A total of six schemes have been shortlisted from more than 340 entrants for the European Union (EU) Prize for Contemporary Architecture - the Mies van der Rohe Award.

The award was first launched in 1987 and is co-funded by the EU Culture Programme and the Mies van der Rohe Foundation, with Stansted Airport among the previous winners. Among the shortlisted projects in the running for the EUR60,000 (£52,000) prize this year is the Neues Museum Berlin in Germany - designed by David Chipperfield Architects.

Bronks Youth Theatre in Brussels, Belgium (MDMA); MAXXI Museum of XXI Century Arts in Rome, Italy (Zaha Hadid) Architects; and the Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece (Bernard Tschumi Architects) are confirmed finalists. The remaining two shortlisted schemes are Concert House Danish Radio in Copenhagen, Denmark (Ateliers Jean Nouvel) and Rehabilitiation Centre Groot Klimmendaal, Arnhem, Netherlands (Architectenbureau Koen van Velsen).

The European commissioner for education, culture, multilingualism and youth, Androulla Vassilou, said: "Our finalists have two things in common - they are European and they are among the world's most visionary architects. "The EU Prize celebrates their talent and showcases the economic, social and cultural importance of our creative industries."

Image: Concert House Danish Radio in Copenhagen, Denmark -– Philippe Ruault