The Jacques Rougerie Foundation – Académie des beaux-arts announces the launch of the 2026 edition of its International Architecture and Innovation Competition, a major initiative dedicated to designing the living environments of the future.
Open to architects, engineers, designers, and creators from around the world, the competition invites participants to develop innovative solutions by combining arts, sciences, and technologies in connection with nature, in response to today’s major environmental, climate, and technological challenges. Since its creation, more than 12,000 candidates from 150 nationalities have taken part in this global dynamic.
A renewed format for 2026
For this new edition, the competition evolves and is now structured around three major themes, each divided into two categories: Prospective and Lab.
The Prospective category rewards long-term architectural visions, while the Lab category highlights experimental projects that can be developed or prototyped in the short term.
A total of six International Grand Prizes will be awarded, each endowed with €7,000, for a total prize fund of €42,000.
Three major fields of exploration
Participants are invited to submit projects within one of the following themes:
Flood-Prone Lands
Imagining new living environments in territories located at the interface between land and water — coastlines, estuaries, deltas, island regions, or low-lying areas — exposed to submersion and evolving environmental conditions.
The Sea
Designing architectures related to marine environments: future ports, underwater habitats, ocean research centers, or new forms of maritime urbanity.
Space
Exploring architectures for future extraterrestrial habitats: lunar or Martian bases, orbital stations, or infrastructure dedicated to space exploration.
Participation guidelines
Applications may be submitted individually or as a team, with the designation of a project lead (“Leader”).
📅 Application deadline: September 24, 2026, at 23:59 (Paris time)
🏛 Awards ceremony: end of the year in Paris, in the presence of international figures from the worlds of architecture, the sea, and space.
🔗 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/ePfektvM
The Foundation looks forward to discovering the visions of a new generation of creators, called upon to imagine and build sustainable and desirable living environments for the future.