Nominations are now open for the 2026 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize — a biennial award recognizing outstanding achievements in saving structures emblematic of the modernist architectural movement.
Deadline for submissions is September 5. The prize includes a cash honorarium of $10,000.
We can think of a number of examples of Jewish built heritage — synagogues, mausolea, tombs, other buildings — that would be eligible.
The Prize was established in 2008 to honor individuals and organizations revitalizing modern built heritage through innovative architectural solutions.
The Prize web page states:
Many Modernist buildings are falling victim to deterioration, perceived irrelevancy, and public apathy. These threats often result in demolition or alterations that compromise the building’s integrity. Many modern structures are too young to qualify for landmark designation and protection, and as such, require additional support for their preservation.
2026 Selection Criteria
- Modernist structures that have been restored or renovated within the last ten years and that have faced challenges or threats that have affected the site before the project implementation.
- Threats may include deterioration of original materials, obsolescence, abandonment, or inappropriate changes in use, ownership, economic, or political conditions surrounding the site.
- The prize is especially interested in projects that have increased the site’s environmental and economic sustainability while benefiting the local community.
Click for details and link to submission form
One project along these lines that we have been following for years is the restoration of the important modernist New Synagogue (Nová Synagóga) in Žilina Slovakia, which reopened in May 2017 as a contemporary arts center after six years of painstaking work.
Designed by the German architect Peter Behrens and built in 1928-31, the synagogue was long used as a university lecture hall and a cinema and stood empty for years. It was returned to the ownership of the Jewish community, which rented it for a symbolic fee to the Truc Sphérique civic association, which has headed the conversion. (JHE followed this project and posted several updates about the work and innovative funding campaigns — search for Žilina in the search pane to see them.) The tiny Žilina Jewish community uses another synagogue in the town, the pre-war orthodox synagogue.
Another that might qualify is the modernist-functionalist Agudas Achim synagogue in Brno, Czech Republic, which reopened in January 2016 after a renovation.
Constructed in 1934-36 and designed by Otto Eisler, the synagogue was built by the Agudas Achim Community from donations of Galician Jews who had found refuge in Brno after World War I. Used as a warehouse during World War II, it was reconsecrated after the war and is the only surviving synagogue in Brno, the Czech Republic’s second largest city. It is also the only synagogue holding regular services in the eastern part of the country.
Another possibility might be the large Holocaust memorial in the vast Kozma utca Jewish cemetery in Budapest, which was restored in 2017-18.
Designed by the architect Alfred Hajos (who was also an Olympic swimming champion), it was constructed in 1949 and lists thousands of names of Holocaust victims.
Several tombs in the Kozma utca cemetery also might qualify — for example that of Hajos himself and his family, which is listed as a historic monument and was restored in 2019.
The recently restored tombstone of the prolific synagogue architect Lipot Baumhorn (d. 1932) also could qualify.
There are also tombs in Budapest’s Salgotarjani ut Jewish cemetery and in Warsaw’s Okopowa St. Jewish cemetery — as well as elsewhere.
If you have any questions regarding the nomination process or a site’s eligibility, email [email protected].
2 comments on “Call for Nominations: World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize. Deadline for submission is September 5”
And the recently restored synagogue in Kos, Greece.
Suggest that they apply!