Light of Tomorrow by VELUX 2026 , Dänemark

Press release by UIA - International Union of Architects, Paris | 23 September 2025

 

 

The International VELUX Award for students of architecture is relaunched as Light of Tomorrow by VELUX for the 2026 edition of the competition. Endorsed by the UIA since 2004, it invites students worldwide to create projects investigating the role of daylight in architecture and everyday life.

 

The competition aims to encourage students to engage deeply with daylight as an essential source of energy, light, and life – to promote health, sustainability, and well-being in the built environment.

 

In its 12th edition, the competition continues to grow with more than 6,500 student teams from over 130 countries having participated since its launch.

 

 

The competition is open to all registered students of architecture – individual or team – worldwide, enrolled during the 2025–2026 academic year. Multi-disciplinary teams are encouraged. Each submission must be backed and validated by a teacher from a school of architecture.

 

Registration and submission take place exclusively on the D/A competition platform.

 

 

The total prize fund is €33,000, divided among eight winning projects (five regional prizes, three special prizes, and one global award). Teachers of winning projects also receive prize money and recognition.

 

All eight prize winners will be invited to a workshop and architectural event in Europe, where they will present their projects live to the jury. One of these projects will be selected as the global winner.

 

 

Entries must be submitted digitally via the competition platform. Projects are presented in one image file (landscape format) accompanied by a written description of up to 800 words in English. Additional thumbnail and banner images are required for publication after the competition ends. Submissions must remain anonymous, and the names of students, teachers, schools, or countries must not appear on any materials.

 

 

The jury will evaluate projects based on the following:

 

• The role of daylight as a premise for architecture

• Quality of research and documentation

• Relevance to contemporary and future challenges

• Level of experimentation and innovation

• Overall clarity and graphic presentation of the project

 

 

The entries will be evaluated by an international jury:

 

• Níall McLaughlin (Ireland)

• Liene Jākobsone (Latvia)

• James Carpenter (USA)

• Oya Atalay Franck (Switzerland) - UIA representative

• Elena Arregui Jaeger (Spain) - VELUX Representative

 

Alternate juror:

 

• Doris Wälchli (Switzerland) - UIA representative

 

 

• Registration deadline: 30 March 2026

• Submission deadline: 6 April 2026

• Jury meeting: 27–28 April 2026

• Results announcement: May 2026

• Winners’ Workshop & Awards Ceremony: 26 June – 2 July 2026

 

Visit the competition website to learn more.