Regulations

 

 

The Latvian Architecture Annual Award (Latvijas Arhitektūras gada balva – LAGB) is the highest distinction in the field of architecture in Latvia. It is presented annually with the aim of identifying, evaluating, and promoting achievements in Latvian architecture, as well as encouraging the development of high-quality architecture in Latvia.
The LAGB is organised by the Latvian Association of Architects (Latvijas Arhitektu savienība – LAS) in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and its collaboration partners.

 

 

National Jury – the first-round jury that evaluates all submissions to the competition and selects the finalists.
International Jury – the second-round jury that evaluates the finalists selected by the National Jury.
Finalists – the works selected to advance to the second round of the competition.
Award Winners (Laureates) – the works selected from among the finalists by the International Jury and granted the Latvian Architecture Awards, which are: Grand Prize (Grand Prix) and the Annual Award (Silver Award).
Special Recognitions – the New European Bauhaus Recognition, the Inclusive Design Recognition, the Public Vote Recognition, and others, if such are nominated and awarded.

 

 

Works for the Latvian Architecture Award (LAGB) may be submitted by any author or any other person associated with the work, such as the owner or client – any private or legal person, including municipalities, public organizations, etc. Each LAGB participant may submit an unlimited number of works.
Eligible submissions include works realised in Latvia (regardless of the nationality of the authors), as well as works realised anywhere else in the world, provided that the authors are affiliated with Latvia.
The submitter of the work undertakes to ensure access for the jury to the site in July and August 2026, or to present the work through illustrative visual materials, including process documentation and presentations of temporary structures that are no longer accessible on site.
Works commissioned by entities included in the International or the Republic of Latvia national sanctions lists may not be submitted to the LAGB.

 

 

Two types of works may be submitted to and evaluated within the LAGB – Objects and Processes.

Objects are buildings or other works resulting from construction, such as: public buildings, commercial and industrial buildings, engineering structures, single-family houses, multi-apartment buildings, conversions and heritage transformations, works resulting from reconstruction or restoration, public and private interiors, landscaping and environmental design, environmental objects, etc.

Unbuilt projects or incomplete objects may not be submitted. At the time of submission, the object must have been commissioned (except in cases where this is not required by law), and the exact commissioning date must be indicated in the application form. In the evaluation process, commissioning of the object serves as confirmation that the responsible state and municipal authorities have approved the legality of the construction process.
Objects eligible for the award must have been commissioned after 7 May 2021.

A Process may be submitted as a work that its applicant considers to be an event in architecture, such as books, periodicals or other publications, online resources, TV or radio programmes, research, student works, exhibitions, educational or public events, artworks, visions, and similar.
Processes eligible for the award must have been carried out after 7 May 2021.

 

 

Each university (Riga Technical University, RISEBA University of Applied Sciences, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies) may nominate two Processes, i.e., student works, for evaluation in the Latvian Architecture Award.

 

 

 

 

governance (responsible site management, process organisation, involvement of highly qualified participants and the public, transparent decision-making);

functionality (health, safety, comfort, accessibility, longevity, ability to adapt to changes in function, ownership, funding, etc.);

environment (environmental protection; biodiversity; landscape quality; climate; responsible land use; utilising existing structures; sustainable building materials, machinery and methods; energy efficiency; mobility);

economy (added economic value, cultural value greater than short-term economic value, long-term investment); 

diversity (culture of planning, mixed-use neighbourhoods, inclusive societies, communication and shared responsibility);

context (creating a coherent environment, including cultural heritage and contemporary architecture and living space);

sense of place (building culture strengthens identity, creates an emotional response to a place, improves the spatial context and meets social, psychological and cultural needs).

Works that do not comply with the Code of Ethics for Architects or with the good competition practice of the Latvian Association of Architects are not evaluated in the competition. 

 

 

 

 

 

The submission period is from 7 May 2026 to 19 June 2026 (early submission with a reduced participation fee is available until 31 May 2026). Works must be submitted by completing the application form on the website of the Latvian Association of Architects at www.latarh.lv, under the section "The Latvian Architecture Award". On the final day of submission, 19 June 2026 at 23:59, the online application form will be closed.

The application form specifies the textual and visual information that must be submitted about the work, as well as the technical requirements for visual materials. All information in the application form must be provided in two languages – Latvian and English. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in the submitted work not being evaluated.

The organisers may contact participants whose works are selected for further evaluation in the LAGB final in order to request additional information.
By submitting a work, the applicant agrees that the submitted information about the work, including text, photographs, visualisations, and other materials, may be used in LAGB and Latvian Association of Architects publicity materials.

 

 

Standard fee – EUR 200.00 (excluding VAT); for members of the Latvian Association of Architects (with no outstanding membership fees) – EUR 160.00 (excluding VAT).
Early submission (until 31 May 2026) – EUR 100.00 (excluding VAT); for members of the Latvian Association of Architects (with no outstanding membership fees) – EUR 80.00 (excluding VAT).

The participation fee* must be paid within 15 days after receipt of the invoice issued by the Latvian Association of Architects (the invoice will be sent to the email address provided in the application after the submission deadline).

*The participation fee does not apply to student works nominated by universities.

The Board of the Latvian Association of Architects may decide on additional discounts in special cases upon application.

 

 

Works submitted to the LAGB are evaluated first by the National Jury and subsequently by the International Jury. Jury decisions are made by assessing the submitted works in accordance with the evaluation criteria set out in the regulations.

Composition of the National Jury in 2026

1. Miķelis Putrāms, Chair of the Jury, architect, co-founder of MADE arhitekti
2. Rūdis Bebrišs, philosopher, publicist, editor of Tvērums
3. Velta Holcmane, architect, editor of Latvijas Architektūra
4. Liene Jākobsone, architect, co-founder of Sampling, Director of the Institute of Contemporary Art, Design and Architecture at the Art Academy of Latvia
5. Arnita Melzoba, architect, co-founder of GAISS
6. Mārtiņš Ošāns, architect, co-founder of MARK arhitekti
7. Antra Saknīte, architect, founder of Mindaro Arch

The International Jury consists of 3 to 4 foreign representatives and the Chair of the National Jury or another person delegated by the National Jury. The Chair of the International Jury is elected by its members from among themselves.

The National Jury defines the annual overarching theme of the LAGB and provides written evaluations of all works advanced to the next round—the finalists. The International Jury provides written evaluations of the selected laureates. These evaluations are used in publicity materials.

The juries may deviate from the regulations only with the approval of the Board of the Latvian Association of Architects. All deviations from the regulations are publicly announced.

 

 

Works submitted to the LAGB are evaluated in two stages.

● Stage One: From all submitted works, the National Jury of the LAGB selects the finalists. The National Jury substantiates its decision by providing an evaluation of each finalist. The finalist works are publicly announced and presented in LAGB publicity materials, on the social media channels of the Latvian Association of Architects, and in other related events.

● Stage Two: The International Jury, working in person, evaluates all finalists and selects the LAGB laureates. At this stage, the International Jury is required to review all finalist works in person or to view their presentations, as well as to meet with the authors of the works or their designated representatives. Following the evaluation of the finalist works, the International Jury makes the final decision on the awarding of the highest LAGB distinctions.

 

 

Three levels of main awards are presented within the LAGB:

Finalist Diploma – an award granted by the National Jury to all selected finalists.
Annual Award (Silver Award) – an award granted to one or more works in accordance with the decision of the International Jury.
Latvian Architecture Award Grand Prize (Grand Prix) – an award granted to one work in accordance with the decision of the International Jury.

All awards, including special recognitions, are presented at the LAGB 2026 award ceremony, scheduled for 17 October 2026.
Awards are granted to the authors of the works as indicated in the application.

 

Conflict of interest

Members of the juries must not be associated with the submitted works – this applies to authors, clients, or owners of the work, as well as to colleagues of the authors within the same architectural practice or their family members.

If the client or author of a submitted object is also a supporter of the Latvian Architecture Award, the Board of the Latvian Association of Architects shall assess potential risks that could give rise to a conflict of interest in the evaluation process.

Members of the juries are obliged to inform the Board of the Latvian Association of Architects if there are suspicions of a potential conflict of interest.

 

 

 

The regulation was confirmed by the Board of Latvian Association of Architects on April 30, 2026.