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For 2026 as well, the humanitarian organization Balouo Salo launches the Kaira Looro Architecture Competition, the international architecture competition aimed at architects, designers, engineers, and students from all over the world. The theme of this edition is the design of a Community Center in a rural area of southern Senegal: an innovative piece of architecture conceived as an emblem of inclusion, resilience, and hope, destined to become a reference point for community life.
Registration will be open until May 26, 2026, while project submissions are due by June 7. Participation is allowed both individually and in teams, provided that at least one team member is under 35 years of age. The winners will be announced on July 7, 2026, and their project will be realized on site. All proceeds from the competition will be entirely donated to Balouo Salo’s humanitarian projects, dedicated to improving access to education, healthcare, and infrastructure in the most disadvantaged areas of Sub-Saharan Africa.
The competition arises from the need for a shared space for the community, a safe, vibrant, and multifunctional place capable of hosting educational, cultural, and social activities. The project should serve as a place to meet, learn, share ideas, organize community assemblies, craft workshops, and entrepreneurial initiatives, as well as to promote creative, cultural, and awareness-raising activities. The architecture is intended to strengthen the sense of belonging, encourage active participation, and generate sustainable and long-lasting development for the entire community.
The new Community Center must be conceived as a self-built intervention, achievable without the use of heavy machinery or highly specialized labor. Priority should be given to the use of natural materials, simple construction techniques, and sustainable solutions, ensuring a low environmental impact and tangible long-term benefits.
The 2026 edition features a significant enhancement of internship prizes, offering winners the opportunity to gain professional experience at some of the most authoritative architecture firms internationally, including Kengo Kuma & Associates in Tokyo, Benedetta Tagliabue – EMBT in Barcelona, Adjaye Associates in New York, and SBGA | Blengini Ghirardelli in Milan.
Among the main awards are: the First Prize of €6,000, an internship at Kengo Kuma & Associates (Japan), and the opportunity to realize the project as a humanitarian initiative; the Second Prize of €2,000 and an internship award at one of the following studios—Benedetta Tagliabue – EMBT (Spain), David Adjaye Associates (London), or SBGA | Blengini Ghirardelli (Milan); and the Third Prize of €1,000 and an internship award at one of the following—EMBT (Spain), ALA (London), or SBGA | Blengini Ghirardelli (Milan). The competition also grants special and honorable mentions and selects 35 finalists.
Kaira Looro boasts a highly prestigious international jury composed of some of the world’s most renowned architects, including: Kengo Kuma (Kengo Kuma & Associates), Benedetta Tagliabue (Benedetta Tagliabue – EMBT Architects), David Adjaye (Adjaye Associates), Mario Cucinella (Mario Cucinella Architects), Amanda Levete (Amanda Levete Architects), Manuel Aires Mateus (Aires Mateus Architects), Giancarlo Mazzanti (El Equipo Mazzanti), Agostino Ghirardelli (SBGA | Blengini Ghirardelli), Urko Sanchez (Urko Sanchez Architects), Raul Pantaleo (TAM Associati), Emmanuelle Moureaux (Emmanuelle Moureaux Architecture + Design), Saad El Kabbaj, Driss Kettani, Mohamed Amine Siana.
>>> Discover the winning project of the 2025 edition
All images courtesy of Balouo Salo
