On Monday we’ll announce 10 finalists still in the running for the Jury Award. But before that happens, please give a round of applause for the brilliant Jury Members, whose stadium portfolio you surely know already!

Presentation of the Jury is a unique moment every year, when even writing these words makes us proud and lucky. Lucky that each year brilliant names of stadium architecture – some known for decades, others on the rise – agree to help us select the best new stadium. Keep in mind, every year different offices are represented and we only invite practices whose stadium work we truly admire.

Although year’s Jury presentation comes exceptionally late, but the reasons are purely logistical, all four Jurors have already cast their first votes. The resulting shortlist of 10 finalists will be presented on Monday, March 1, now let’s celebrate the expertise of this year’s Jury!

KARSTEN FIEBIGER, FIEBIGER GmbH Architekten+Ingenieure, Kaiserslautern | Karsten is principal at F* FIEBIGER GMBH and studied in TU Darmstadt and ETH Zuerich. During his young life, he was exposed to various stadium projects designed by his father Folker Fiebiger, and while working for Peter Eisenman.

Karsten has gained a broad experience in stadium projects, including Fritz-Walter Stadion for FIFA Club World Cup 2006 (50,000), Bruchwegstadion Mainz in Germany and the extension of FC METZ Stadium (30,000) in France, currently under construction. His portfolio also includes the design of Odessa Stadium and Makeevka Stadium in Ukraine as well as the extension of the arena for FC Kuban Krasnodar, Russia.

BILL MASSEY, SASAKI, Boston | Bill is an architectural principal and leader in Sasaki’s sports practice, recently responsible for the new Hongkou Stadium design, replacement of China's most famous football-specific stadium. He specializes in athletic and recreation projects with a particular focus on higher education, community recreation buildings and public sporting venues. He has over 20 years of experience in the design and implementation of exceptional sports projects in the US, Canada, South America, Central America and Asia.

Bill has experience across the spectrum of sports venues including stadia and arenas, intercollegiate athletic facilities and fields, indoor practice facilities, student recreation centers and community recreation centers. His well-rounded experience and in-depth knowledge of the social and functional considerations specific to these facilities along with their unique technical requirements assures the best result for high performance outcomes that maximize the experience for athletes, spectators and recreation participants alike. As a result Bill has accumulated a long history of successful projects and strong client relationships.

Bill holds an undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University and a master of architecture from Virginia Tech. He is an active member of the American Institute of Architects, NIRSA, and the Society for College and University Planning and speaks frequently at national conferences on trends in athletics, recreation, and sustainability.

MASSIMO ROJ, PROGETTO CMR, Milan | Massimo Roj graduated in Architecture and Urbanism from the Politecnico di Milano in 1986. Since 1987, he has been a registered architect. In 1994, he founded Progetto CMR in Milan, today top Italian integrated design firm, where he holds the position of Managing Partner and Global CEO, managing international developments in the fields of Architecture, Urban Planning, Space Planning and Interior Design. Since 2011, Progetto CMR has ranked among World’s Top 100 Architectural firms.

Aside from his practice, he’s also a visiting professor at several universities worldwide and named an ambassador of Italian design. While his work covers master plans, skyscrapers, hospitals, research centres and much more, our focus is football. Among Massimo Roj’s most recent projects you’ll find the proposed new Milan stadium, to replace San Siro, as well as Cagliari Calcio’s new football arena.

NIKOS SIAPKARAS, A&S ARCHITECTS, Athens | Nikos was born in Athens in 1975. He studied Architecture at the National Technical University of Athens. He holds an Integrated Master from NTUA (2001), and a Master of Science in “Architecture – Spatial Design / Architectural Design – Space – Culture”, (Advanced Architectural Design Issues) – from the NTUA (2004). He is one of the two principals of A&S ARCHITECTS, which he co-founded in 2004.

Taking up numerous challenging projects, Nikos earned a long list of delivered buildings, many of them highly specialised, in the fields of banking, data storage, airline, theme park, healthcare industries and more. His work in stadium architecture includes Greece’s most impressive projects of the last two decades, like the Votanikos Stadium for Panathinaikos and PAOK’s new Toumba in Thessaloniki. A&S Architects also delivered the design for PAS Giannina FC Stadium, as well as being involved in the greater Education City Stadium plan, covering Education City Future School.