Farouk Hosny Architecture Award 2027: Egypt's AI Plaza Challenge, EGP 100,000 Prize
The Farouk Hosny Foundation for Culture and Arts in Egypt has opened its eighth annual Architecture Award for 2027, focusing this year on a technology-assisted public-space proposal, 'The Plaza… A Meeting Place | Architecture/Urbanism and Artificial Intelligence.' The contest challenges younger architects to imagine inclusive public plazas where social connection, culture and urban life can be renewed, using artificial intelligence as a support for human design decisions. Its official entry window runs from 1 September 2026 through 1 January 2027, with the cutoff specified as midnight in Egypt's time zone. The top architectural prize is EGP100,000. This is explicitly restricted to Egyptian applicants, not a worldwide open AI-art prize.
Nationality, age and professional registration restrictions
Applicants must be Egyptian nationals and 40 years of age or younger on 1 January 2027.
The lead designer must be a practising architect belonging to the Egyptian Engineers Syndicate.
Teams may contain architecture students and practitioners from relevant associated disciplines, but must not exceed four people including their registered architect representative.
Each individual or team may submit only one project.
All submission material must be original and created by the people entering; plagiarised or previously prizewinning commercial work is excluded.
The application period closes at 24:00 on 1 January 2027, Egypt local time, according to the foundation's current regulations.
Theme: AI must assist rather than replace architectural creativity
The foundation explicitly frames artificial intelligence as a design aid, not an automatic substitute for an architect. Successful entries should respond to local environmental, cultural and social needs, using public-space design to bring people together. Applicants must submit a separate document explaining the approach and methodology used with artificial intelligence, and how this contributed to their own design concept and analysis. A stack of spectacular AI-generated renderings without a human-led architectural method does not meet the intellectual expectations of the competition.
Project boards, report and required videos
Six landscape A1 boards (84 × 59.4 cm), compiled into a single PDF at a resolution of no less than 300 dpi.
An Arabic or English written report on A4 pages, not exceeding 2,000 words, explaining the concept and supporting study.
A required visual presentation explaining the proposal with voice-over, no more than five minutes long; applicants must not be visible or identifiable.
An optional animated visual presentation of the project, no longer than 120 seconds.
A written explanation of the AI methodology, its contribution to the design, and human creative responsibilities.
No names, team details or identifying marks anywhere in the submitted design material, because entries are evaluated anonymously.
Prizes and realistic costs
Architecture First Prize: EGP100,000 and a trophy.
Second Prize: EGP75,000 plus certificate.
Third Prize: EGP50,000 plus certificate.
Shortlisted applicants may be required to print A1 boards and the report for the semifinal evaluation.
The organiser's public information does not establish a universal entry fee or guaranteed travel/accommodation funding; read the form before committing costs.
Anonymity, ownership and technical safety
The entry must not reveal names through board footers, video voice introductions or document properties. Use a neutral project identifier, check exported PDF metadata and avoid personal logos or institution identifiers. All visualisations must respect rights in source images, site surveys, datasets, 3D models and AI services. The organisers expect original work; replicating an existing plaza or tracing an unlicensed design does not become original merely by passing it through a model. The professional architect should retain records of analysis and decisions to demonstrate genuine authorship.
Why this organiser is identifiable
The Farouk Hosny Foundation is an Egyptian cultural-arts foundation running public painting, sculpture, architecture, photography and art-criticism awards, now in their eighth edition. Its official site publishes annual judge panels, category-specific regulations and an archive of winners and awards. The 2027 architecture jury includes experienced architects and university professors, and the award pages state current prize amounts. These records support the programme's identity, while the strong Egyptian professional-licence requirement limits who can legally enter.
Official regulations and application
2027 architecture eligibility, theme and six-board format: https://faroukhosnyfoundation.org/award-for-art/eligibility-requirements/
Architecture Award 2027 binding entry terms: https://faroukhosnyfoundation.org/terms-rules-conditions-architecture-competition/
Official 2027 application portal and deadlines: https://faroukhosnyfoundation.org/award-for-art/apply/
2027 foundation architecture prize amounts: https://faroukhosnyfoundation.org/awards/
Verified 24 October 2026. Deadline 1 January 2027, Egypt time. Egyptian nationals aged 40 or younger, with an Egyptian Engineers Syndicate architect leading each entry. The foundation states that the Arabic terms are authoritative in any dispute.