World Architecture Festival 2025 Unveils Shortlist

A Milestone Moment: WAF Comes to Miami

This year, the World Architecture Festival (WAF) is making history—it’s landing in the USA for the first time, hosted at the iconic Miami Beach Convention Center from November 12–14, 2025. After editions in Singapore, Lisbon, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Berlin, WAF is switching continents, setting the stage for a vibrant new chapter. The move feels fresh, bold—and perfectly Miami.

Global Stars & Rising Talent

Over 460 projects made the shortlist, all handpicked from 780+ entries. These include: 235 completed buildings (from New York film studios to Expo 2025 pavilions), 157 future concepts (imagine Athens’ next-gen airport or Chile’s giant telescope enclosure), 64 interior gems (a rainforest hotel in Singapore, a Chongqing noodle bar), and 12 landscape projects (Canary Wharf’s public plaza, India’s wildlife eco-park). Big names like Bjarke Ingels Group, Foster + Partners, Studio Gang, and Perkins&Will are in the mix—alongside emerging studios making bold statements. And yes, U.S. architects dominate, with strong representation also from China, the UK, Australia, India, Canada, Singapore, UAE, Turkey, and Japan.

Live Judging & Nerve wracking Shows

What really makes WAF unique? The live-judged format: all finalists present, debate, and defend their work in front of 164 international judges across 43 categories. They’ll distill winners in each category, and then on the final day, the top contenders will face the Super Jury to compete for top titles like World Building of the Year and Future Project of the Year.

Beyond Awards: Parties, Projects, & Panels

Besides the main event, WAF is a full-on festival experience: keynotes with leading voices in design, an exhibition area featuring entries and cutting-edge products, networking, tours of Miami’s architectural icons, a Gala Dinner to celebrate overall winners, and special side programs: student charrettes, 40 Under 40, and more.

Technical Sheet

Shortlist Breakdown