The world of architectural history and its diverse expressions took center stage recently as the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) unveiled the winners of its prestigious 2026 Publication Awards and the SAH Award for Film and Video. The ceremony, held in the vibrant city of Mexico City, celebrated the best in architectural scholarship, urban history, and the built environment.
One of the most notable awards, the Alice Davis Hitchcock Book Award, recognizes North American scholars for their outstanding contributions to architectural history. This year, the award went to Anooradha Iyer Siddiqi for her thought-provoking work, “Architecture of Migration: The Dadaab Refugee Camps and Humanitarian Settlement,” which explores the often-overlooked architectural aspects of refugee camps. The other winner, Richard Wittman, was recognized for “Rebuilding St. Paul’s Outside the Walls,” a book that delves into the reconstruction of a significant religious site.
The SAH Exhibition Catalogue Award highlights the unique ways architectural history exhibitions engage with diverse audiences. The 2026 winners, “AP205 Amancio Williams: Readings of the Archive by Studio Muoto, Claudia Shmidt, and Pezo von Ellrichshausen” and “Towards Home: Inuit and Sámi Placemaking,” showcase the power of exhibitions to present scholarship and artifacts in innovative ways.
The Spiro Kostof Book Award, established in honor of the renowned urban historian, recognizes interdisciplinary studies of urban history. This year, Min Kyung Lee and Farshid Emami took home the award for their respective works, “The Tyranny of the Straight Line: Mapping Modern Paris” and “Isfahan: Architecture and Urban Experience in Early Modern Iran.”
The Elisabeth Blair MacDougall Book Award, named after a past SAH president, celebrates scholarship in the history of landscape architecture and garden design. Amanda Shoaf Vincent was the recipient for her book, “Constructing Gardens, Cultivating the City.”
The Founders’ JSAH Article Award, given to emerging scholars, went to Yasmina El Chami for her article, “A Mutual Project: Architecture and the Imperial Foundations of American Missionaries in Nineteenth-Century Beirut.” This piece offers a fresh perspective on the intersection of architecture and imperialism.
The Historic Interiors Article Award, a relatively new addition, fosters research on the history of interiors. Grace Ong Yan was the winner for her contribution, “From Interior Supergraphics to Participation in the Public Sphere,” which explores the relationship between interior design and public engagement.
The SAH Award for Film and Video recognizes the power of visual media in conveying the history of the built environment. The winner, “Skin of Glass,” directed and produced by Denise Zmekhol, demonstrates the potential of film to bring architectural history to new audiences.
Lastly, the Antoinette Forrester Downing Book Award, honoring excellence in preservation, did not have a recipient this year.
These awards not only celebrate the best in architectural scholarship but also highlight the diverse ways in which architecture, urban history, and the built environment are studied, preserved, and presented to the public. They remind us of the importance of these disciplines in shaping our understanding of the world around us.
Personally, I find it fascinating how these awards bring to light the often-overlooked aspects of our built environment, from refugee camps to interior design, and how they connect to broader historical and cultural narratives. It’s a reminder that architecture is more than just buildings; it’s a reflection of our society, our history, and our aspirations.
