DIVIA Award 2025 nominees announced

The second DIVIA Award, which celebrates diversity in architecture, has announced its nominees: 25 women architects from over 20 countries, including three from Australia.

This follows the “Mind the Gap” conference, organised by Diversity in Architecture (DIVIA) at the Aedes Architecture Forum in Berlin. DIVIA's mission to promote diversity in architecture began with the recognition of women in the field, awarding Marta Maccaglia the inaugural DIVIA Award in 2023. 

That commitment continues with this year’s nominations for the 2025 award.
The Australian nominees are Brit Andresen, Margaret Leonie Edmond AM, and Kerstin Thompson.

A panel of 15 architects, designers, educators, and experts from DIVIA’s international Advisory Board selected the nominees, recognising women for their innovative contributions to urban living spaces and their broader societal impact.

The jury—comprising Itohan Osayimwese, Rahul Mehrotra, Martha Thorne, Odile Decq, and Sol Camacho—will announce five finalists next month. The overall winner will then be revealed at the DIVIA Award ceremony in May 2025.

AFRICA
•    Ola Hassanain, Sudan
•    Samia Henni, Algeria

ASIA
•    Manely Afshang & Mahfam Kooshesh (Sarvestan Studio), Iran
•    Raha Ashrafi & Marziah Zad (Ashrafi & Zad Design), Iran
•    Melike Altınışık (MAA - Melike Altınışık Architects), Turkey and Korea
•    Doreen Heng Liu (NODE Architecture & Urbanism), China
•    Patcharada Inplang (Sher Maker), Thailand
•    Mina Moeineddini (USE Studio), Iran
•    Trần Thị Ngụ Ngôn (Tropical Space), Vietnam

AUSTRALIA
•    Brit Andresen, Australia
•    Margaret Leonie Edmond AM, Australia
•    Kerstin Thompson, Australia

EUROPE
•    Nimi Attanayake (nimtim architects), UK
•    Izaskun Chinchilla Moreno, Spain
•    Binke Lenhardt (Crossboundaries), Germany
•    Mia Roth-Čerina (roth&čerina), Croatia
•    Amelia Tavella, France

NORTH AMERICA
•    Lindsay Harkema (WIP Collaborative), USA
•    Surella Segú (el cielo mx), Mexico

SOUTH AMERICA
•    Sandra Barclay (Barclay & Crousse), Peru
•    Mónica Bertolino (Barrado Bertolino), Argentina
•    Carolina Rodas & Carla Chávez (Rama Estudio), Ecuador
•    Ana Elvira Vélez, Colombia
•    Carla Juaçaba, Brazil
•    Cazú Zegers, Chile

Image: The Round, Whitehorse Centre / Kerstin Thompson Architects / Derek Swalwell