First Information About the World Architecture Festival for 2020 in Lisbon Released
First Information About the World Architecture Festival for 2020 in Lisbon Released

What is WAF?

WAF is the World Architecture Festival, a prestigious awards ceremony. It's one of the most critical events in the global architecture community and the development industry, hosting a myriad of different awards in different fields, closely related to architecture.

It has a long history as a prestigious festival, only warding the best that the industry has to offer. Its first incarnation was in 2008 and was held in Barcelona. In the following three years, the festival has been held in Barcelona ─ after which it was moved to Singapore.

It's a brief stint in Singapore that lasted until 2015, and then it moved into Berlin and Amsterdam. All this time was spent improving the festival, and gaining clout for the Architecture industry. The festival is regularly attended by industry leaders and the fans of architecture.

It's cited as perhaps the most significant event in the architecture community and has a contest where 550 different shortlisted architects present their projects live. They're later judged live by a panel of professional architects. The best plan is awarded the "World Building Of The Year," which is considered to be one of the best awards an architect can relieve.

It publishes the list of winners to its website, which only serves as a monolithic accomplishment for the winner, forever immortalized within the bounds of the internet.

Why is WAF Important?

WAF serves a significant role in the architecture community. It is one of the most significant events of the year for architects and has given numerous different upcoming architects the needed clout to get their business off the ground. It's regularly attended by industry veterans and leaders, meaning that it has ample job opportunities for the winners.

The News

The latest news in the industry and the first pieces of information we've gotten from WAF is their 2020 collaboration with INSIDE, the World Festival of Interiors.

This collaboration is set to occur in December 2020, and the poll is open for all international architects, interior designers, and designers. Now, that means that you can sign up for the program, and if you get shortlisted, get a chance to present your work at the most prestigious architecture festival in the world.

As stated in the title of this news article, this incarnation of the World Architecture Festival will take place at FIL in Lisbon, Portugal, between December 2-4, 2020. It’s the thirteenth edition of this festival, and as things are currently looking, it's going to be the biggest one so far.

There are going to be several individual categories, which will be judged by a professional, international judging panel. They're going to be choosing the following prestigious winners:

●        The Best Building of the Year

●        The Best Future Project

●        The Best Completed Landscape

●        The Best Interior Project

That’s an insane amount of awards ─ so this incarnation of the festival is going to be the biggest one yet. The collaboration with INSIDE only brings prosperity and adds to the size and significance of this festival.

Unlike the previous years of the festival, this year's incarnation is going to have a whopping 145 professional judges hailing from over 48 different countries. They're going to be joined by the leading industry experts.

WAF is an extremely significant festival, which will be giving its participants over 33 different categories to participate in. They're open across the best future projects and completed buildings, including plans of any size, frame, form, type, or budget.

What Does This Mean?

It means that new architects have the chance to attend one of the most prestigious architecture festivals in the world, and have their work judged live by a panel of professionals. The WAF festival is in collaboration with the INSIDER festival, which means that even interior designers can participate in said events.

That gives an unmatched amount of potential for international recognition, some fantastic opportunity to get your work out there, and ample chance to establish yourself in the competitive architecture industry.

Lisbon is perhaps one of the best places that the World Architecture Festival can be held, as it has a rich and traditional architecture history. It's only amplified by gorgeous modern buildings, keeping up with the latest and the greatest that the industry has to offer.

Entering the competitive stage of the festival can be done by clicking on the hyperlink here.

If you're looking to enter the festival, you will need to register on the website, pick your category (you can come in multiple types), provide project details and images, upload to entry boards, and that's it. If you're looking to get a 15% multiple entry discount, you will have to provide more than three entries to the festival.

How Much Does Attendance Cost?

Attendance is going to be expensive, as it has always been. The attendance options include a lot of perks and come in three different packages.

Standard Package

●        Main Stage access

●        Festival Hall Stage access

●        Crit sessions access

●        Exhibition access

●        Access to the display of WAF finalists

●        WAF Welcome Reception access

●        Access to Partner Fringe Events

●        Lunchtime Lectures access

This package costs €1399.

Festival Package

●        Main Stage access

●        Festival Hall Stage access

●        Crit sessions access

●        Exhibition access

●        Access to the display of WAF finalists

●        WAF Welcome Reception access

●        Access to Partner Fringe Events

●        Lunchtime Lectures access

●        1 x pre-booked architect tour

●        WAF Awards Closing Gala Ceremony & Dinner

This package costs €1699 and is currently sold out.

Accommodation Package

●        Main Stage access

●        Festival Hall Stage access

●        Crit sessions access

●        Exhibition access

●        Access to the display of WAF finalists

●        WAF Welcome Reception access

●        Access to Partner Fringe Events

●        Lunchtime Lectures access

●        1 x pre-booked architect tour

●        WAF Awards Closing Gala Ceremony & Dinner

●        Podcasts of all Award Winners & Main Stage Presentations post-event

●        3 Nights Accommodation at the Novotel Amsterdam City Hotel (Weds-Fri only)

This package costs €2199 and is currently sold out.

What Can We Expect From WAF 2020?

WAF 2020 is probably going to be the biggest architecture festival that the world has ever seen, and we're excited to see how everything plays out. All the previous editions of the festival have had successful end stories, launching the careers of numerous architects.

Since this year, the festival will be held alongside its sister festival, INSIDER, in an ever more significant area in Lisbon, we're expecting nothing but grandeur. Feira Internacional de Lisbon (FIL)  is the biggest facility in Portugal, spanning over 100.000 square meters.

We expect absolutely nothing but the best from this incarnation of the festival – and you should expect nothing less too!