International Design Competition: Protective Shelter at Tell es-Sultan/Ancient Jericho, State of Palestine

UNESCO ile Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (MoTA) işbirliği ve Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) desteği ile düzenlenen "International Design Competition: Protective Shelter at Tell es-Sultan/Ancient Jericho, State of Palestine" başlıklı yarışma için 15 Aralık tarihine kadar başvuru yapılabiliyor.

The Competition

UNESCO, in cooperation with the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (MoTA), and with the generous financial support of Italy through the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), is administering an international design competition to select a winning design entry for the Construction of a Protective Shelter over Trench I at Ancient Jericho/Tell es-Sultan Archaeological Site in Jericho, State of Palestine.

The competition will start on 24 July 2026 and invites submissions from architects and engineers worldwide to design a protective shelter over Trench I at the site. This is an international open, single-stage architectural design competition conducted in open procedure and endorsed by the International Union of Architects (UIA).

The Site

The archaeological site of Ancient Jericho/Tell es-Sultan is located northwest of the City of Jericho in the State of Palestine, 40 kilometres east of Jerusalem and 10 kilometres northwest of the Dead Sea. The site was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in September 2023, during the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on the basis of criteria III and IV — marking a significant milestone in the preservation and recognition of one of the world’s oldest inhabited sites.

Known as one of the earliest urban sites in the world, Tell es-Sultan represents not only an invaluable scientific archive but also a profound symbol of continuity, identity, and collective memory for the local community and humanity at large. The property zone covers approximately 5.93 hectares and encompasses a roughly oval-shaped mound that rises approximately 21 metres above its surroundings, together with the adjacent perennial spring of ‘Ain es-Sultan.

Project Timeline

24 July 2026 – Launch of the competition

25 August 2026 – Deadline for submitting questions 5:00 pm Palestine time (GMT+3)

25 September 2026 – Deadline for responses to questions Answers approved by the jury and posted on competition page

15 December 2026 – Deadline for registration and submission of entries 5:00 pm Palestine time (GMT+2) Digital submission only via competition website

January 2027 – Jury meeting and deliberation

January – February 2027 – Announcement of the winner Exact date to be confirmed via the competition website

Jury Members and Advisors

An international and independent jury composed of experts in the key domains of the task — selected by the UNESCO Office in Ramallah and endorsed by the UIA — will review and evaluate all entries against the evaluation criteria and select the winning submissions. The chair of the jury will be elected at the jury’s first meeting.

Jury Members

• Yara Saifi – (Architect, State of Palestine)
• Abderrahim Kassou – (Architect, Morocco)
• Gabriela Carrillo – (Architect, Mexico)
• João Luís Carrilho da Graça – (Architect, Portugal, UIA representative)
• Marina Tabassum – (Architect, Bangladesh)
• Ueli Brauen – (Architect & Civil Engineer, Switzerland, UIA representative, alternate juror)
• Filippo Lambertucci – (Architect, Italy, alternate juror)

Expert Advisors

• Lorenzo Nigro – (Archaeologist, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy)
• Ibrahim Arman – (Structural Engineer, An-Najah National University, State of Palestine)
• Wael Hamamra – (Archaeologist, The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, State of Palestine)
• Monther Diab – (Structural Engineer, An-Najah National University, State of Palestine)

Technical Committee

• Zahraa Zawawi – (Architect, Competition Professional Advisor, State of Palestine)
• Ihab Daoud – (Architect, Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of the State of Palestine)

The Technical Committee will screen all submissions before the jury meeting to verify formal compliance, including submission within the deadline, respect of anonymity, completeness of submission, and adherence to the space programme. Late submission and non-respect of anonymity will constitute immediate grounds for disqualification.

Prizes and Prize Money

1st Prize: USD 30,000

The winner will receive the contract for the development of the detailed design and supervision of the Tell es-Sultan protective shelter. The winner must partner with an experienced local Palestinian professional, architectural office, or educational institution.

2nd Prize: 20,000

Financial prize. Runner-up entries will be exhibited on the competition website following announcement of results.

3rd Prize: 10,000

Financial prize. Runner-up entries will be exhibited on the competition website following announcement of results. The jury may also allocate honorary mentions at its discretion for entries with special merit.