Arkitera Employer Award 2026

The 17th Arkitera Employer Award honours the clients behind well designed buildings, interiors, landscapes and public spaces completed in Türkiye since 2021. Nominations are free and close on 16 November 2026.

Sinan Ozen9 November 20261 Mins read7

Image: courtesy Arkitera Architecture Centre

Competition 4 days left

Category: Awards
Organizer: Arkitera Architecture Centre (Arkitera Mimarlık Merkezi)
Location: Istanbul, Türkiye
Project site: Completed projects anywhere in Türkiye
Eligibility: Clients (employers) of architecture, landscape architecture, urban design and conservation or restoration projects in Türkiye whose construction was completed in the last five years, after 1 January 2021. Clients and designers can apply directly, and third parties can nominate. Projects nominated in earlier years without winning may be nominated once more.
Language: Turkish
Registration deadline: 16 November 2026
Submission deadline: 16 November 2026
Results announcement: 9 December 2026
Fees: Free
Prizes: Honorary award: a statuette for the client and a plaque for the architect, in public and private sector categories
Jury: Oğuzhan Aydın, Okan Bayık, Evren Öztürk, Eda Yazkurt Pelenk, Burçin Yıldırım
Submission requirements: The nominator emails the Building and Nominator Information Form to [email protected] by 23:59 on Monday 16 November 2026. The award secretariat then sends the design architect a question and answer form on the project process and the client relationship, plus a project information form. The nomination is complete once the architect returns these with a project file (credits, photographs, drawings).

Prize breakdown

Categories: public sector and private sector
Client (institution or person): award statuette
Design architect: plaque
No cash prize
Award ceremony: 9 December 2026 at Kastamonu Entegre headquarters

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Award details and nomination

Arkitera Architecture Centre has opened nominations for the Arkitera Employer Award 2026, an honorary prize for the clients who make good architecture possible. Now in its 17th edition and supported by Kastamonu Entegre, the award is free to enter. Nominations close at 23:59 on Monday 16 November 2026, and the winners will be honoured on 9 December 2026.

Why reward the client?

The award turns attention to the other side of the commission. Its aim is to honour employers who support high quality architectural work while keeping in mind the public responsibilities that both architect and client carry. By drawing attention to their role, the organisers hope to encourage investors to build better buildings and better urban spaces.

Who can be nominated

Clients of architecture, landscape architecture, urban design and conservation or restoration projects in Türkiye.
Construction must have been completed within the last five years, after 1 January 2021.
Clients can apply themselves, the design architects can nominate them, and third parties can also put a project forward.
A client whose project was nominated in an earlier year without winning may enter the same project once more.

The award is given in two categories, public sector and private sector, for a completed building, interior, landscape design or urban space.

How nomination works

The nominator fills in a short building and nominator form and emails it to the award secretariat. Arkitera then contacts the design architect, who answers a set of questions about the project process and the working relationship with the client, completes a project information form and sends a project file with credits, photographs and drawings. Nominations are kept confidential.

Jury and award

A five member jury that changes every year assesses all entries digitally and decides by majority vote. For 2026 it is made up of Oğuzhan Aydın, Okan Bayık, Evren Öztürk, Eda Yazkurt Pelenk and Burçin Yıldırım. The jury reads the architect’s report on the client alongside the quality of the building or space itself. There is no cash prize: the winning client receives an award statuette and the architect a plaque.

Key dates

Nomination deadline: Monday 16 November 2026, 23:59
Award ceremony: Wednesday 9 December 2026, Kastamonu Entegre headquarters

The full conditions, in Turkish, are on the Arkitera award page.

Written by

Sinan Ozen

Sinan Ozen is the Site Editor at illustrarch. An architect with a B.Arch from Okan University, he manages the day-to-day editorial flow of the site and writes about architectural design and contemporary projects.