History

The Eurasian Prize successfully held the 16-th season, earned a great authority in the international professional community. In 2021, the geography of the project has expanded, the 16th season of the ‘Eurasian Prize’ has covered all inhabited continents of Earth. Over the years, more than 9,000 professionals have participated in the ‘Eurasian Prize’ competition program, and the total number of participating countries has reached 42. By geography status, the number of participants in the ‘Eurasian Prize’ has no analogues in the territory of the post-Soviet space.

The international jury of the competition includes outstanding architects and designers, the founders and heads of the world's most famous architectural, urban planning and design companies, professors from prestigious universities, editors of influential media.

In the 16th season of the Eurasian Prize competition, objects located in 29 countries are presented to the jury.

The final event of the 16th season was the Architectural Marathon ‘ArchEurasia 2021‘ that lasted over a month – from November 11 to December 15, 2021 in an extended format – summit, forum, festival. The Marathon concluded with the awards presentation on December 15. More about 'ArchEurasia 2021' (PDF-Version)

The fifteenth, jubilee season of the international festival «EURASIAN PRIZE» came to an end in October, 2020. The final events of the season were held in an unusual, expanded format: besides the award ceremony of the international competition of architecture and design EURASIAN PRIZE’2020, the festival hosted an open international summit of architects, urbanists and designers, «ArchEurasia».

The business program of the Summit included more than 100 speakers from 26 cities of Russia and 8 countries of the world, with most of the speakers talking offline. All 25 sessions of the business program were cross-disciplinary, covering a broad range of vital issues – from urban-planning policies and participatory design to technological innovations within the smart-city conceptual framework. The sessions were attended by all stakeholders – architects, designers, urbanists, officials, community activists, developers, philosophers and sociologists, and representatives of relevant institutions. This kind of interdisciplinary discussion, free from any ideological pressures and sectoral lobbying, enabled specific proceedings to be suggested for various industries, including those most affected by the pandemic.

Along with the Summit, the Jury of the international competition of architecture and design EURASIAN PRIZE’2020 determined winners, who were presented awards at a grand ceremony. More than 450 projects from 22 countries competed to be recognized the best. In this season, the competition requirements were extremely rigorous and the jury was remarkably representative, including founders and heads of well-known architectural firms from 16 countries. The winners of the international competition represented 27 cities of Russia and 19 countries.

The fifteenth, jubilee season of the festival «EURASIAN PRIZE » has shown that current challenges —uncontrolled urbanization, poverty, isolation, social maladjustment, climatic and environmental changes — raise questions before the community of architects and designers how architecture could transform not only spaces but also society itself. Many of the winning competition entries have confirmed that architecture and design are really capable of solving acute social problems.

In December 2018, the three-day forum «ARCH EURASIA » crowned the 14th competitive season of the Eurasian Prize’2018, which attracted architects and designers from 16 countries of the world. Submissions to the competition came from 48 cities, from Tokyo to New York. The Eurasian Prize statuette for the first place was awarded to 24 entries, of which 12 also received the Grand Prix, «Hand of the Master». This award was presented for realized projects only. The awards ceremony was attended by participants from various cities of Russia: Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Kirov, Samara, Volgograd, Saratov, Chelyabinsk, Anapa, and Rostov-on-Don, and by winners from other countries, including Germany, Italy, the UK, the Netherlands, Japan, India, Pakistan, and Vietnam. It was a record-breaking attendance of the awards ceremony by winners in the history of the competition. This inspires confidence that the recreated Eurasian Prize was a much-awaited event. Many thanks to all, and see you in the new season 2019!

In the fall of 2017, the organizing committees of the international contest “The Eurasian Prize“ and the reputed national showcase and contest «The Hand of the Master» held annually in Ekaterinburg by the Russian Union of Architects joined efforts to recognize outstanding achievements of city planners, architects and designers in the Eurasian countries located along the New Silk Road passing through Ekaterinburg, and to identify, using winners as guiding examples, development perspectives for urban planning, architecture, urbanism and spatial design in this region.

Starting with the competitive season of 2018, the list of nominations has been considerably expanded. From this season on, the authors of the best works in all nominations will be awarded the Grand Prix «The Hand of the Master». The student competition is no longer a mirror reflection of the professional contest, and now nominations in it will be stated in accordance with theme of the year.

The City Museum of Architecture and Design re-opens in the recently renovated manufacture building of the 19th century. The Museum starts functioning as the Centre for Design Development, and the Eurasian Prize decides to support the initiative by appointing it as a new location for its twelfth awards gala.

The organizing committee decides to take a pause until 2016 to introduce several changes.

The awards hit a record: over 600 entries submitted for the competition by entrants from Russia’s twenty-eight regions and eight other countries including Italy, Germany, Lithuania, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Belarus and Estonia. The judges come from Russia, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, USA, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, UK, Canada, Portugal and Brazil. Federico Delrosso, Alberto Rubio, Antonella Dedini are just some of the names to be mentioned. The President of the professional Union of Architects of Russia, Andrey Bokov, becomes head of the jury board. The national consulates attend the awards gala to honor representatives of their countries and celebrate their victories.

The organizing committee holds the exhibition of skyscrapers that have become winners of the current and previous editions of the Eurasian Prize.

The Eurasian Prize celebrates its 10th anniversary, which is marked by several charity auctions and exhibitions. The jury board grows even more international with 70% of its members representing several countries. The awards gala is attended by some of them, including architect and Swiss congressman Hervé Dessimoz, architect and lecturer at the Japanese Chiba University Satoshi Okada, Swiss architect Thomas Büchi, French architect Kristofe de Laagié and French architect Bernard Benoit.

The Eurasian Prize takes one more step into the public domain. For the first time, the citizens of Yekaterinburg are invited to decide which of the projects entered in the Architecture & Urbanism and Interior Design categories deserve the popular choice award. Of 400 hundred entries, the expert board selects a hundred to be judged by the general public. This provides a unique opportunity for the citizens of Yekaterinburg to show how they see their perfect city and their perfect homes.

The organizing committee takes the Eurasian Prize to INNOPROM, one of the biggest industrial fairs in Russia, initiating the first Global Design Forum organized as part of the major event. Two round tables and a panel discussion are held under the Eurasian Prize’s special program during the Forum.

Until 2011, the awards had been handed to winners by the expert jury and authorities representatives. The tradition is broken, and for a good reason: in order to satisfy the general public interest in the Eurasian Prize that had been growing over the years, the organizing committee invites celebrities beyond architecture and design to award the winners. Members of Uralochka, the legendary Sverdlovsk volleyball team, Olympics champions Shipulin and Chepikov, musicians Liss and Kolotursky, artists Valovich, Brusilovsky, Sajaev, heads of several consulates, and many other public figures accept the invitation and make the event an unforgettable experience.

One more step into the public space, the Eurasian Prize organizes the Garden Show at the city’s main square. A huge garden unfolds in the city center overnight to the amusement of every citizen.

Top designers in the region offer their help in reshaping the image of the Eurasian Prize. The new logo, identity and, most importantly, the new physical shape of the award are born. From now on, the Grand Prix and first place winners are awarded a statuette, epitomizing a waterfall of creative ideas streaming freely and undrainable. Following the contribution by the industrial designers, industrial design becomes a separate category, with several subcategories of its own.

The organizing committee takes a look back at the previous editions of the Eurasian Prize and decides to introduce a new scheme: starting this year, entrants choose whether they compete as professionals or as students. Each entrant level has its own competition, covering the full list of categories, meaning that Professionals now compete against Professionals, while Students compete against Students.

The year is marked with traditional events added by a new charity auction, where multiple architects, designers, artists and sculptors sell their works in favor of the education of gifted children from economically disadvantaged families.

The Eurasian Prize is entered by professionals from many countries. Gabellini Sheppard Associates, an architecture and interior design practice from the United States, takes the first place in the Living Interior Design subcategory.

Five years since its launch, the Eurasian Prize Organizing Committee decides to piece the best projects together in the Eurasian Prize Gold Collection. The Collection is then shaped in an exhibition which goes on tour across Russia, amazing and wowing professional communities of each and every big city.

The jury of the new season is built of international designers and architects which includes Alberto Antonelli (Italy), Gaëlle Péneau (France), Giancarlo Piotto (Italy) and Michael Jantzen (USA) and Monica Blinco (Australia).

In November, the Organizing Committee announces a one-of-a-kind charity event. Local leading architects, designers and decorators are invited to create their own interpretation of a Christmas Tree for an exhibition and charity auction. The idea resonates with the professional community, and the event is held at the Yekaterinburg Great Philharmonic Hall, supported by the symphonic orchestra. The proceeds are used to fund design lessons at one of the city orphanages.

In addition to the charity auction and the bowling tournament, the Eurasian Prize holds several round tables and networking events for architects, designers and decorators.

The jury board of the Eurasian Prize 2006 features multiple international stars, such as Italian architect Massimiliano Fuksas, French architect Alain Charles and American designer Henry Kendall. Invited by Prof. Dr. Peter Zeck, the Chairman of the Red Dot awards, the Organizing Committee pays a visit to the Red Dot headquarters and museum. The two organizations agree upon joining forces to promote product design and its further development in Russia.

The first bowling tournament between architects and designers organized by the Eurasian Prize to become an annual tradition, providing great networking and promotion opportunities. The Eurasian Prize grows into a set of events that are organized throughout the year.

Famous French architect, Jean-François Cabestan accepts the invitation by the Eurasian Prize to join the jury board of the new season. The Eurasian Prize organizing committee holds the Week of High Interior Fashion, a week-long celebration of design consisting of discussions, workshops, master classes and festivities. The week culminates in the gala event at the Residence of the Governor of Sverdlovsk Oblast. The Governor, Eduard Rossel, and Jean-François Cabestan personally hand the awards to the winners. Impressed by the city and the event, the French architect writes an essay dedicated to his journey and role as a judge. The tradition of the Eurasian Prize as a week-long event is born.

The regional authorities give the private initiative a closer look and decide to show their support. As a result, the Eurasian Prize awards gala is held at the Residence of the Governor of Sverdlovsk Oblast for the first time, setting the annual tradition for the upcoming editions.

The Eurasian Prize, the architecture and design festival with the award program is officially registered in Russia. The name is suggested by the location of the headquarters of the organizing committee, a city of Yekaterinburg which lies on the border of Europe and Asia. The unique form of competition and festival makes the Eurasian Prize a noteworthy event with its fame spreading quickly across the whole of Russia and beyond the land’s borders.

The interior design scene is still taking shape in the region. The new design magazine, Le Tabouret, is founded to promote the industry. Looking for the best projects, the editorial organizes the first interior design competition in the region, named Interior Style and Prestige. The professional community, including architects, designers and related businesses, shows huge interest in the initiative, support and readiness to be part of it. The Eurasian Prize is yet to emerge, but the basis is laid.