The award, which totals CHF 100,000, will be presented to the winner on 18 November at the Accademia di architettura in Mendrisio, Switzerland, at a ceremony that will also mark the opening of the exhibition of works submitted by the candidates.

The second international BSI Swiss Architectural Award is being held this year. It is sponsored by the BSI Architectural Foundation, under the aegis of the Swiss Federal Office for Culture in Bern and the Accademia di architettura of Mendrisio (Università della Svizzera Italiana), in partnership with the Archivio del Moderno, Mendrisio. The purpose of the award, which is held every two years, is to draw the public's attention to young architects from all over the world whose work has made a significant contribution to contemporary architectural theory and practice, and who have shown particular sensitivity to the landscape and environmental context.

The first award, which concluded in autumn 2008 with the victory of Paraguayan architect Solano Benitez, revealed an exceptional talent to the public and the specialist press, who had previously been practically unknown outside the Americas. It also offered an important snapshot of contemporary architecture, thanks to the exceptional quality of the candidates selected by the advisory committee, which comprises internationally-renowned architects and architecture critics.

Mario Botta, chairman of the jury, commented, "The architects selected for the BSI Swiss Architectural Award may be considered among the most significant players on the international scene today. The sensitivity they have gained through the transformations they have experienced in recent years, and the professional commitment that has taken them to the top in their own countries highlight their varying philosophies and real hopes, in contrast to the contradictions and confusion that are rife in the debates within the field."

The second award is intended to cement this event's position among the world's great architecture prizes. While the rules and selection procedures have been confirmed, the jury and advisory committee have been changed slightly.

The jury now comprises Mario Botta (Chairman), Valentin Bearth, director of the Architecture Academy of Università della Svizzera Italiana, Solano Benitez, winner of the first prize, Barry Bergdoll, Chief Curator of Architecture and Design at MoMA in New York, and Luis Fernandez-Galiano, editor of magazine AV-Arquitectura Viva.

The advisory committee comprises Emilio Ambasz, New York, Laurent Beaudouin, Nancy, Gonçalo Byrne, Lisbon, Alberto Campo Baeza, Madrid, Massimo Carmassi, Florence, Kenneth Frampton, New York, Dan S. Hanganu, Montreal, Kengo Kuma, Tokyo, Boris Podrecca, Vienna, Bruno Reichlin, Paris and Mendrisio, and Zhi Wenjun, Shanghai.

This committee selected 28 candidates from 15 countries.
The candidates for the 2010 award are: Carnicero, Vila, Virsenda (ICA Arquitectos) (Spain), Caruso St John Architects (UK), Cristofani & Lelli (Italy), João Pedro Falcão de Campos (Portugal), Dietmar Feichtinger (France/Austria), Arturo Franco Diaz (Spain), Sosuke Fujimoto (Japan), José Fernando Gonçalves (Portugal), Hubmann + Vass (Austria), Bjarke Ingels (Denmark), Junya Ishigami (Japan), Diébédo Francis Kéré (Burkina Faso/Germany), Christian Kerez (Switzerland), Liverani / Molteni architetti (Italy), Fabio Mariani (Italy), João Mendes Ribeiro (Portugal), MGM Morales Giles Mariscal (Spain), Hiroshi Nakamura (Japan), nARCHITECTS – Eric Bunge, Mimi Hoang (USA), Neutelings Riedijk Architects (the Netherlands), Pezo von Ellrichshausen Architects (Chile), Joshua Prince-Ramus (USA), Bernard Quirot (France), Sadar + Vuga (Slovenia), Markus Scherer (Italy), Selgas + Cano (Spain), URBANUS - Liu Xiaodu, Meng Yan, Wang Hui (China), Xu Tiantian (China).

The jury unanimously voted architect Diébédo Francis Kéré (Burkina Faso/Germany) as the winner of the second BSI Swiss Architectural Award for his "exceptional capacity to create buildings that, while benefiting from the technical knowledge he gained while studying in Europe, are deeply rooted in the cultural tradition and social fabric of his country of origin, Burkina Faso, and are the result of local communities’ intense involvement”".

The award ceremony will take place on 18 November 2010 at the Academy of Architecture of Mendrisio (Università della Svizzera italiana), when the exhibition will also be opened and the catalogue documenting the awards launched.