Tamayouz Excellence Award for Architecture

Tamayouz Excellence Award is an international award for architecture established in 2012. It has seven prizes in total: five awards recognise individuals, student projects and institutions; and two awards are themed competitions. Tamayouz Excellence Award runs an annual cycle of all seven awards. In addition to its prizes, Tamayouz organises public talks, conferences and design workshops, and publishes an annual book that documents each cycle and the architectural ideas that are produced as a result.
== History ==
Tamayouz Excellence Award was established by Iraqi architect and academic Ahmed Al-Mallak, who initially launched an award to recognise the graduation projects of students of architecture in Iraq. According to an interview with Architectural Digest Middle East (2020), this was because Al-Mallak found it difficult for recent graduates of architecture to continue their studies or work outside of the Middle East without further certification. He hoped that this award would provide a more solid foundation for Middle Eastern architects who want to work outside of their home country. 
Al-Mallak partnered with reputable architects and architecture firms, including Zaha Hadid and Dewan Architects & Engineers. The founder of Dewan, Mohamed Al Assam, and Hadid were part of the first jury panel. Al-Mallak has stated that having these associations with the award meant that the students who won would have undeniable talent, as their projects would be recognised by regional and international professionals in the field of architecture. 
Tamayouz Excellence Award grew its award categories over the years to include the remaining six categories, 88 judges (consisting of architectural academics, architects and researchers from around the world), and almost 100 volunteers and advisers who help propel Tamayouz forward and continue its mission to recognise excellence in architecture. Today, it is one of the world's largest architecture awards in terms of submissions received: in 2019, Tamayouz received nearly 1000 submissions across its seven awards, representing 64 countries.
In addition to its awards, Tamayouz holds public talks, conferences and design workshops, which have been attended by hundreds of architecture, design and planning professionals. In 2019, it held public talks in Coventry, UK; Alexandria, Egypt; Amman, Jordan; and Beirut, Lebanon. 
While Tamayouz Excellence Award started out as an award for Iraqi graduation projects, it is now an international awards programme that recognises architects, architectural institutions and projects from all over the world. And through its two themed competitions - the Rifat Chadirji Prize and the Dewan Award for Architecture - it invites architects worldwide to submit projects that address the awards' themes. These projects are published online, creating an open source of ideas for urban development challenges. 
== Award Categories ==
Tamayouz Excellence Award has seven categories: 
Award 	Purpose
International Graduation Projects Award 	This award recognises the graduation projects of architecture students worldwide.
Women in Architecture and Construction Award 	This award recognises women who contribute to or promote the built environment of the Near East and North Africa. It is split between a Rising Star Award and Woman of Outstanding Achievement.
Middle Eastern Architectural Personality of the Year Award - Mohamed Makiya Prize	This award recognises institutions or individuals worldwide who have advanced or promoted the field of architecture as it relates to the Middle East and North Africa.
Dewan Award for Architecture 	This is an annual thematic competition that focuses on a particular urban challenge facing Iraq. The award calls on architects worldwide to submit architectural solutions that respond to the theme. The award is named after Dewan Architects + Engineers, and is run in collaboration with them. It was launched in 2018, and the inaugural cycle called on designers to propose solutions for creating a school in Iraq's marshlands. In 2019, the award's theme was to revive Baghdad's Al Umma Park. In 2020, the award is themed 'youth house complex' for Baghdad's Sadr City.
Rifat Chadirji Prize 	This award is an annual thematic competition named after prolific Iraqi architect Dr Rifat Chadirji. It is an international thematic competition that was launched in 2017. For its inaugural cycle, the theme was Mosul's housing shortage. In 2018, its theme was to transform Baghdad's old governorate building into a design centre, and in 2019, the Rifat Chadirji Prize was held in collaboration with the UAE's Barjeel Art Foundation and the theme was to design a modern Arab art museum in Sharjah, UAE.
Lifetime Achievement Award 	This award recognises the masters of architecture. Between 2014 and 2018, the award recognised these pioneering Iraqi architects: Dr Mohamed Makiya, Dr Rifat Chadirji, Dr Kahtan Al-Madfai, Hisham Munir and Maath Alousi. In 2019, the award opened up to prominent architects from the whole Middle East, and awarded Palestinian-Jordanian architect Dr Rasem Badran.
Iraqi Graduation Projects Award 	This award recognises the graduation projects of Iraqi architecture students.
== Tamayouz Excellence Award in the media ==
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== Judges ==
Since 2012, Tamayouz Excellence Award has invited a number of international and regional architects and architectural academics to participate as jury members. started in 2012 with 12 judges, its judging panel now numbers at 88. 
Some of the long-standing, repeated judges include: Steve Austin (since 2015), Dr Rasem Badran (since 2016), Dr Caecilia Pieri (since 2017), Dr Wendy Pullan (since 2017), Fernando Olba (since 2014), Mohamed Al-Assam (since 2017), Philip Michael Wolfson (since 2016), Katherine McNeil (since 2012), Kanan Makiya (since 2017), and many others.
== Ceremony ==
Tamayouz Excellence Award holds an annual ceremony every December, during which it presents the awards, certificates, medals and plaques to winners and finalists of that year's cycle. The ceremony is attended by an audience made up of judges, finalists and winners, sponsors, volunteers and special guests. It was first held in Baghdad, Iraq, but it has been held in Amman, Jordan for the last several years. Al-Mallak has stated that he is looking for a new host city for the ceremony for 2020.
== Design Workshops & Conferences ==
Tamayouz Excellence Award is more than an awards programme – it has grown into a cultural institution that brings together people of diverse backgrounds (in terms of professions, nationalities and cultures) to discuss and share knowledge pertaining the global built environment. Following each shortlisting panel, jury meeting and awards ceremony, Tamayouz Excellence Award schedules public talks, conferences and workshops that are open to the general public and those interested in architecture. 
In 2018, Tamayouz launched its first Design Workshop in Amman, Jordan, which was open to students of architecture and design, as well as field professionals. Attended to by nearly 40 people, the week-long workshop divided the participants into groups of three to five, who were then encouraged to study the urban challenges Amman faces (and which can be applied to cities globally). The workshop also invited international and regional urbanists, architects and city planners to speak on topics relevant to urban development. The workshop culminated in presentations, in which the teams revealed their findings and proposed solutions.
In 2019, Tamayouz held public talks in Coventry, UK; Alexandria, Egypt; Beirut, Lebanon; and Amman, Jordan. As well as its second week-long design workshop in Amman, Jordan. 
== Annual Book ==
Every year, Tamayouz Excellence Award launches an annual book that documents that year’s cycle of winners and finalists. The books are available on Tamayouz’s website, and they have been digitized on ArchNet.
== External Links ==
* Tamayouz Excellence Award official website
* Tamayouz Excellence Award on Facebook
* Tamayouz Excellence Award on Twitter
* Tamayouz Excellence Award on Linkedin
* Tamayouz Excellence Award on Youtube
* Tamayouz Excellence Award’s Email address: tamayouz.award@gmail.com
== References ==
Category:International awards
Category:Architecture awards
Category:Architecture
Category:Awards established in 2012