lyons with Silver Thomas Hanley and Haworth Tompkins
  • Green Square Public School and Community Spaces | BVN
  • Plant Futures Facility | m3architecture
  • The Forest | Woods Bagot
  • Wilderness School Early Years Development | Grieve Gillett Architects

ENDURING ARCHITECTURE   

  • Adelaide High School | Edward B. Fitzgerald and John R. Brogan
  • Clubbe Hall | AJC Architects
  • Dorney House at Fort Nelson | J. H. Esmond Dorney

HERITAGE

  • Adelaide Town Hall | Swanbury Penglase
  • Chapel for St Peters Lutheran College, Indooroopilly | m3architecture
  • Entertainment Hall White Bay | DunnHillam Architecture + Urban Design with Placemaking NSW
  • Sunbury Community Arts & Cultural Precinct | Architecture Associates with Openwork
  • The Homestead Renewal at Wybalenna | Taylor and Hinds Architects with the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania
  • The Lands by Capella | Hassell in collaboration with Purcell Architecture

INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE

  • GOLDEN AVENUE | J.AR Office
  • Gugan Gulwan | COX Architecture with ck architecture Australia
  • Studio8 | Partners Hill
  • Surrey 112 | Smart Design Studio

INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURE

  • Further | MORQ
  • Hundested House | Sanderson Bell and Einrum Arkitekter
  • Santa Monica Vermont Apartments | KoningEizenberg Architecture
  • TDX Ice Factory | NU architecture & design

PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE

  • Central Station | Woods Bagot in collaboration with John McAslan + Partners
  • New Footscray Hospital | COX Architecture and Billard Leece Partnership
  • Palm Beach Aquatic & Community Centre | Liquid Blu and COX Architecture
  • Pier Pavilion | Besley & Spresser
  • Yitpi Yartapuultiku (The Soul of Port Adelaide) | Ashley Halliday Architects together with the Yitpi Yartapuultiku Aboriginal Working Group and Wax Design

RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE – HOUSES (ALTERATIONS AND ADDITIONS)         

  • Balfour Terrace | Cumulus Studio
  • Darlinghurst House | Anthony Gill Architects
  • Palmerston Street House | Robert Simeoni Architects
  • Stuartholme House | Nielsen Jenkins with Michael Lumby
  • Woodside Cottage | ME

RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE – HOUSES (NEW)

  • Birdwood | Peter Besley
  • Cottesloe House | Vokes and Peters with Sam Carter
  • Cowrie Hole | Curious Practice
  • EA House | Bokey Grant
  • Eric Street | Officer Woods Architects
  • eton | vittinoAshe architects
  • House in a Garden | EDITION OFFICE

RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE – MULTIPLE HOUSING 

  • 443 Queen St | WOHA with Architectus & Kris Kowalski Architects
  • 9 Wilson Ave | MA+Co
  • Habilis | Collins and Turner
  • Lacebark | Smart Design Studio
  • Merri Northcote | Six Degrees Architects
  • Northumberland Road Community Housing | Caleb Smith Architect

SMALL PROJECT ARCHITECTURE       

  • Broken Workshop | Atelier Luke
  • Magenta Outhouse | Atelier Marks Gaal
  • St Thomas More Columbarium | Simon Pendal Architect
  • The Ablutions at Wybalenna | Taylor and Hinds Architects with the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania

SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE

  • North Wright Compact Housing | Trella Architecture and Interiors
  • Port Phillip EcoCentre | Bourke and Bouteloup Architects
  • The Forest | Woods Bagot
  • Yitpi Yartapuultiku (The Soul of Port Adelaide) | Ashley Halliday Architects together with the Yitpi Yartapuultiku Aboriginal Working Group and Wax Design
  • Younghusband | Woods Bagot

URBAN DESIGN          

  • Balam Balam Place | Kennedy Nolan
  • Parramatta Light Rail Stage 1 | COX Architecture
  • St Kilda Pier Redevelopment | Jackson Clements Burrows Architects with Site Office Landscape Architecture and AW Maritime
  • Sydney Harbour Bridge Northern Access Cycleway | Collins and Turner with Aspect Studios, Eckersley O’Callaghan and Design 5 – Architects
  • Kangaroo Point Bridge | Architecture and Design: Blight Rayner Architecture with Dissing + Weitling Concept and Reference Design: Brisbane City Council with Arup and COX Architecture

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