The Secil Prize () is a national award in Portugal that recognizes outstanding achievements in the fields of architecture and civil engineering. Established in 1992 by the Portuguese cement company Secil, it is widely considered the highest and most prestigious distinction within the Portuguese architectural community.
Structure and Categories The award is promoted in collaboration with the official professional public associations of Portugal: the Ordem dos Arquitectos (Order of Architects) and the Ordem dos Engenheiros (Order of Engineers). It is divided into two main regular categories:
Secil Architecture Prize (Prémio Secil de Arquitectura): Awarded to a completed architectural work that significantly contributes to the enrichment of Portuguese built heritage. Secil Civil Engineering Prize (Prémio Secil de Engenharia Civil): Recognizes engineering projects demonstrating high technical complexity, innovation, and quality. A separate category established to distinguish outstanding final thesis projects by students in both architecture and civil engineering faculties across the country.
Notable Architecture Laureates The architecture prize has been awarded to several prominent Portuguese architects, including recipients of the Pritzker Architecture Prize. Notable winners include:
Álvaro Siza Vieira (1996, for the Castro & Melo building; 2000, for the Faculty of Communication Sciences in Santiago de Compostela; and 2006, for the Cornellà desportive complex) Eduardo Souto de Moura (1992, for the Casa das Artes in Porto; 2004, for the Estádio Municipal de Braga; and 2010, for the Casa das Histórias Paula Rego) João Luís Carrilho da Graça (1994, for the Escola Superior de Comunicação Social; and 2024, for the Portas do Mar project in Lisbon)
Complete List of Architecture Winners Below is the chronological list of winners of the national Secil Architecture Prize since its inception:
Year Architect(s) Winning Work Location 1992 Eduardo Souto de Moura Casa das Artes Porto 1994 João Luís Carrilho da Graça Escola Superior de Comunicação Social Lisbon 1996 Álvaro Siza Vieira Edifício Castro & Melo Lisbon 1998 Vítor Figueiredo Escola Superior de Arte e Design Caldas da Rainha 2000 Álvaro Siza Vieira Faculty of Communication Sciences (Santiago de Compostela) Spain 2002 Pedro Maurício Borges Casa Pacheco de Melo Azores 2004 Eduardo Souto de Moura Estádio Municipal de Braga Braga 2006 Álvaro Siza Vieira Cornellà de Llobregat Sports Complex Barcelona, Spain 2008 Nuno Brandão Costa Móveis Viriato Administrative Building and Showroom Paredes 2010 Eduardo Souto de Moura Casa das Histórias Paula Rego Cascais 2012 José Neves Requalification and Extension of the Francisco de Arruda School Lisbon 2020 Aires Mateus (Manuel and Francisco Aires Mateus) EDP Corporate Headquarters Lisbon Francisco Vieira de Campos, Cristina Guedes and João Mendes Ribeiro Arquipélago – Contemporary Arts Centre Azores 2024 João Luís Carrilho da Graça Portas do Mar Lisbon Miguel Marcelino Casa do Quintal Torres Novas
References
External links Official Secil Prizes website