Architects Sharon Johnston, Kulapat Yantrasast and Ben Cross have joined the judging panel for Dezeen Awards 2026 alongside designer Alexie Sommer.
Dezeen Awards, in partnership with Trimble, is searching for the world's best architecture, interiors and design.
Hurry, entries close next week! Submit your projects by 23:59 London time on Wednesday 27 May for the chance to put your work in front of our stellar panel of industry-leading judges.
Read on to find out more about who will be judging this year's entries:
Johnston, a founding partner of Los Angeles-based firm Johnston Marklee, will judge this year's architecture entries.
The firm's recent projects include a green-metal tower in Phoenix, a lakeside guesthouse in Upstate New York and the conversion of a historic Los Angeles car showroom into an art gallery.
Beyond practising architecture, Johnston has taught at universities including the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Princeton University and the University of Toronto. Together with her studio partner Mark Lee, she was also artistic director of the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial.
Joining Johnston on this year's architecture jury is architect Yantrasast, founder of Los Angeles-based WHY Architecture.
Yantrasast is known for his work on projects in the cultural realm, designing spaces that focus on the human impact of the arts. Landmark projects include an overhaul of the Michael C Rockefeller Wing at The Met, an "immersive" tent for the first Frieze Los Angeles and a museum expansion featuring a corrugated metal facade.
The architect is also a board member of the Pulitzer Arts Foundation and the Noguchi Museum in New York and serves as principal architect for New Delhi's Yuge Yugeen Bharat national museum.
Cross, co-founder of London-based development management and advisory firm More, will join Johnston and Yantrasast on the architecture jury.
At More, Cross aims to bring a design-led approach to real estate with a focus on commercial refurbishments across central London.
The architect has worked across some of the UK's most well-known commercial buildings, including No 1 Poultry, the Heal's Building and 50 George Street.
Sommer, a designer and communication expert who focuses on business sustainability, will judge this year's design entries.
Sommer is co-founder of Urge Collective, a climate-focused brand consultancy that helps businesses and leaders drive sustainability agendas.
She also organised the Design Declares initiative, a campaign to help UK designers tackle their environmental footprint. Writing for Dezeen, Sommer argued that declaring a climate emergency is "just the beginning of the journey".
Entries close next week!
There is less than one week left to enter Dezeen Awards 2026. Enter your projects by 23:59 London time on 27 May before it's too late!
With 49 categories to choose from, whether you work in architecture, interiors or design, there's a category for you.
Creating an entry is easy! Simply create an account or log in via our entry platform, answer five simple questions and upload your best project imagery.
Dezeen Awards 2026 in partnership with Trimble
Dezeen Awards is the ultimate accolade for architects and designers worldwide. The ninth edition of the annual awards is in partnership with global technology company Trimble. Through connected hardware and software solutions, Trimble helps designers to transform the way they shape spaces and buildings as well as drive productivity in the process. Trimble's collaboration with Dezeen Awards demonstrates its ongoing commitment to inspiring and supporting creative excellence across the globe.
