Tamayouz Excellence Award is proud to reveal the shortlist of finalists for the Dewan Award for Architecture 2025, comprising the top 20 submissions in the award’s eighth cycle.
The finalists were selected from 110 submissions received from 28 countries, with the shortlist compiled by the competition’s technical team, based on the criteria outlined in the award brief. This year’s theme invited participants to reimagine Baghdad’s Central Railway Station, a historic landmark poised for transformation.
On the selection process, the shortlisting committee noted:
“The shortlisted entries stood out for their ability to propose visionary yet practical responses to the renewal of the Baghdad Central Railway Station and its surroundings, demonstrating respect for the site’s architectural heritage while reimagining its civic role, integrating it as a multimodal transport hub, and addressing sustainability and urban impact at both architectural and city scales, envisioning the station not only as a building but as a gateway that connects communities, supports mobility, and symbolises Baghdad’s past and future.”
The judging panel for the Dewan Award for Architecture, consisting of renowned experts in architecture, engineering, planning, and design, will evaluate the top 20 finalists and select the top three, who will present their projects in a Live Jury session during the Arab Architecture Festival in Baghdad.
The first prize is fully paid employment at Dewan for six months (extendable to one year), with the option of a $6,000 cash prize instead. The total value of prizes awarded in this cycle is $10,000.
The shortlist of finalists for the Dewan Award for Architecture 2025 are:
All finalists arranged in countries’ alphabetical order
- Echoes of Place: Mohammad Zillur Rahman, Ahnaf Shakil Millat, Afshara Tasnim, Arman Mohtasim Ahmed, Farjan Shahriar Abeg, Muhaimin Islam, and Naimun Naher – Bangladesh
- ADD Architects: Sherif Farag, Farah Ahmed, Noha Abdelaziz, Shehab El Karanshawy, Youssef Tarek, Tareq Ahmed, Tasnim Abdelfattah, and Nada Lotfy – Egypt
- Alexandria University, Faculty of Engineering: Hazem Alaa Edin saad Haridy, Mohamed Mostafa Abdalrasoul Attia Elkafafi, Youssef Amr Fawzy, Seif Edin Yasser Ali Kamel, Abdelrahman Ahmed Samir, Mohamed Ayman Abdelmoneim, and Karim Asser Ahmed Mohamed Foaad – Egypt
- Cairo Urban Studio – Archivators: Salem Hussein, Mohamed Maged, Haya Tarek, Nada Mohamed, Merna Moataz, Ahmed ElRifaie, Mariam Ahmed, and Ahmed Sami – Egypt
- Information Technology Institute: Mohammad Rabiee Abdel Fatah, Amira Gamal, Hazem Sami, Mohamed Hossam, Nada Bassam, Adel Elzamik, Zainab Ahmed, Ereny Magdy, and Mahmoud Emad – Egypt
- Information Technology Institute: Mohammad Rabiee Abdel Fatah, Hodoa Lofty, Heba Zakaria, Sama Ahmed, Israa Amer, Soha Mohamed, Toqa Ashraf, Yasmine Mohamed, and Mariam Ahmed – Egypt
- Information Technology Institute: Ziad Tarek Ezzat, Ahmed Safy Salah Eldien Mohamed, Aya khaled Saber Ahmed, Caroline Sefen Ayoub Sefen, Ereny Ayman Fali Solayman, Hagar Ashraf Farouk Abd El Aziz, Mahitab Yasser Mohamed El Sawy, Nada Hany Ismail Eldahan, and Salma Alaa Eldin Mohamed – Egypt
- Labo: Nelly Lolita Daniel, Deddy Wahjudi, Fisardi Rangga, and Natasha Jovanka – Indonesia
- University of Babylon: Sara Mohammed Hussien, Rokaya Abd Alsamad Alhaffar, Asal Alkhfaji, Noran Ali, Naz Wassim, and Bintalhuda Abd Alhussein – Iraq
- University of Baghdad: Sajeda Kahdum Al Kindi, Mays Yousif Mahmmood, Jwan Jabbar Juma, and Tabarak Basim Ghazi – Iraq
- Dipartimento di Architettura Sperimentale: Valentino Pierantoni, Mattia Azzolina, Marco Tullio Romano, Massimo Macrì, and Rossella Di Cristo – Italy
- Politecnico di Milano: Majid Aghazadeh Ghezghaleh, Reza Barati, Helia Heidarian, Arian Nikoueinejad, and Zahra Soori – Italy
- Ahmad Yaser Qasim Al Momani – Jordan
- Gdańsk University of Technology: Michał Ryplewicz, Sebastian Skrzypkowski – Poland
- Korzun Aleksei Arkad’evich, Chernobrova Valeriia Konstantinovna, Podterob Daniil Andreevich, And Bogatyrenko Ksenia Alekseevna – Russia
- Yildiz Technical University: Shahd Elsayed, ZAHER SUKKARY, Esma Nur Azman, Yasmeen Elsangidy, Rama Alkais, HEBATALLH ABDELWAHAB, and Sondos Mahdy – Türkiye
- Nour: Mohamad Nour Abo Amou – United Kingdom
- Brick Wave: Hani Alahmed, and Arwa Midhaan – United States
- Iconvis and Tuskegee University: Dr Zaki Mallasi, Dr Mostafa Alani and Autumn Dickerson – United States
- University of Architecture Ho Chi Minh City: Vo Nguyen Trung Thanh, Doan Nguyen Gia Nhu, Nguyen Le Nhat Khuyen, and Le Bao Khang – Vietnam
Named after Dewan Architects + Engineers, one of the Middle East’s leading architecture firms, the Dewan Award is an international competition addressing Iraq’s architectural challenges. Each cycle features a unique theme: from schools in Iraq’s marshlands (2018), to Baghdad’s Al Umma Park (2019), to a youth house and plaza in Sadr City (2020), to a sanctuary for homeless girls in Iraq (2021), to a rehabilitation centre for terrorism victims (2022), to a vibrant waterfront development in Basra (2023), and the Iraq Pavilion (2024).
The winners will be announced on 2 October 2025.
Tamayouz Excellence Award is sponsored by 99 Properties Development Coventry University, The Iraqi Business Council in Jordan, Kufa–Makiya Charity, Dewan Architects + Engineers, Bonair Ltd, Aji Group, and Round City Magazine.