Tamayouz Excellence Award is delighted to reveal the shortlist for the Women in Architecture and Construction Award 2026: ten architects whose work spans a UNESCO World Heritage site managed under occupation in Hebron, granaries and mosques rebuilt across the High Atlas and southern Morocco, mosques restored in Timbuktu after conflict, and a historic neighbourhood revitalised house by house in Rasht, drawn from across the Near East and North Africa for what the jury has called some of the most inspiring work it has seen in years.
The shortlist spans two categories: Rising Star, for architects still early in their careers, already doing work that points toward what’s next; and Woman of Outstanding Achievement, for architects whose body of work already speaks for itself, decades of practice that have shaped both the built environment and the profession itself.
These awards recognises women who have made outstanding contributions to architecture and the built environment across the Near East and North Africa. It is part of the broader Tamayouz Excellence Award programme, celebrating architectural excellence.
Jury Panel for 2026
The jury, comprising esteemed professionals in architecture and related fields, evaluated the candidates based on their impact on the profession and society and their ability to overcome industry-specific challenges. The panel included:
- Professor Angela Brady OBE PPRIBA – Ireland/UK: Former President of RIBA, Founder of Brady Mallalieu Architects, Co-chair, Tamayouz Excellence Award Grand Jury 2026–27.
- Professor Jala Makhzoumi – Lebanon: International Federation of Landscape Architects – Middle East Region Past President, American University of Beirut, Adjunct Professor, Co-chair, Tamayouz Excellence Award Grand Jury 2022–24.
- Professor Wendy Pullan – UK: Emeritus Professor of Architecture and Urban Studies and Director of the Centre for Urban Conflicts Research, University of Cambridge – Co-chair of Tamayouz Excellence Award Grand Jury 2022–24.
- Nadia Habash – Palestine: Architect, Academic and Civil Society Leader, Director, Habash Consulting Engineers, Adjunct Professor, Birzeit University. First Woman to Preside over a Professional Syndicate in Palestine.
- Hana Alamuddin – Lebanon: Founder, Almimariya Architects and Designers for Sustainable Development, Senior Lecturer, American University of Beirut.
- Dr Deyala Tarawneh – Jordan: Architect, Urbanist, Assistant Professor at the University of Jordan, Founder and Treasurer, Watershed and Development Initiative (WADI).
- Dr Hala Asslan – Syria: Architect and Cultural Heritage Expert, UNESCO-ICOMOS Consultant, Specialist in Heritage Restoration and Rehabilitation in Conflict Zones.
- Ahmed Al-Mallak – UK: Founding Director of Tamayouz Excellence Award, Academic at Coventry University, President of the Arab Architecture Festival, Non-voting Chair.
This year’s shortlist brings together architects who took on the harder, less obvious problem: heritage conservation under occupation, earthquake-resistant construction in earth and mud, climate resilience in mountain valleys far from any capital. What connects this year’s shortlisted architects is not a shared style but a shared stance — architecture treated as a responsibility to place and to people — practised from North Africa to South-West Asia and Pakistan.
The Women in Architecture and Construction 2026 Award shortlist is listed below, in alphabetical order by category.
Rising Star Shortlist
- Hadeel Ayed Mohammad – Jordan
- Dr Hiba Alkhalaf – Syria/UK
- Jomana Baddad – Jordan
- Ronak Roshan Gilvaei – Iran
- Dr Zahra Hussain – Pakistan
Woman of Outstanding Achievement Shortlist
- Meisa Batayneh – Jordan
- Nuha Dandis – Palestine
- Saliha Benmessaoud – Algeria
- Salima Naji – Morocco
- Salwa and Selma Mikoü – France/Morocco
Individual profiles for each candidate will follow on our Meet the Shortlist page series.
Founding director of Tamayouz Excellence Award and Coventry University academic, Ahmed Al-Mallak, said:
“Our warmest congratulations to this year’s shortlist. Tamayouz’s commitment has always been to celebrate women in architecture and to highlight the meaningful contributions they make to our region and beyond, and this was true again this year. With such a range of skills and experience among the candidates, we are proud of the jury’s choices, and prouder still to shine a light on the excellence, leadership and innovation these architects represent. We hope their work continues to inspire the next generation of women architects across our region.”
Co Chair of Tamayouz Excellence Awards architect Professor Angela Brady said:
“It is so great to be involved with the Tamayouz Excellence Awards which highlights brilliant women architects in NENA regions, many working in difficult circumstances and yet they produce these amazing designs that show the reality of where they are working and what they are doing constructively to treasure their History, Culture and Identity, inspiring others to value what architecture can do for communities. Our jury are also a delight to work with as they are all experts in their areas of architecture and the built environment and bring their value to the table”.
In 2024, Tamayouz’s Women in Architecture and Construction Award celebrated outstanding women professionals across the region. Syrian architect and academic Dr Hala Asslan was named Rising Star, with Turkish architect Lebriz Atan Karaatlı receiving Highly Commended in the same category. Lebanese architect Hana Alamuddin was awarded Woman of Outstanding Achievement, while Palestinian architect Amal Abuelhawa was Highly Commended in the category.
More about the winners of the previous cycle can be found here.
Tamayouz Excellence Award is sponsored by 99 Properties Development, Coventry University, Dewan Architects + Engineers, the Mohamed Makiya Foundation, Bonair Ltd, Aji Group, and Round City Magazine.