CALL FOR SUBMISSION
AM PRIZE FOR UNBUILT WORKS 2027
RECOGNISING ARCHITECTURAL THINKING BEYOND THE BUILT
1. OBJECTIVE
Most architectural designs never get built. Competition entries, feasibility studies, shelved commissions, internal research, and speculative proposals make up most of the profession’s intellectual output, yet recognition in architecture rests almost entirely on completed buildings. In Malaysia, where developer-led briefs, design-and-build procurement, and regulatory impediments have become our reality, the space for speculation is narrow. The profession’s most ambitious ideas are the least likely to be seen, discussed or recorded.
Unbuilt work has long been how architecture tests ideas before the market is ready for them, and how emerging architects first make their thinking visible. The questions facing Malaysia today (climate-resilient architecture, rapid urbanisation, heritage under redevelopment pressure, housing affordability, and the discourse surrounding Malaysian architectural identity) call for ideas that are tested openly and debated critically.The AM Prize for Unbuilt Work seeks to promote discourse around architectural ideas and to award compelling work in its conceptual stages, giving that work a place in Architecture Malaysia and in the record of the profession.
2. AIMS
The AM Prize for Unbuilt Work aims to:
- Recognise ideas on their own merit: rewarding architectural thinking for its conceptual rigour and critical depth, regardless of whether the project has been, or will ever be, realised.
- Widen the discourse: bringing speculative, research-led and unrealised work into print and public exhibition, extending Architecture Malaysia’s editorial scope beyond completed buildings.
- Encourage exploration: giving practitioners, emerging architects and academics a credible national platform to challenge conventions and propose new methods, typologies and forms of architectural expression.
- Address Malaysian conditions: encouraging proposals that engage seriously with the country’s climate, culture, context and urban issues.
- Build a record: documenting and archiving unbuilt Malaysian work that would otherwise be lost to the profession’s history.
3. ELIGIBILITY AND SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
3.1 ELIGIBILITY
Participants must be a Corporate Member of PAM.
3.2 ENTRY FEE
There shall be no entry fee imposed for eligible entrants.
3.3 SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
- Standardised layouts: Two (2) digital A1 boards per entry, conceived to translate into eight A3 portrait or four A2 landscape pages. Shortlisted entrants may be asked for additional material so the editorial team can present each entry across four two-page magazine spreads (eight pages).
- Deliverables: Design and conceptual diagrams, floor plan(s), section(s) and elevation(s), plus at least one high-resolution (300 DPI) hero visual (render, perspective or conceptual collage).
- Line weights and legibility: Drawings should be submitted with print-optimised line weights. Annotations must use high-contrast typography legible at standard magazine print scales.
- Written statement: A 100-word design summary and a description of up to 500 words outlining the conceptual intent. The word limit applies to the main explanatory text only and excludes labels, annotations and text embedded within diagrams and drawings.
4. JUDGING CRITERIA
The Convenor will formalise a judging rubric that prioritises conceptual depth and responsiveness over aesthetics alone. The rubric shall allocate weight to:
- Conceptual rigour: clarity, depth, coherence and intellectual substance.
- Critical thinking and creative innovation: quality of critical inquiry, originality of ideas, and creative approach to architectural problem-solving.
- Exploration and boundary-pushing: willingness to challenge conventional approaches and explore new possibilities, methodologies and architectural expressions.
- Contextual, cultural and climatic responsiveness: sensitivity to site, local context, cultural identity, environmental conditions and climate, demonstrating an informed and responsive design approach.
5. AWARD CATEGORIES
| CATEGORIES | PROJECT SCALE (GFA) | RECOGNITION |
|---|---|---|
| Small Scale | Up to 10,000 sq ft | Trophy Framed certificate Editorial feature |
| Medium Scale | 10,001 – 100,000 sq ft | |
| Large Scale | More than 100,000 sq ft | |
| Special Award: Outstanding Conceptual Innovation | Any scale. Recognises a proposal of exceptional conceptual strength and originality that challenges conventional architectural boundaries through bold, innovative thinking. |
SUBMISSION PERIOD
19 OCTOBER – 4 DECEMBER 2026 (FRI)
AM BUILT PRIZE 2027
COMPETITION TIMELINE
| Date | Timeline |
|---|---|
| 19 Oct – 6 Nov 2026 | Call for Entries & Query Period |
| 10 Nov 2026 | Notification of Eligible Entrants |
| 11 Nov 2026 | Submission Opens |
| 4 Dec 2026 | Submission Deadline & Vetting Closes |
| Dec 2026 | Jury Deliberation |
| Feb 2027 | Publication, Symposium & Exhibition |
