The Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) has announced the shortlist for the 2026 New South Wales Architecture Awards, with more than 120 projects recognised across 13 categories.
With categories spanning residential, commercial, public and civic architecture, the AIA’s NSW shortlist has been announced. The annual program provides a snapshot of the state’s evolving built environment, highlighting projects that address sustainability, housing, adaptive reuse and community infrastructure across metropolitan and regional NSW. The full shortlist and jury are reprinted below.
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This year’s shortlist includes several major public and commercial projects that feature across multiple categories. New Sydney Fish Market by 3XN in association with BVN and ASPECT Studios has been shortlisted for Commercial Architecture, Public Architecture and Urban Design, while 33 Alfred Street by JPW appears in Commercial, Heritage and Sustainable Architecture categories. The Lands by Capella by Hassell in collaboration with Purcell Architecture is recognised in both Commercial, Heritage and Interior Architecture.
Sydney Fish Market, 3XN, BVN, ASPECT Studios, Rasmus Hjortshøj. Western Sydney International Nancy-Bird Walton Airport, COX Architecture, Trevor Mein. Public and infrastructure projects are strongly represented, including Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport by COX Architecture, Zaha Hadid Architects and Woods Bagot , alongside transport projects such as Central Station and Crows Nest Metro Station. Regional and smaller-scale works also feature prominently, particularly in the Sustainable Architecture and Small Project Architecture categories, with projects such as Gilgandra Library + Community Hub, Sapling and Tree House reflecting a continued focus on environmentally responsive design and local community outcomes.
The shortlist was determined by juries comprising architects, academics, government representatives and industry leaders from practices including Architectus, SJB , Woods Bagot and Government Architect NSW. Winners of the 2026 NSW Architecture Awards will be announced on 2nd July 2026.
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Related: Revisit the 2025 winners here
Gilgandra Library + Community Hub, DunnHillam Architecture & Urban Design, Kat Lu. COLORBOND® Award for Steel Architecture Baaka Culture Centre — Kaunitz Yeung Architecture Casa Dos — Lippmann Partnership Galuwa Recreation Centre — AJC Architects Greybox — Welsh + Major Gunnedah Hospital Redevelopment — ARCH House Gretchen — Lintel Studio for Architecture Lune de Sang Sheds 3 & 4 — Choi Studio Mark Taylor Oval Pavilion — Archer Office Putty Passiv — Anderson Architecture Willowdale Sports Pavilion — Sam Crawford Architects with Lymesmith Commercial Architecture 15 Khartoum Rd, MPark — Choi Studio 25hours Hotel The Olympia — Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects 33 Alfred Street — JPW 42 Honeysuckle Drive — Bates Smart Baaka Culture Centre — Kaunitz Yeung Architecture lyf Bondi Junction — Bates Smart New Sydney Fish Market — 3XN in association with BVN and ASPECT Studios Parkline Place — Foster + Partners with COX Architecture Surry Hills Village — SJB and Studio Prineas The Lands by Capella — Hassell in collaboration with Purcell Architecture 25hours Hotel, The Olympia, TZG, Justin Nicholas. Educational Architecture Eungai Creek Campus — AJC Architects Green Square Public School and Community Spaces — BVN Macquarie University – Engineering Innovation Building — Woods Bagot Oakhill College Hilltop Precinct (Commons & Innovation Hub) — BVN St Bede’s Catholic College — SHAC UNSW Health Translation Hub — Architectus Green Square Public School and Community Spaces, BVN, Martin Siegner. EmAGN Project Award Alcheringa — Ironbark Architecture Clay House — Muci Pier Pavilion — Besley & Spresser Sapling — Anderson Architecture Tree House — ASA (Alexander Symes Architect) Heritage 33 Alfred Street — JPW Entertainment Hall White Bay — DunnHillam Architecture + Urban Design with Placemaking NSW GSDA Dwelling No.1 Recovery — Hector Abrahams Architects Old Bega Hospital — Design 5 – Architects Sydney Harbour Bridge Northern Access Cycleway — Collins and Turner with Design 5 architects, Aspect Studios, Eckersley O’Callaghan The Lands by Capella — Hassell in collaboration with Purcell Architecture Interior Architecture Brise Soleil — Carter Williamson Architects CBRE Sydney — Bates Smart GPT HQ — BVN State Library NSW Public Areas — Andrew Andersons and Cullen Feng Surrey 112 — Smart Design Studio Swansea Heads House — Anthrosite The Corner Shop House — Downie North The Lands by Capella — Hassell in collaboration with Purcell Architecture Wollemi Capital — Ciliberto Architects Public Architecture Campbelltown Station Commuter Car Park — Hill Thalis Architecture + Urban Projects Central Station — Woods Bagot in collaboration with John McAslan + Partners Crows Nest Metro Station — Woods Bagot First Steps Count Child and Community Centre — Austin McFarland Pty Ltd Gilgandra Library + Community Hub — DunnHillam Architecture + Urban Design Mark Taylor Oval Pavilion — Archer Office New Sydney Fish Market — 3XN in association with BVN and ASPECT Studios Pier Pavilion — Besley & Spresser Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport — COX Architecture, Zaha Hadid Architects and Woods Bagot Willowdale Sports Pavilion — Sam Crawford Architects with Lymesmith Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions) Clay House — Muci Darlinghurst House — Anthony Gill Architects Denj Lane — Carter Williamson Architects Fort House — Curious Practice House Gretchen — Lintel Studio for Architecture House in Rosebery — Architect George Kyoto House — Breakspear Architects Lilyfield House — Tribe Studio Playhouse — Carter Williamson Architects Rainbow House — Virginia Kerridge Architect Rows End — Retallack Thompson Surrey 112 — Smart Design Studio The Corner Shop House — Downie North Tree House — ASA (Alexander Symes Architect) Wilsons Cottage — Casey Brown Architecture Zulaikha Laurence ‘Tree Change House’ — Studio ZAWA Residential Architecture – Houses (New) Coogee House III — Tribe Studio Cowrie Hole — Curious Practice EA House — Bokey Grant Enclave House — Bohane Campo Exeter House — Luke Moloney Architecture Garden Courtyard House — Grove Architects Gerroa House — Scale Architecture Gingkin — Incidental Architecture Holocene House — CplusC Architects + Builders House of shadows — Atelier Marks Gaal Norton Street — Plus Minus Design OK House — Stephen Collier Architect Queenscliff House — Chenchow Little Saddleback Mountain House — Casey Brown Architecture Sapling — Anderson Architecture Swansea Heads House — Anthrosite Swirling Waters — Peter Stutchbury Architecture Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing Boronia — Turner Cowper Street Housing — JPW Crossroads — Mackenzie Pronk Architects and Make Projects Egan Street 2020 — Kieran McInerney Architect Goonellabah Houses — Pearson Architecture Habilis — Collins and Turner Lacebark — Smart Design Studio Newmarket South — Bates Smart, SJB + Neeson Murcutt Neille Norton Street — Plus Minus Design Surry Hills Village — SJB The Cambridge — Architectus Waterloo Metro Quarter – Social Housing — Bates Smart Surry Hills Village, SJB, Tom Roe. Small Project Architecture Broken Workshop — Atelier Luke Carpe Diem Pavilion — Collins and Turner Gladstone Park Amenities — Benn + Penna Architects Magenta Outhouse — Atelier Marks Gaal Optus O Pavilion — Architectus Permanent Camping Orange — Casey Brown Architecture Perry Park Pavilion — Scale Architecture The Southern Lookout — AJC Architects Permanent Camping Orange, Casey Brown Architecture, Zella Casey Brown Photographer. Sustainable Architecture 33 Alfred Street — JPW Campbelltown Station Commuter Car Park — Hill Thalis Architecture + Urban Projects Cowper Street Housing — JPW Crossroads — Mackenzie Pronk Architects and Make Projects Eungai Creek Campus — AJC Architects Field Rooms — MAPA Art and Architecture First Steps Count Child and Community Centre — Austin McFarland Pty Ltd Gerroa House — Scale Architecture Gilgandra Library + Community Hub — DunnHillam Architecture + Urban Design Gingkin — Incidental Architecture Greybox — Welsh + Major Sapling — Anderson Architecture Tree House — ASA (Alexander Symes Architect) Zulaikha Laurence ‘Tree Change House’ — Studio ZAWA Urban Design Sydney Harbour Bridge Northern Access Cycleway — Collins and Turner with Aspect Studios, Eckersley O’Callaghan and Design 5 Gilgandra Library + Community Hub — DunnHillam Architecture + Urban Design New Sydney Fish Market — 3XN in association with BVN and ASPECT Studios Parramatta Light Rail Stage 1 — COX Architecture Surry Hills Village — SJB, Studio Prineas and Aspect Studios Juries Chair of Juries Bill Tsakalos — Blacktown City Council COLORBOND® Award for Steel Architecture Tom Rivard (Jury Chair) — Lean Productions Annie Tennant — Placemaking NSW Gabrielle Suhr — SJB Commercial Architecture Daniel Bourke (Jury Chair) — fjcstudio Amy Dowse — Tzannes Basil Richardson — Architectus Educational Architecture & Small Project Architecture Darlene van der Breggen (Jury Chair) Nick Gonsalves — Neeson Murcutt Neille Patrick Love — lahznimmo architects Martina Novakova Lam — Government Architect NSW EmAGN Project Award Bill Tsakalos (Jury Chair) — Blacktown City Council Elizabeth Carpenter — fjcstudio Allen Huang — Sam Crawford Architects Milly Meares — Together Design Studio Enduring Architecture Brian Zulaikha (Jury Chair) — Studio ZAWA Liam Fitzgerald — Architectus Jansen Che — Lippmann Partnership Barbara Flynn — Barbara Flynn Pty Ltd Heritage Kim Crestani (Jury Chair) — Order Architects Melanie Schonfeld — Tanner Kibble Denton Architects Ryan Wazir — John McAslan and Partners Interior Architecture Leone Lorrimer (Jury Chair) Tracey Wiles — Woods Bagot Tomek Archer — Archer Office Public Architecture & Urban Design Matthew Pullinger (Jury Chair) — Matthew Pullinger Architect Professor Helen Lochhead — UNSW Matteo Salval — JPW Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations & Additions) Stephen Varady (Jury Chair) — Stephen Varady Architecture Lyndsey Fitz-Gerald — Potter & Wilson Lisa Gervay — Studio Prineas Penny Craswell Residential Architecture – Houses (New) Kristin Utz (Jury Chair) — Utz Sanby Kati Westlake — Sydney Metro (Transport for NSW) Chris Mullaney — Muci Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing Jason Fraser (Jury Chair) — Woods Bagot Chi Melhem — EM BE CE Nazia Kachwalla — Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Julie Power — The Sydney Morning Herald Sustainable Architecture Isabelle Toland (Jury Chair) — Aileen Sage Anna Harris — Tanner Kibble Denton Architects Jack Gillmer — SJB Lucy Rimmer — Government Architect NSW Story continues below advertisement
