In response to requests from certain port and local authorities wishing to apply for the AIVP Prize Antoine Rufenacht, and in agreement with Carola Hein and Geraldine Knatz the 2 co-chairwoman, we decided to extend the call for applications for this 1st edition by one month.

You now have until the 21st of July at midnight to apply and hope to become the 1st winner of the only international award dedicated to port cities and the port-city relationship!

How to apply?

To apply, download the application form here and return it fully completed to the following address: submission@aivp-rufenacht-prize.org.

International recognition

Applicant projects for the AIVP Prize Antoine Rufenacht will be assessed by leading figures from 5 continents, renowned for their expertise in maritime and port economy, port-city relationships, and urban sustainable development.

Focus on the Expert panel

Chaired by Carola Hein, founding director of the PortCityFutures programme, the Expert panel is composed of the following members:

  • Sébastien Dupray (France), head of risks, waters, and sea technical division at Cerema
  • Hilda Ghiara (Italy), researcher and professor at the University of Genoa
  • Peter Hall (Canada), researcher and professor at the University Simon Fraser in Vancouver
  • François Kern (France), architect and urban designer
  • Eamonn O’Reilly, former executive director of Dublin port
  • Isabelle Vries, senior advisor, expert of the port-city relationship

The Expert panel will assess all the applications. The members will meet in Brussels, Belgium, on the 6th and 7th of October to put in common their conclusions and identify a maximum of 5 projects to be voted on by the Grand jury.

Focus on the Grand jury

The Grand jury is chaired by Geraldine Knatz. She is the Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees of the Altasea project. She is also the former Executive Director of the Port of Los Angeles. The Grand jury will meet in Le Havre, France, on the 10th and 11th of October 2024. It is currently made up of the following members:

  • Hélène Chartier (France), Director of urban planning and design at C40
  • Deborah Dearing (Australia), a recognized leader in Australia in the field of urban planning and urban design, she is also a member of the New South Wales Port Authority
  • Hoe Soon Tan (Singapore), Assistant Chief Executive (Corporate & Strategy) at the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA)
  • Gaetan Siew (Mauritius), architect and urban planner, former President of the International Union of Architects and special envoy – UN-Habitat

Every port-city should consider applying for the Prize. It would be an external validation on the fact that they have developped a project in line with the Agenda 2030 by AIVP, that brought together the city and the port at a critical interface that is the boundary between the port and the city.

Geraldine Knatz

We hope that many of you will apply. This prize will be a validation of all the excellent works both port and city are doing to collaborate, activate the port-city interface and create a better futur for all people in the port-city territory.

Carola Hein

Antoine Rufenacht

The AIVP Prize Antoine Rufenacht Prize honours the memory of Antoine Rufenacht, founding chairman of AIVP, and former Mayor of Le Havre, France, as a visionary of what should be the port-city relationship. Convinced of the common interest for port and local authorities to work together to reach port cities with economic success and quality of life, Antoine Rufenacht never ceased to encourage and promote city-port dialogue throughout his chairmanship of AIVP. As Mayor of Le Havre, he engaged in a vast program to transform the port-city interface.

Why a Prize dedicated to port cities?

The world’s port cities, whether coastal or inland, have always been witnesses of major macroeconomic changes and local development strategies. The development of port and urban activities is a major challenge in an increasingly uncertain environment, political and social contexts. Port cities of all sizes and types have to reinvent themselves systemically, as they are at the forefront of major global and societal changes. In this context, the spatial relationship between the port and city, two distinct entities, at once antagonist and interdependent, constitutes a prosperous breeding ground from which remarkable urban projects have emerged. Indeed, port cities together with port authorities on the five continents, have re-examined the port-city relationship through the prism of unique urban developments and emblematic architectural works. The AIVP Prize Antoine Rufenacht aims to celebrate these outstanding port city projects and the way they address the port city relationships in the context of sustainable development.