During the EUmies Awards Day in Venice, representatives from the Creative Europe program and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe revealed the four student project winners of the EUmies Awards Young Talent 2025. The award recognizes architecture projects for their capacity to respond to contemporary social, urban, and environmental challenges. The event was held within the context of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, inviting winners, jury members, and institutional representatives to engage in dialogue around four key themes, aligned with the Biennale's curatorial proposal: Artificial, Natural, Collective, and Intelligens.
The shortlist brought together 12 master's thesis projects from 11 architecture schools across 7 countries, exhibited in "Intelligens . Talent. EUmies Awards Young Talent 2025", a Collateral Event of the Biennale Architettura 2025 inaugurated on May 9th. The EUmies Awards recognize three projects for Young Talent 2025 and one parallel award, the Young Talent Open, which is open to schools from Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and Council of Europe member countries that are not part of Creative Europe. After the announcement, the exhibition was updated to include physical models of the winning projects, offering a deeper look into their conceptual and spatial approaches.
During the event, the four award-winning projects were presented, each followed by a discussion between students and jury members addressing relevant themes reflected in the works. Regarding the project selection, the jury emphasized that it reflects a generation of architects "attuned to the complexity of contemporary society." According to the jury, the proposals transcend conventional architectural practice, addressing topics such as urban fragmentation, climate resilience, interim reuse, and community-driven design, signaling a shift toward socially engaged, environmentally responsible architecture grounded in collective action.
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Brave New Axis / Spyridon Loukidis, Markos Georgios Sakellion, Georgios Thalassinos
National Technical University of Athens, Greece
The Brave New Axis project introduces a free garden of curved nerves, a labyrinth, a Forum as a geometric center, a Phalanstery reviving housing in the core of Athens, and two former parking spaces redefined as public zones. It responds to the city's imposed classical notion of the urban axis dating back to 1833. The jury recognized how Brave New Axis "reconfigures Athens' historical urban grid, creating new spatial connections that promote inclusivity and mobility." During the event, the project was presented by Normunds Popens, Deputy Director-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture at the European Commission, followed by a discussion with jury member Jason O'Shaughnessy on the role of public space in cities.
Forest & Phoenix / Carolina von Hammerstein, Vera Kellmann
Technical University of Berlin, Germany
Forest & Phoenix proposes hybrid infrastructures for integrative forest fire prevention in Brandenburg, Germany. The concept promotes the idea that 21st-century architecture should be an inclusive practice incorporating diverse forms of knowledge. The jury highlighted the work as a project that "imagines hybrid infrastructures to combat and prevent forest fires, emphasizing ecology and public space." During the event, the project was presented by Jutta Kastner, Policy Officer for Creative Europe at the European Commission, followed by a discussion on materiality and greening in Europe with jury member Maibritt Dammann.
Hotel Interim / Andreas Stanzel
Bauhaus-Universitaet Weimar, Germany
In Hotel Interim, student Andreas Stanzel explores how the vacant space of a soon-to-be-demolished hotel in Halle could serve as an interim facility for the University of Arts. The project examines "how adaptive reuse can mediate between conflicting interests, rethinking architecture's role in uncertain times." According to the jury, the project "demonstrates the potential of temporary use and transformation, turning a condemned hotel into a learning hub." During the event, the project was presented by Roberto Cavallo, President of the European Association of Architectural Education (EAAE), followed by a conversation on collectivity in architecture with jury member Ana Dana Beroš.
WINNER – Young Talent Open 2025
Poolside Politics / James Langlois
University of Westminster, United Kingdom
Poolside Politics was selected as the winner of the Young Talent Open category. The jury highlighted the project's core idea: reclaiming an abandoned municipal pool in Marseille as a symbol of civic empowerment and radical municipalism. In the words of its creator, the project "examines the origins of contemporary collective action, questions its practices today, and speculates new forms of radical collectivism" in an investigation extending across urban and rural contexts in Southeast France, where access to water is becoming increasingly political. During the event, the project was presented by Ruth Schagemann, President of the Architects' Council of Europe, followed by a discussion with jury member Konstantinos Pantazis on themes of collectivity and nature.
The exhibition can be visited at Palazzo Mora until 23 November 2025, during the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. In other recent news, a conservation campaign by Melbourne citizens successfully extended Tadao Ando's MPavilion until 2030; the European Citizens' Initiative HouseEurope! recently received the 2025 OBEL Award; and the Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2025 announced 19 shortlisted projects from 15 countries.
We invite you to check out ArchDaily's comprehensive coverage of the 2025 Venice Biennale.
