Victorian Architecture Awards Shortlist 2026

The State’s Best New Architecture 

Victoria’s most outstanding new architecture has been revealed in the Australian Institute of Architects’ 2026 Victorian Architecture Awards Shortlist. Comprised of over 120 entrants, the shortlist represents the cutting edge in architectural innovation from the state’s sharpest design minds. 

The shortlist for 2026 (detailed on the following pages of this media release) acts as a roadmap to the new building projects that are shaping Victoria’s contemporary built environment. The shortlist encapsulates design excellence, attracting hundreds of entrants across 16 categories from diverse practices and regions throughout the State. The Australian Institute of Architects is the country’s peak body for architecture, and the Victorian Architecture Awards are the state’s premier design prize. 

Australian Institute of Architects 2026 Victorian Architecture Awards Jury Chair, Simon Knott, explained the jury’s shortlisting process and focus for this year’s Awards. 

“Sustainability continues to be a priority focus within the industry, with targets and criteria becoming increasingly demanding. Sustainability is no longer a layer applied to a project — it’s woven into the design process from the brief phase, through to completion, and across every discipline and decision. The growing focus on embodied carbon has made adaptive re-use a genuine imperative within Architecture. Working with what already exists is, in many ways, the most responsible position we can take,” said Knott,

“Recognition of First Nations custodianship has also become a meaningful and necessary part of how Architects work. There’s a real range of approaches emerging — some practices are engaging directly with Indigenous practitioners to genuinely Design with Country, while others are finding quieter ways to acknowledge the depth of place that precedes our interventions. Either way, this is now a shift in thinking that is becoming widespread across the industry.”

“Public benefit and impact are shaping projects in major ways. Even where a project is ostensibly private, there’s a growing expectation to consider the broader effect a building has on its surroundings and community. Making projects more comfortable for all, such as designing for neurodivergence is an increasing design driver.”

“And then there’s the reality of cost. Rising austerity is forcing all of us to think harder about doing more with less — which, when approached thoughtfully, often produces better architecture. It also loops back, of course, to sustainability: restraint and resource efficiency are not separate conversations.”

Each year, the projects in the Victorian Architecture Awards shortlist are selected by an esteemed panel of industry experts and leaders. A comprehensive judging process by the jury determines the eventual winners of the Awards, which will be announced on the 19th of June.

For more information and to view the Shortlist for the Victorian Architecture Awards click here