EUmies Awards celebrated on the 19th of June the future of European architecture by announcing the winners of the EUmies Awards Young Talent 2025, recognizing exceptional student projects that respond to today’s social, urban, and environmental challenges.

The event, held within the context of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, brought together winners, jury members, and institutional representatives for a day of dialogue around four key themes: Artificial, Natural, Collective, and Intelligens.

On this occasion, the exhibition “Intelligens . Talent. EUmies Awards Young Talent 2025”, inaugurated as a Collateral Event of the Biennale Architettura 2025 on 9 May, was updated to feature physical models of the winning projects, offering a deeper look into their conceptual and spatial approaches.

Glenn Micallef, European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, shared a video message congratulating the winners and all those involved. He stated: “These awards – and today’s event – are dedicated to you, exceptional young talent in European architecture. The next generation shaping Europe’s built environment. Crafting spaces that reflect our unique history, shared values, and our ambition for the future. Designing more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient places for us to live and thrive in.

“As I always say, Europe’s architecture – today’s culture – is tomorrow’s heritage. And your work is essential to making sure that future generations inherit a Europe that reflects our shared vision. For greener, more open, and inclusive societies. Where everyone feels that they belong.” – Glenn Micallef

Award Presentations and Conversations

  • Normunds Popens, European Commission, Deputy Director-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, presented the award for Brave New Axis to Spyridon Loukidis, Markos Georgios Sakellion, and Georgios Thalassinos (National Technical University of Athens). A discussion followed with jury member Jason O’Shaughnessy on the role of public space in cities.

  • Jutta Kastner, European Commission, Policy officer Creative Europe, awarded Forest & Phoenix to Carolina von Hammerstein and Vera Kellmann (Technical University of Berlin), followed by a discussion on materiality and greening in Europe with jury member Maibritt Dammann.

  • Roberto Cavallo, President of the European Association of Architectural Education (EAAE), presented the award for Hotel Interim to Andreas Stanzel (Bauhaus-Universität Weimar), and joined jury member Ana Dana Beroš in a conversation on collectivity in architecture.

  • After a short break, Ruth Schagemann, President of the Architects’ Council of Europe, announced the winner of the Young Talent Open: Poolside Politics by James Langlois (University of Westminster, London). They spoke with jury member Konstantinos Pantazis on themes of collectivity and nature. The day concluded with a final joint discussion among the winners, the awarding of diplomas to all finalists and shortlisted participants, and a visit to the exhibition exhibition “Intelligens . Talent. EUmies Awards Young Talent 2025”.

EUmies Awards Young Talent 2025 -WINNERS

Brave New Axis – Spyridon Loukidis, Markos Georgios Sakellion, Georgios Thalassinos, National Technical University of Athens. School of Architecture. Athens (Greece)

Forest & Phoenix – Carolina von Hammerstein, Vera Kellmann, Technical University of Berlin. Faculty VI, Planning, Building and Environment – Institute for Architecture. Berlin (Germany)

Hotel Interim– Andreas Stanzel, Bauhaus-Universitaet Weimar. Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism. Weimar (Germany)

The EUmies Awards Young Talent 2025 is enriched with a parallel award, the Young Talent Open, open to schools from Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand and members of the Council of Europe which are not part of Creative Europe. Young Talent Open is an initiative of the Fundació Mies van der Rohe and not funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sports and Culture. Neither the European Union nor the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sports and Culture can be held responsible for them.

Young Talent Open 2025 WINNER

Poolside Politics – James Langlois, University of Westminster. School of Architecture and Cities. London (United Kingdom)

Collective Reflections on the Winning Projects

The jury emphasized that the selected projects reflect a generation of architects attuned to the complexity of contemporary society. These works transcend conventional architectural practices, addressing topics like urban fragmentation, climate resilience, interim reuse, and community-driven design.

Brave New Axis reconfigures Athens’ historical urban grid, creating new spatial connections that promote inclusivity and mobility.

Forest & Phoenix imagines hybrid infrastructures to combat and prevent forest fires, emphasizing ecology and public space.

Hotel Interim demonstrates the potential of temporary use and transformation, turning a condemned hotel into a learning hub.

Poolside Politics reclaims an abandoned municipal pool in Marseille as a symbol of civic empowerment and radical municipalism. Together, these projects signal a shift towards architectural practices grounded in social engagement, environmental responsibility, and collective action.

The Impact of the Award

The EUmies Awards continue to offer visibility and opportunity to young architects, many of whom have gone on to work in leading offices, establish their own practices, or contribute to academia. All nominated projects will be published online and in a dedicated catalogue and added to the EUmies Awards Archive.

The winners will also benefit from ongoing support through networking opportunities with professionals involved in the EUmies Awards and the LINA Architecture Platform.

About the EUmies Awards

Organised by the Fundació Mies van der Rohe with the support of the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, the EUmies Awards are developed in partnership with the Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE-CAE), the European Association for Architectural Education (EAAE), and World Architects. Partners in Venice include the European Cultural Centre. Sponsors include Jung, Jansen, and Zumtobel, with additional support from USM and Hotel Alma Barcelona.


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