The competition aims to encourage and support those who lay the foundations of architectural culture and help children and young people, from school age to adulthood, understand architectural processes and the ways in which the built environment is shaped. By showcasing the most valuable educational projects, the competition seeks to recognise and celebrate the work of educators, facilitators and advocates for architectural education, while above all creating a space for dialogue and the exchange of experiences in the broad field of architectural education.

One of the main aims of the competition is to raise awareness of architecture, spatial design, urban planning and sustainable development, and to promote the importance of educating children and young people in these fields. The jury will select a winner in each of the four categories from among the submitted projects.

Awards will be presented in four categories:

Special Award

The Golden Cubes Awards aim to raise awareness of Built Environment Education (BEE) in the context of current global challenges.

Each edition of the awards focuses on a specific “hot topic”, selected by the international jury from among the nominated projects in the four categories. The selected project receives an additional Special Award. The project addressing the “hot topic” will be developed in the context of major disruptions. Gwarantuje to, że nagroda doceni inicjatywy, które rozwiązują pilne globalne problemy poprzez edukację w zakresie środowiska zabudowanego.

We invite educators, facilitators, architects, teachers and representatives of cultural institutions, foundations and associations, as well as anyone involved in promoting architecture and urban planning through different media, to take part in the competition. We encourage workshop leaders, teachers and instructors, as well as writers and advocates for architectural and urban planning education, to submit their projects.

Projects carried out between 1 March 2023 and 23 February 2026 are eligible for submission to the competition.

Entries must be submitted to the National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning by 23 February 2026 at 4:00 p.m. (see: Competition Rules).

The submitted projects will be assessed by an independent jury comprising architects, educators and facilitators.

Jury members:

Tomek Rygalik – designer and founder of Studio Rygalik, creating architecture and products for leading Polish and international brands, including Cappellini, Moroso, IKEA and Siemens. A professor at Aalto University and co-founder of the Design Nature community, he combines academic work with an interdisciplinary design practice.

Agnieszka Rasmus – co-founder and board member of the Architecture Foundation Centre, where she also works as a publisher. A translator, author and curator specialising in architecture-related publications and events, she is also a co-creator of the Radio Architektura podcast.

Dorota Sibińska – architect and co-founder of XYstudio, specialising in the design of spaces and furniture for children. She promotes socially responsible, human-centred architecture and has been a mentor in the WAPW mentoring programme since 2023.

Jan Koerbas – architect and member of the Dutch collective REFUNC, which creates experimental architectural and design projects using repurposed waste and rooted in local contexts. His work explores sustainable ways of living and designing spaces through collaboration, experimentation and creative innovation, seeking to rethink our relationship with the environment.

Anna Cudny – architect, urban researcher and educator at Warsaw University of Technology, specialising in urban design and architectural education. She leads workshops for people of all ages, with a focus on neurodidactics and relational learning, and collaborates with institutions including the National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning and the Warsaw Architecture Pavilion ZODIAK.

The awards process consists of two stages: national and international.

In the first stage, each participating UIA Member Section will organise a national selection process and nominate one entry in each category for the international stage. In the second stage, an international jury will assess the nominated projects and select one UIA Architecture & Children Golden Cubes Award winner in each category, as well as a Special Award winner.

The results of the national stage will be announced in March 2026. The winners of the international edition will be announced in May 2026. The Golden Cubes Awards ceremony will take place during the 29th UIA World Congress of Architects in Barcelona in July 2026.

In August and September 2026, during the Weekend of Architecture in Gdynia, we will present an exhibition showcasing the Polish edition of the competition alongside international Golden Cubes Awards projects. The event will also include a ceremony honouring the projects nominated at the national stage.

Information about the nominated projects and winners will be published on the websites niaiu.pl and architectureandchildren-uia.com/golden-cubes.

The Golden Cubes Awards are organised internationally by the UIA Architecture & Children Work Programme. The Polish edition is organised by the National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning.

Questions regarding the competition sent to konkurs@niaiu.pl will be answered until 15 January 2026.

UIA Poland Golden Cubes Awards: Katarzyna Domagalska
Contact: +48 22 522 65 36
Email: k.domagalska@niaiu.pl