© Matteo de Stefano

The wienwood 25 award recognizes exceptional timber structures in Vienna for the fourth time. The submission period for the Vienna Timber Construction Award begins now and ends on June 10, 2025. The prize is awarded by proHolz Austria in cooperation with the City of Vienna and supported by WIENER STÄDTISCHE Versicherung AG.

The competition is seeking buildings or construction projects completed between June 2021 and June 2025 in the four categories of residential construction, public construction, commercial construction, interior design/intervention/other. The awards ceremony will take place on September 25, 2025, at the Architekturzentrum Wien (Vienna Architecture Center). A total of €15,000 in prize money is available. First awarded in 2005, wienwood celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.

The focus of wienwood is on ecology, architecture, sustainable neighborhood development, and climate-friendly building concepts. Especially in times of climate crisis, wood is gaining increasing importance as a renewable and CO₂-binding building material. Its high degree of prefabrication, low weight, and short construction times also make it an important component for future-oriented and climate-friendly construction, especially in inner-city and densely populated areas. Architects, structural engineers, clients, and contractors are welcome to submit proposals.

The award-winning projects will be selected in a two-stage jury process:

  • Nominations by the jury chairman Arno Ritter in cooperation with proHolz Austria (maximum 16 projects)
  • Final selection will be made by a five-member expert jury consisting of Arno Ritter (chair), Astrid Staufer, Sylvia Polleres, Markus Lackner, and Katharina Blumer-Lehmann. The preselected objects will be inspected during a two-day jury trip.

All award winners are automatically nominated for the Austrian State Prize for Timber Construction, which will be awarded for the first time in 2026 by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment, Climate, Regions and Water Management and proHolz Austria.