The Australian Institute of Architects has announced the winners of the 2026 NSW Architecture Awards, with the sweeping renewal of Sydney's Central Station taking the top prize. The awards, presented on Thursday, also recognised the new Sydney Fish Market, the Western Sydney International Airport at Badgerys Creek, and several other significant projects across the state.
Central Station Wins NSW Architecture Medallion
Central Station's redevelopment, a collaboration between Woods Bagot and John McAslan + Partners, received the NSW Architecture Medallion, the highest honour of the evening. It also won the Sulman Medal for Public Architecture. The project seamlessly integrates the new metro line into the broader rail network, with judges praising its 'calm logic, abundant natural light, and a rich sense of material quality'.
Sydney Fish Market Takes Premier's Prize
The new Sydney Fish Market, designed by a collaboration between 3XN, BVN, and ASPECT Studios, won the Premier's Prize, the Sir Arthur G Stephenson Award for Commercial Architecture, and one of three awards for Public Architecture. Judges described the project as 'a work of civic generosity as much as architectural ambition', noting that it navigated multiple design and construction complexities.
Western Sydney International Airport Honoured
The Western Sydney International Airport, named after Nancy-Bird Walton, was another winner in the Public Architecture category. The project, a collaboration between Woods Bagot, COX Architecture, and Zaha Hadid Architects, was praised for offering 'a stress-free and human-centric journey with civic generosity and a design connected to place, emblematic of the next phase of Western Sydney's transformation'.
Green Square Public School Wins Lord Mayor's Prize
BVN's design for Green Square Public School and community space received the Lord Mayor's Prize and the William E Kemp Award for Educational Architecture. Judges commended the design team and client agencies for their 'ingenuity, vision and commitment to design excellence', stating that the project 'sets a new benchmark for how dense urban communities can be supported through thoughtful, integrated design'.
Other Notable Winners
Campbelltown Station Commuter Car Park, designed by Hill Thalis Architecture + Urban Projects, won the Sustainable Architecture Award for its 'simplicity, clarity, and holistic integration of sustainability initiatives'. The Lands by Capella, a conversion of the historic sandstone Lands Department building into a function and retail space, won the Greenway Award for Heritage, a Commercial Architecture Award, and the Award for Interior Architecture. Judges called it 'a generous and accomplished act of architectural resurrection'.
In the residential categories, EA House in Mittagong, designed by Bokey Grant, won the Blacket Prize and one of four awards in the New Housing category. The house is embedded in a rocky escarpment, with judges noting that 'where others saw only difficulty, the architects identified an opportunity to create a carefully crafted sanctuary for a young family'. Broken Workshop, a farm shed in rural Byron Bay designed by Atelier Luke, was recognised in the Small Project Architecture category, described as 'a joy to inhabit'.
33 Alfred Street, the old AMP tower in Sydney, won a Heritage Award for Adaptive Reuse after a renewal by JPW. Judges praised the 'refined, calm and assured' result as 'a dignified act of architectural conservation'. The Sydney Harbour Bridge northern access cycleway, led by Collins and Turner in collaboration with Design 5 – Architects, Aspect Studios, and Eckersley O'Callaghan, also won a Heritage Award for Adaptive Reuse and an Urban Design Award. Judges said the cycleway 'sits alongside the Bridge as a finely calibrated contemporary addition', allowing historic elements to remain legible.
Darlinghurst House, by Anthony Gill Architects, won the Hugh and Eva Buhrich Award for Residential Architecture in the Alterations and Additions category. The project transformed a standard terrace house and adjacent mixed-use building into a 'layered city within the city', with a garden oasis. Judges described it as 'a beautifully crafted solution to an urban puzzle'.
