On June 19, 2025, AZURE fêted two major milestones during the AZ Awards Gala at the Evergreen Brick Works. Attended by some 400 members of the architecture and design community, the event presented the winners of the 15th edition of the annual competition, and it marked the 40th year of Azure magazine. To commemorate the occasion, we brought out some longtime friends: Karim Rashid was our Guest of Honour, while Glenn Pushelberg, Stefano Pujatti and Tosin Oshinowo greeted the audience by video.

AZURE co-founder Sergio Sgaramella (left) with Karim Rashid and Umbra co-founder Paul Rowan.

The scene was set for a memorable night. Castor created the scaffolding installation that funnelled guests into the building, and Forno Cultura transformed the interior with a creative dining experience – one that included blocks of ice embedded with oysters, sausages and other delicacies and a marketplace of cured meats and cheeses in the building’s historic kilns.

Forno Cultura served oysters atop ice blocks encasing the molluscs.

Emceed by television personality Jessica Allen, the AZ Awards Gala gala presentation included the inaugural winners of the EMERGING category – HW Studio, Odami and Common Objects Studio (with l’atelier Nomadic Architecture Studio getting an Honourable Mention). They, along with the jury winners in all of the AZ Awards categories, took home a sculptural trophy by Polish designer Oskar Zieta. The abstract A and Z were cut from two columns made of inflated stainless steel, polished and perfected with the AZ Awards 2025 logo.

The trophies, shaped like abstract As and Zs, were designed by Poland’s Oskar Zieta. His drawing, below, shows how they were cut from two inflated metal columns.

25+ Special Moments from the AZ Awards Gala

Castor designed the entrance to the AZ Awards 2025. “New Wave” references our May/June cover, which commemorates 40 years of Azure.

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Keilhauer adapted the May/June cover in a blown up version, a perfect background for its comfy Dais lounge chairs.

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AZ Awards 2025 sponsor Colombo Design America presented its latest hardware designs.

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Azure’s Editor in Chief, Elizabeth Pagliacolo, honoured the 40th anniversary while previewing upcoming AZURE events, like Human/Nature 2025.

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The man in pink, Karim Rashid took the stage during the AZ Awards presentation to provide words of inspiration.

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The winners of the AZ Awards were announced by emcee Jessica Allen. They included Hall Street Pier in Nelson, B.C., by MBAC

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Matt Wadlow, Ligne Roset Design Ambassador at Home Société in Toronto, left, presented Studio Author’s Alex Simpson and Jayme Million with the Health & Wellness Interiors category for PoutX in Toronto.

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Los Angeles firm Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects won in Architecture: Multi-Unit Residential Buildings for Isla Intersections. LOHA’s Yasmina Parto accepted the trophy from Fisher & Paykel’s Noush Irani and Lara Baker.

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HCMA Architecture + Design was the People’s Choice favourite in Buildings Over 1,000 SQM for its təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre. HCMA’s Paul Fast, Laura Potter and Ali Kenyon accepted the medallions.

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Scavolini Toronto’s Luiza Alexa presented University of Manitoba student Nikki Ng with one of two A+ Student Awards; Ng’s team won for Tempo-.

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The first-ever EMERGING Awards were presented by Evergreen Brick Works’ Heidi Campbell. The inaugural prize for Architecture went to Mexico’s HW Studio. The firm’s Juan Pablo Camacho Ayala accepted the trophy.

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Fernando Ramirez and Justin Beitzel of Common Object Studio accepted the inaugural EMERGING Award for Industrial Design.

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Michael Fohring and Aránzazu González Bernardo took the EMERGING Award for Interiors.

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A rapt crowd.

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Ligne Roset’s Togo chairs provided a place to perch for our step and repeat. Here, interior designer Samantha Brocca, Lixil’s Sophia Benalcazar and Harry Callaghan of Standard Shop.

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Team members of DEXD, a Toronto studio specializing in major experience design projects, strike a pose with their spouses. Karen Zwart Hielema (second from left) and Gelare Danaie (centre) are partners; David Grose (far right) is wayfinding advisor.

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Azure senior editor Eric Mutrie, right, with DEXD’s Bianca Weeko Martin (centre) and Adam Levine, Associate Curator at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

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Scavolini served bubbly to guests (including Roberto Damiani, left, and Fraser Greenberg, at in the garden of the Evergreen Brick Works.

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Samer Shaath (second from left) of Nivek Remas, a finalist for Interiors: Retail and Hospitality, with friends.

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Keilhauer project designer José Robles, centre, with guests.

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Forno Cultura transformed the kilns of the Evergreen Brick Works into a grocer-inspired marketplace.

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In addition to its ice-block stands and marketplace, Forno Cultura also laid out a communal table for casual grazing.

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Stratus, which served up the wines enjoyed throughout the evening, showcased Karim Rashid’s Decant bottle.

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At Fisher & Paykel’s sleek kitchen islands – outfitted with the New Zealand brand’s latest appliances – guests noshed on specialty cheeses.

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Tre Mari Bakery created the anniversary cake – with its mesmerizing mosaic of Azure covers – that was shared after the dinner.

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AZURE’s team posed for an impromptu photo.

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The AZ Awards 2025 is presented by Keilhauer and Fisher & Paykel and sponsored by Colombo and Ligne Roset. The AZ Awards 2025 Gala Sponsors are Landscape Forms and Scavolini and Dark Tools. Gala partners are Castor Design, Forno Cultura, Tre Mari Bakery, Stratus Wines and Tahir Mahmood.

Media Partners: Archello, ArchDaily, Archilovers, Archinect, Archiproducts, The Architect’s Newspaper, Architonic, Bustler, Design Week Mexico, v2com newswire and World-Architects.