The Rifat Chadirji Award invites landscape architects, architects, and urban planners worldwide to propose a landscape led recovery vision for Sahl Al Khiam in Southern Lebanon. The valley, an agricultural lifeline endured occupation and recurrent bombardment, remains vital to the livelihoods, ecology, and identity of the Khiam community. Despite extensive damage, the Sahl survives as a rare space of continuity and refuge.
Valleys in Lebanon are under threat. In times of peace, from the construction of dams and, since 2023, the threat of Israeli bombardment and occupation. The destruction of al-Khiam village has come to amplify the significance of the valley, Sahl Al-Khiam, as a source of income to support the rebuilding of homes, and as a mental refuge from the war-ravaged landscape of the village.
This year’s cycle considers Sahl Al Khiam as a key case study for the role of landscape in post war recovery. Participants are invited to address the core design question: How can a landscape led recovery vision for Sahl Al Khiam restore livelihoods, protect ecological systems, and affirm the community’s right to landscape in a landscape that endured occupation and recurrent bombardment?
Participants are expected to propose a vision at the valley scale and illustrate this through one or more site specific interventions that demonstrate how the vision can be spatially realised.
The intervention can focus on: Water Landscapes, Productive Landscapes, and Infrastructural Landscapes.
The Rifat Chadirji Prize awards a total of $14,000 in cash prizes, three fully funded invitations for the Top 3 winners, and invitations for Honourable Mentions and finalists to attend the award ceremony. Winners receive a statuette, medals, certificates, and a publication for the Top 20 recognised entries.
Designed by Dia al-Azzawi in tribute to Rifat Chadirji, the award is presented once per cycle. Cast in resin, its form is inspired by Chadirji’s architectural language.
The 2026 Tamayouz Chadirji Prize is organised in collaboration with the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA), and the IFLA Middle East Region, together with the Beirut Urban Lab at the American University of Beirut.
This year’s theme, Landscape, continues the pioneering spirit of Rifat Chadirji in expanding the boundaries of design and advancing the prize’s mission to establish an accessible source of ideas that respond to social challenges through innovative design.
Access the complete competition brief, including site information, design requirements, submission guidelines, and evaluation criteria. Everything you need to begin your proposal is included.
Download the complete competition information package, including CAD and GIS data, site maps, photographs, and satellite imagery. These materials provide the technical foundation necessary for an accurate understanding of Sahl Al Khiam and for developing a rigorous design response.