Sacred Spaces Reimagined: 2026 Faith & Form Award Winners Announced
Twelve projects from around the world have been recognized in the 2026 Faith & Form International Awards for Religious Architecture & Art, highlighting excellence in the design, restoration, and renewal of sacred spaces. Founded in 1978, the awards honor work that shapes how communities gather, worship, and experience the presence of God through architecture and art.
This year’s winners span multiple categories, including liturgical design, new construction, renovation, restoration, and sacred landscape—demonstrating how sacred spaces continue to evolve while remaining rooted in tradition.
Among the honorees is a project close to home: the Mesa Arizona Temple, which received an Honor Award for restoration. Originally built in 1923, the renovation honors the deep connection between people, place, and history, preserving its role as a sacred landmark while adapting it for future generations.
Across the award categories, several themes emerge: renewal, accessibility, and the faithful stewardship of sacred places. Projects like the Immaculate Conception Chapel in Pennsylvania and the Chapel of St. Ignatius in New Orleans reflect how new construction can carry forward longstanding traditions while creating spaces for contemporary worship and formation. Renovations—from synagogues in St. Louis to temples in San Francisco—demonstrate how existing structures can be transformed to serve new communities while honoring their past.
Restoration efforts, including projects in Boston and Spain, highlight the careful work of preserving historic structures while upgrading them for safety, accessibility, and continued use. Meanwhile, sacred landscapes—from Marian Gardens in California to a contemplative stone sanctuary in Osaka—expand the understanding of worship space beyond walls, inviting reflection in the natural world.
Together, these projects embody a theological truth central to Lutheran life: that God meets us in the ordinary and the built environment alike. Sanctuaries, gathering spaces, and even outdoor landscapes become places where Word and community intersect—where memory, devotion, and hope are held together across generations.
Submissions for the 2027 Faith & Form International Awards will be accepted August 3 through October 9, 2026, offering an opportunity for congregations, designers, and artists to share how their spaces support ministry and proclaim the Gospel through beauty, function, and care.
As congregations across the Grand Canyon Synod continue to steward their own buildings and spaces, these award-winning projects offer both inspiration and encouragement: sacred space is not static. It is living, evolving, and always rooted in God’s ongoing story among us.
