Out of a competitive pool of 420 projects that were nominated back in December, 40 of them were shortlisted for the 2015 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award. The biennial €60,000 prize was initiated by the European Commission and the Barcelona City Hall in 1987 and is considered to be the highest-ranking award in contemporary European architecture.

The selected projects, which must have been completed within the last two years, are regarded as models of architectural and technological innovation in European architecture. The awards program also acknowledges the significant contributions and the evolving creative process of present-day architects working throughout the continent.

↑ Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, The Netherlands by Cruz y Ortiz Arquitectos.

↑ Danish Maritime Museum in Helsingør, Denmark by BIG

↑ Marseille Vieux Port in Marseille, France by Foster + Partners

↑ De Rotterdam in Rotterdam, The Netherlands by OMA

↑ Everyman Theatre in Liverpool, United Kingdom by Haworth Tompkins.

Although the shortlisted projects come from all over the EU, Copenhagen, Berlin, and Rotterdam had the most works. A few familiar projects in the list include BIG's Danish Maritime Museum, the Rijksmuseum by Cruz y Ortiz Arquitectos, OMA's De Rotterdam, Foster + Partners' Marseille Vieux Port, and Haworth Tompkins' Everyman Theatre.

By the end of this month, the jury will visit the five finalist works they selected. The author of each work will then prepare to present their projects to the public on May 7. Finally, the grand prize winner will be revealed during an awards ceremony at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona on May 8.

↑ 2226 in Lustenau, Austria by Baumschlager Eberle Lustenau GmbH

↑ Education Center Erasmus MC in Rotterdam, The Netherlands by KAAN Architecten

↑ H71a in Reykjavík, Iceland by Studio Granda.

↑ POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warszawa, Poland by Architects Lahdelma & Mahlamäki.

↑ Luz House in Spain by arquitectura-g.

↑ Rozet, Culture House in Arnhem, The Netherlands by Neutelings Riedijk Architects.

A €20,000 Emerging Architect Award will also be given to professionals beginning their careers and the first Young Talent Architecture Prize (YTAP) will recognize the EU's best master's degree projects from current university students in Europe.

But the festivities won't end right there: an exhibition showcasing all the projects in the competition will also take place on May 8. Then a traveling exhibition and a series of discussions and lectures will be presented throughout Europe and internationally until 2016 -- as a preview to the 2017 Mies van der Rohe Award.

↑ Sancaklar Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey by EAA - Emre Arolat Architects.

↑ Bishop Edward King Chapel in Oxford, United Kingdom by Niall McLaughlin Architects.

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

The 2015 jury members are: Cino Zucchi (Chair of the Jury ), Margarita Jover, Lene Tranberg, Peter L. Wilson, Xiangning Li, Tony Chapman, and Hansjörg Mölk.

Check out the rest of the shortlisters in the thumbnails below.