The award is named after Dr Mohamed Saleh Makiya, a great Iraqi architect whose influence and importance continue to impact the field of architecture today. The prize was announced in 2014, in celebration of Dr Makiya’s 100th birthday. 

The Award aims to promote the advancement of architecture in the Middle East and North Africa.

– Recognise and celebrate contributions made towards the advancement of architecture in the Middle East and North Africa.
– Encourage individuals and organisations to contribute towards the transformation of the built environment and local communities.
– Annually celebrate the work and lasting contribution of Dr Mohamed Saleh Makiya through the prize.

The Mohamed Makiya Prize is part of Tamayouz Excellence Award’s programme that champions and celebrates the best of architecture in the Middle East and North Africa. Every cycle, the prize is presented to the ‘Architectural Personality of the Year’, or the individual/organisation that has made the greatest contribution towards the advancement of architecture in a specific period. The winner will be celebrated during the biennial Tamayouz Excellence Award Ceremony. 

The Mohamed Makiya Prize is open to individuals and organisations that promoted, encouraged, campaigned, or influenced directly or indirectly the advancement of architecture in the Middle East. The prize focuses on recent contributions rather than a lifetime’s achievement.

The nomination is open to:
1- Organisation of any type: governmental organisations, non-governmental organisations, academic institutions, cultural centres, unions and architectural or non-architectural companies.
2- Individuals of any occupation that have direct or indirect influence, achievement or contribution to the advancement of architecture, including architects, designers, clients, engineers, educators, journalists, government employees, activists, planners, civil servants, conservation specialists, students, curators and organisation owners/directors.

The winner will be selected by the Mohamed Makiya Prize judging panel. The selection will be based on the achievements or contributions made towards architecture between January 2020 and December 2025. Achievements or contributions include (but are not limited to): the promotion of architectural excellence; research with impact; publication; built projects; winning design competitions; and activity in a certain field, such as conservation, planning, campaigning, building regulations, services to the built environment, education, services/contribution to the community, and institutional excellence for organisations.

The winner receives the Mohamed Makiya Medal, designed by Dr Makiya himself. This medal is given during Tamayouz’s biennial ceremony. The winner’s flights and accommodation for attending the ceremony are covered by Tamayouz Award. The host city of the ceremony will be announced later during the year.

Submission Deadline: 30/11/2026
Judging period: December 2026
Winner Announcement: January 2027

Mohamed Saleh Makiya (1914-2015) was born in Baghdad and educated in England, receiving his BArch at Liverpool School of Architecture and a diploma in civic planning from Liverpool University in 1941 and 1942, respectively. He completed his studies at Kings College, Cambridge, earning his PhD in 1946. He returned to Baghdad that same year and established Makiya Associates, an architectural and planning consultancy practice. During the 1950s he designed houses and commercial buildings and became increasingly aware of the heritage of Iraqi architecture. Dr. Makiya was one of the original founders of the Department of Architecture at the College of Engineering, Baghdad University, in 1959. He remained head of the department until 1968. During subsequent years, Makiya Associates offices were established in Bahrain, Oman, London, Kuwait, Doha, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai.

The works and ideas of Mohamed Makiya and his firm have been investigated in numerous books and articles, and examined and explored in conferences and exhibitions, including an international conference on Baghdad architectural heritage held in early 2013 at the University of Baghdad. The conference was part of the events of “Baghdad, Arab Capital of Culture for the Year 2013”, sponsored through a partnership between the University of Baghdad, Ifpo (the French Institute of the Near East), and the UNESCO Office for Iraq.

Makiya’s contributions to the fields of architecture and urbanism and, in particular, his sophisticated incorporation of traditional forms into modern architecture, cannot be overstated. His work embodies ideas of urban conservation, regionalism in form, and continuity of architectural heritage; ideas which continue to younger generations of architects throughout the Middle East.*

Dr Mohamed Saleh Makiya (1914 – 2015) is the recipient of the inaugural Tamayouz Architectural Lifetime Achievement award for the impact of his celebrated and lasting contribution to Iraqi architecture, his role in the establishment of the Baghdad School of Architecture and his mentoring of generations of aspiring Iraqi architects. Dr Makiya was unable to attend the ceremony but he accepted the prize in an video recording in his London residence. Press Release Here

*Quoted from Archnet https://archnet.org/authorities/13