Earlier this month WAF announced the 2011 Awards Shortlist, including 284 projects from over 59 countries competing in 28 individual categories, and the chance to win the overall World Building of the Year or Future Project of the Year awards. Traditionally, the annual event has been taking place in Barcelona since 2008 and its highest honour - World Building of The Year award  - has up to now been  granted to Bocconi University building by Grafton Architects, Mapungubwe Interpretation Center in South Africa by Peter Rich Architects and Zaha Hadid's MAXXI.

Starting this year, the WAF Interiors and Fit out category has branched out into INSIDE: World Festival of Interiors -  a unique festival that celebrates the best interiors from around the globe open to all WAF visitors.

Another exciting novelty this year is the People's Choice Award supported by OpenBuildings. Just like WAF is democratizing the world architecture competition scene by providing an open platfrom accessible to established and young practices alike, People's Choice Award provides architecture and design enthusiasts with an opportunity to make their voice heard too by voting for their favourite buildings and interiors. This new award category where the public - and not just industry insiders - determine the most praise-worthy buildings will be recognised across the industry as one of the major accolades. Audiences also get the chance to compare their choice to the opinion of some of the world’s most outstanding architects (see the 2011 jury shortlist on WAF's homepage) which is always a curious comparison to make.

You can vote until October 28th for as many projects as you like. The People’s Choice Award will be presented alongside the other major awards at World Architecture Festival and Inside World Festival of Interiors in Barcelona on the 4th of November 2011.

So how does it work? You can see all of the competing projects HERE. Browse, discover and vote for the ones you love!

You can vote for your favourite project online and in real life when visiting the building by "Check In" on your mobile through our 'Buildings' app allowing you to locate and stalk great architecture wherever you are.

Also, don't miss to add a comment next to your vote, as the top 5 comments about projects in the award will win free tickets to attend the event & awards ceremony in Barcelona. Good luck!