Premju Emanuele Luigi Galizia 2026
Premju Emanuele Luigi Galizia is a national awards programme which recognises excellence, leadership, and impact within Malta’s built environment. Marking a new collaboration for the 2026 edition, Kamra tal-Periti and the Planning Authority have unified their efforts to establish a single, integrated award for the sector. This collaborative initiative honours the social, cultural, and technical responsibility of the Perit profession, celebrating well-executed projects that tackle Malta’s spatial realities with care and rigour.
While the 2025 edition reflected on legacy by asking “What would Galizia do?”, this fifth edition moves past historical speculation to focus on how our development is tackling the social, economic, and environmental elements. By evaluating how a project respects its surroundings, how efficiently it uses resources, and how well it serves the people who use it, this edition fundamentally asks whether we are merely building ON these islands, or truly building WITH them.
Galizia’s professional ethos was defined by rigour, public duty, and a respect for craft. He refused gifts in public office, upheld discipline in his work, and led by example. Fluent in both Italian and English, his cultural awareness and civic commitment positioned him as a model for future generations.
The medals of the Order of the Order of St Gregory (Vatican), left, and the Medjidie (Ottoman Empire), right, shown juxtaposed with a photo of E.L. Galizia wearing the same medal.
Photographed with the permission of Robert Galea-Naudi B.Sc (Hons) M.Sc MRTPI, from the Francis Galea-Naudi collection.
Oversight of politically sensitive projects, such as the construction of the Ta’ Braxia Cemetery, further demonstrated his discretion and quiet defiance.
His legacy is not simply architectural—it is ethical. The Premju bearing his name continues to look to this legacy, asking what responsibility, innovation, and leadership look like in our time.
Emanuele Luigi Galizia
Courtesy of Robert Galea-Naudi B.Sc (Hons) M.Sc MRTPI, from the Francis Galea-Naudi photo archive.
Emanuele Luigi Galizia was one of the most influential Maltese architects and civil engineers of the 19th century. Appointed Superintendent of Public Works at age 24, he helped shape the architectural and infrastructural identity of modern Malta during a pivotal period of transformation.
Among his most iconic works are Addolorata Cemetery, the Turkish Cemetery in Marsa, Victoria Gate, the Vincenzo Bugeja Institute, and his own summer residence, Alhambra, in Sliema.
