Forty projects shortlisted for the 2015 Mies van der Rohe Award

Starting from a competitive list of 420 nominated projects for the 2015 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award, 40 projects have been shortlisted.

Established by the European Commission and the Barcelona City Hall in 1987, the biennial award is considered to be the highest honor in European architecture for works completed within the past two years.

The award was set up to recognize top-notch design excellence and significant contributions, as well as to continue fostering design and technological innovation from European architectural professionals.

Five finalists will be announced by the end of this month, and the overall grand prize winner will be announced on May 8 at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona.

Check out some all 40 of the shortlisted projects below.

A €20,000 Emerging Architect Award will also be given to professionals beginning their careers. Last but not least, the 2015 edition will introduce the Young Talent Architecture Prize (YTAP) to current university students in Europe. YTAP will recognize the EU's best master's degree projects.

All 420 nominated projects are currently on exhibit at the Barcelona School of Architecture (ETSAB) until March 19.

Don't forget about the thumbnails below for more shortlisted projects!