Vilnius Congress Centre Architectural Competition 2026

Competition Brief

Intent

In 2026, the Vilnius Congress Centre Architectural Competition will be held where architects and design teams will be able to suggest a design of their liking for a new large congress centre that would be a landmark for large international events, conferences, and public occasions. The proposals are expected to be of high architectural quality, innovative, and accessible while taking into account the urban context of Vilnius.

Purpose

The competition’s key objective is to pick a design that will help Vilnius gain a position as an attractive and leading location for international meetings and events in Central and Eastern Europe. With the establishment of the new centre, the city will be able to compete better for the global events market, receive attraction from major associations and investments, and create long-term socio-economic value.

Requirements

The international competition is open to architects, designers, and multidisciplinary teams with no restriction on the number of participating countries. Individual participants or teams can submit their entries. However, the submissions should be a comprehensive architectural concept that meets all the functional requirements and also gives attention to spatial organization, accessibility, and context responsiveness. The brief specifies visions for a congress centre that is ready for the future, has easy-going visitor flows, a strong character, and very high levels of sustainability. Besides, the project includes a space for the public to access the riverside on the Neris riverbank.

Jury

A worldwide jury will scrutinize the entries on both qualitative grounds and procurement requirements. The jury’s team consists of influential leaders and experts in architecture and the meetings industry including the Chief Architect of Vilnius, members of international design firms, local architects, and people from the convention and hospitality areas. Some of the jury members are:

• Laura Kairienė – Chief Architect of Vilnius
• Helle Juul – Partner, Juul Frost Architects, Denmark
• Mads Birgens – Architect, COBE, Denmark
• Lukas Rekevičius – Lithuanian Architect
• Gintautas Natkevičius – Lithuanian Architect
• Vita Žilinskaitė – Head of Convention Bureau
• Evalda Šiškauskienė – President of Hotels and Restaurants Association (observer)
• Additional industry experts (observer roles from international convention centre professionals)

The jury assesses design quality, contextual integration, innovation, and potential contribution to the city’s event infrastructure.

Fees

There is no fee to register or submit an entry, ensuring that the competition is accessible to a broad range of participants.

Rewards

The total prize fund for the competition is €100,000, distributed among the top three proposals. The first-place winner will typically be offered a contract to develop design documentation and advance the project toward construction.

Dates

The submission deadline and subsequent jury evaluation are scheduled to allow for timely selection and project advancement toward the design and construction stages.

✦ ArchUp Competition Review

The City of Vilnius is the organizer of the contest, which guarantees a high level of transparency by means of clearly specified institutional support and a publicly announced international jury. It is an architectural competition that is professional in nature and intended to produce a real civic project rather than to market a platform or a concept. The sums awarded are in line with the project size and design effort, particularly considering the probable follow up commission. The participants gain mainly through the realization of their project and the strong value of their portfolio. The jury consists of both experienced architects and event industry professionals, thereby ensuring a balanced and technically informed evaluation.

Conclusion

The Vilnius Congress Centre Architectural Competition 2026 opens a door to major and strategic opportunity that can allow the new landmark to be of both a civic and cultural nature for the capital of Lithuania. Its concern for architectural excellence, sustainability, and urban integration indicates a significant desire to help Vilnius’ global image as a venue for top-level events. The competition’s unrestricted international format and large prize fund are indeed meant to lure a wide variety and very creative design proposals. On one hand, the size and intricacy of the project may represent a problem for the designers, such as meeting the needs for different functional areas and making them blend with the urban context and identity, but on the other hand, the contest provides a rare opportunity for creative architectural thinking to be heard.

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