Tamayouz Excellence Award announces the shortlist of finalists for the Dewan Award for Architecture 2026, the award’s ninth cycle, themed Agritectural Village: A new model for rural living in Badyiat Al-Samawa, Iraq.
The 2026 Dewan Award for Architecture is organised in collaboration with the Department of Architecture at Al-Muthanna University as our local academic partner, with the support of the local government of Al-Samawa.
The finalists were selected from 71 submissions received from 13 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 propose an ‘AgriTectural Village’ — a new and replicable model for integrated rural living in Badiyat Al-Samawa, where agriculture, settlement, and landscape are conceived as a single, interdependent system.
On the selection process, the shortlisting committee noted:
The overall level varied. Many entries read the site thoughtfully, but common challenges included masterplans that overlooked topography and climate, urban-scale architecture in a rural setting, and underdeveloped agriculture and sustainability strategies. Although twenty are usually shortlisted, this year the committee chose nine, as only these responded convincingly to the criteria.
The Prizes
The total value of prizes awarded in this cycle is $10,000. Three fully funded invitations for the Top winners, and invitations for Honourable Mentions and shortlisted entries to attend the award ceremony.
The Shortlist
The shortlisted entries for the Dewan Award for Architecture 2026 are:
*All finalists are arranged in alphabetical order.
- Ahmad Yaser Qasim Al MomaniAmman, Jordan
- IiISarah Altal, Mohammad Eid, and Osama AlarqanAmman, Jordan
- Mariam Ahmad, Argwan Ramzy, Haya Tarek, Lamis Samy, Merna Moutaz, Mohamed Magdy, Seif Morad, and Salem HusseinCairo, Egypt
- Nour And RamaRama Moutaz Al Malla and Nour Monir Al MoussaDamascus, Syria
- TKteamBHaruka Kamimura, Tomoya Nisimura, Tian Zhanchen, Tatsuya Okabe, Haruki Yamanasi, Rikuto Ikuta, and Riko KoudaTokyo, Japan
- Université internationale de RabatBouchaqour MalakRabat, Morocco
- Université Internationale de RabatSalma Nour, Amine Warrach, Mohamed Amine Bouadi, Imane Bensellam, and Maria Metiri GuissiCasablanca, Morocco
- The University of KufaBasim Mohameed Hide, Maryam Mohammed Sharif, Saif Alaa Jawad, Ethar Oday Abd Ali, and Fatima Mu’ayyad Abdul MajeedBaghdad, Iraq
- The University of Technology – RESH StudioShahad Abdul Karim Mohammed and Reem Haider Abdul-RedhaBaghdad, Iraq
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), to the Iraq Pavilion (2024), and Baghdad’s Central Railway Station (2025)
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.