World Architecture Festival Launches Inaugural U.S. Edition in Miami

With a 2025 Theme of “Hearts and Minds,” the Globally Celebrated Festival and Live Awards Program Will Unite Design Leaders and Highlight Innovation and Excellence in Architecture and Interior Design

The World Architecture Festival (WAF), a globally celebrated architecture and design event featuring a live awards program, will host its first-ever U.S. edition at the Miami Beach Convention Center from November 12 to 14, 2025.

Bringing together the world’s leading architects, designers, and industry professionals, WAF 2025 Miami will feature three dynamic days of keynote talks, onsite judging sessions, exhibitions, and fringe events. With its first live event in the North American market, the festival will continue its legacy of showcasing leading international practices, the best new projects, and dialogues on the industry’s most pressing topics. The theme for 2025, “Hearts and Minds,” will investigate the interplay of architecture and design as a product of the mind and an appeal to the senses and emotions.

WAF’s move to Miami marks a significant milestone in its 18-year history. Past editions have occurred in cities of architectural significance, such as Singapore, Lisbon, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Berlin. The festival’s debut in the U.S. underscores the growing influence of North American architects and designers and WAF’s commitment to engaging with a global audience.

At the core of the festival, the WAF Awards recognize the best in architecture and interior design. The program is the only global architecture and design competition where finalists present their projects live to a panel of international judges and an audience of peers. With 45 categories spanning completed buildings, interiors, future projects, and landscapes, the program offers opportunities for every type of project. Entries for this highly esteemed competition are now open. The Early Bird Deadline is March 14, 2025, followed by the Final Entry Deadline on April 25, 2025. Judging will occur in June 2025, and the Shortlist of finalists will be announced in July 2025.

Ahead of the official launch event in Miami on February 5, WAF Programme Director Paul Finch commented: “We are delighted to be bringing the World Architecture Festival to Miami. We hope that the locational change, which is intended to generate extra interest from Central and South America, as well as from the USA and Canada, will be a stimulus to our regular award entrants.”

New for 2025, WAF Interiors will expand to include categories spotlighting innovative interior design for yachts, ships, and houseboats, adding a fresh dimension to the competition. Category winners from each practice area will contend for the prestigious overall designation of World Building of the Year, Landscape of the Year, Future Project of the Year, and Interior of the Year. Additionally, shortlisted projects will be eligible for WAF Special Prizes, which highlight excellence in design, like the use of natural light, stone, and color, and the WAFX awards, which honor international schemes embracing cutting-edge design to address major world issues. WAF’s “40 under 40” initiative will launch in 2025, recognizing and celebrating the best of the next generation of North American architects, in partnership with The Architect’s Newspaper.

Past winners include iconic firms such as Zaha Hadid Architects, BIG, Snøhetta, Heatherwick Studio, and Foster + Partners, alongside emerging practices making waves in the industry. The 2024 festival in Singapore featured 175 judges from 32 countries, including industry leaders like Kelley Cheng, Sanjay Puri, and Sir Peter Cook. Finalists included world-renowned practices such as Renzo Piano Building Workshop, MVRDV, and Tadao Ando Architect & Associates, alongside emerging talent. WAF 2025 promises to bring the same level of diversity and excellence to Miami.

For more details on the 2025 World Architecture Festival and the WAF Awards, please visit: worldarchitecturefestival.com. Follow and tag @worldarchfest and #WAF25 on social media.

KEY DATES

• Entries Open: Submissions are now being accepted
• Early Bird Deadline: 14 March 2025
• Final Entry Deadline: 25 April 2025
• Judging: Takes place in June 2025
• Shortlist Announcement: July 2025
• World Architecture Festival: 12–14 November 2025 at the Miami Beach Convention Center

ABOUT WORLD ARCHITECTURE FESTIVAL (WAF)

The World Architecture Festival (WAF) will take place at the Miami Beach Convention Centre in Miami, Florida, from 12–14 November 2025.

WAF is a global gathering for the architecture and design community to celebrate, learn, connect, and be inspired. Each year, it hosts the world’s largest live-judged architecture awards program, where architects present their projects to a distinguished audience and international judging panels.

The 2025 World Architecture Festival includes:

Live judging of finalists’ projects across 17 critique rooms
A talks program focused on the theme “Hearts and Minds”
A new business stream hosted by Design Intelligence (2025)
An exhibition in the Festival Hall
A digital gallery showcasing all award entries
An exhibition celebrating the “40 under 40” — recognizing the top young North American architects (new for 2025)
A practice management stream hosted by Design Intelligence (new for 2025)
Networking and social events, including partner fringe activities and competitions
A tour program of Miami’s architectural landmarks
A gala dinner to announce the overall winners

WAF Interiors (formerly Inside) is the sister awards program to WAF, celebrating the best in global interior design with 12 categories open for entries. Talks focused on interior design will also take place on the Main Stage. Delegates have access to both WAF and WAF Interiors events.

WAF is organized by emap, the publisher of The Architectural Review and The Architects’ Journal.

ABOUT FOUNDER PARTNER GROHE

GROHE is the leading global brand for complete bathroom solutions and kitchen fittings, committed to providing innovative water products. For many decades, GROHE has been dedicated to the brand values of technology, quality, design, and sustainability that illustrate GROHE’s commitment to creating exceptional experiences and to delivering “Pure Freude an Wasser” (Pure Enjoyment of Water). Focused on customer needs, GROHE creates intelligent, life-enhancing, and sustainable product solutions that are firmly anchored in the German seal of quality, including its luxury sub-brand, GROHE SPA. Since 2014, GROHE has been a part of the LIXIL brand portfolio, a manufacturer of pioneering water and housing products. As the founder partner of the World Architecture Festival, GROHE is proud to support this world-recognized event for the 18th consecutive year. The brand’s broad portfolio ranges from elaborate faucet collections, customizable showers, and intricate ceramics to complementary accessories. GROHE is looking forward to welcoming architects and the design community at its booth with the launch of its sub-brand, GROHE SPA, in the Americas. This year’s GROHE SPA installation will bring the sub-brand’s founding concept of “Health Through Water” to life with a water-inspired installation of luxurious well-being. Learn more at grohe.com.