The Delta Award for Architecture and the Delta Festival of Architecture 2026 were officially launched in the capital on Thursday. The platform is designed to celebrate innovative, sustainable, contextual, and socially responsive design excellence, while promoting architectural innovation in Bangladesh’s built environment.
According to the press release, the initiative is jointly organised by ARCHICONNECT, founded by Ar Jalal Ahmed, FIAB, FKIA, and CEMS-Global. The 31st Build Bangladesh International Expo 2026 will serve as the host platform, with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, acting as a strategic partner.
The awards will recognise outstanding projects, professional leadership, and academic contributions through several dedicated streams. These include the Delta Sustainability and Resilience Award, the Delta Contextual and Social Impact Award, the Delta Life Time Achievement Award, the Delta Architect of the Year Award, the Delta Emerging Architect of the Year Award, and the Delta Architectural Scholar Award.
The launching ceremony, held at The Sheraton Dhaka, was attended by representatives from development and financial institutions, diplomatic missions, and government and private-sector organisations, alongside architects, engineers, urban planners, and policymakers.
Online submissions for the awards are open from 16 July to 16 August 2026. Participation in all categories is free of charge, and eligible projects from any region of Bangladesh may submit entries via the official website.
Submitted projects will be evaluated by a distinguished Jury Board comprising Ar Niklaus Graber, Co-Founder of Graber & Steiger Architects; Ar Saif-Ul-Haque, Principal of Saif Ul Haque Sthapati; Ar Professor Md Rafiq Azam, Principal Architect of Shatotto-Architecture for Green Living; Firdous Azim, PhD, Professor and Chairperson of the Department of English and Humanities at BRAC University; and Ar Md Ehsan Khan, Principal Architect of Ehsan Khan Architects Ltd.
The IFC will provide technical advisory support for the Delta Sustainability and Resilience Award category.
The programme will culminate in the three-day Delta Festival of Architecture 2026, held from 12 November to 14 November at the International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB) in Kuril, Dhaka.
Running concurrently with the 31st Build Bangladesh International Expo, the festival will feature exhibitions of shortlisted projects, seminars, masterclasses, and publication launches.
Shortlisted architects will receive opportunities for media promotion and professional visibility, while winners will be honoured with cash prizes, trophies, and certificates at an award ceremony on 12 November 2026. Selected projects will also be featured in the official awards monograph.
Through this initiative, ARCHICONNECT and CEMS-Global seek to establish a long-term platform for advancing architectural excellence and supporting the green transition of Bangladesh’s construction industry.
