Jørn Utzon was announced as the winner of the Sydney Opera House design competition on 29 January 1957.
The international competition had been launched by New South Wales Premier Joseph Cahill in September 1955. It sought designs for a major hall and a smaller hall capable of hosting opera, orchestral concerts, choral performances, lectures, ballet and public gatherings. The competition attracted 233 entries from architects in 32 countries.
Utzon, a relatively unknown Danish architect at the time, submitted a dramatic design dominated by curved roof forms. Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen, one of the jury members, reportedly championed Utzon’s entry after it had initially been set aside. The jury selected it from a final group of 30 designs.
The announcement date is sometimes confused with Utzon’s first visit to Sydney, which took place later, on 29 July 1957. Construction also began much later: the Fort Macquarie Tram Depot was demolished in 1958, and building work started in March 1959. The Opera House was formally opened in 1973, after major design and construction challenges.