Organised for the past eighteen years by the ARDEPA Association, the Nantes School of Architecture (ENSA Nantes), and the Regional Union of CAUEs, the Young Architects and Landscape Architects of the Loire Region (JAPL) Selection aims to highlight the creativity and commitment of a new generation of designers. In response to the transitions and upheavals shaping our societies, these professionals are opening up new avenues of thought for the planning and development of tomorrow’s inhabited and natural environments, while helping to transform the professions and sectors involved in shaping cities and territories.

The awards recognise architects, urban planners, and landscape architects under the age of 38 who, as independent practitioners, have completed at least one of the following : a prize-winning competition entry in the Pays de la Loire region or a project completed or currently underway in the Pays de la Loire region.

Modelled on the national programme coordinated by the French Ministry of Culture, the Albums des Jeunes Architectes et Paysagistes (AJAP), the JAPL selection has already seen four editions - 2006, 2011, 2016, and 2020 - and has showcased 45 emerging practices and collectives representing a wide diversity of approaches.

These editions have demonstrated that promoting a younger generation also means supporting new ways of building and designing. It means encouraging renewed approaches to the construction process - including rehabilitation, transformation, reuse, and the use of bio-based and geo-sourced materials - while fostering the political, ecological, and social commitments that underpin the creation of built and landscape environments.

For each edition, a jury of qualified professionals examines the originality of the candidates’ approaches and the quality of their projects. The selected laureates then benefit from two complementary forms of recognition: one aimed at professional visibility and another designed to engage and inform the general public, both detailed later in this dossier.

A Fifth Edition
In 2024, ARDEPA and its partners confirmed their intention to renew the programme for a fifth edition. In light of the sustainability and resource-efficiency challenges imposed by the ecological emergency of the 21st century, the JAPL awards provide an exceptional opportunity to explore the responses, approaches, and innovations developed by young practitioners to continue shaping and improving our territories.

Alongside this commitment to continuing the programme, the new edition also introduces several developments, improvements, and areas of experimentation.
Eligibility Criteria
Recognising that many professionals now establish independent practices later in their careers, the age limit for applications to the 5th JAPL edition has been extended to include practitioners under the age of 38.
Curatorial Programme
With the aim of making visible the research activity taking place within contemporary architectural, urban, and landscape practice, ARDEPA and its partners have entrusted the curatorial direction of JAPL 2025 to a team of three emerging researchers holding doctoral degrees or pursuing doctoral studies.
Coordinated by Pauline Ouvrard, lecturer, researcher, and curator of the previous JAPL edition, this initiative seeks to foster dialogue and collaboration between young researchers and young practitioners.

Curatorial Team 2025 :
Jean Favreau - Registered Architect (DE), PhD in Spatial Planning and Urbanism
Lucile Garnier - Registered Architect (DE), PhD in Spatial Planning and Urbanism
Marie Tesson - Registered Architect (DE), PhD Candidate in Architecture at the Abbé-Grégoire Doctoral School

https://japl.fr/