Top Architecture Competitions in the United States

The process of planning, designing and constructing any building or structure isn’t an easy one. It is complicated and a ton of expertise goes behind it. This is the reason why there are a large number of architecture competitions and scholarships in the country that aim to cultivate talent in the field. A recurring theme throughout these competitions is sustainability and a pull towards green materials and earth-friendly projects. The aim is to find solutions to the modern-day problems that afflict the world using innovation and design.

Wheelwright Prize

wheelwright prize harvard university This prize was originally referred to as Harvard Graduate School of Design’s (GSD) Arthur W. Wheelwright Traveling Fellowship and was established in 1935 in the memory of Wheelwright, Class of 1887, at a time when international travel was not as easy as it is today. In 2013, however, it took its current form of the Wheelwright Prize. It is an open competition that aims to encourage further study in the field of architecture outside the borders of the United States. The recipient of this prize is supposed to be a young architect in the initial phase of his or her career who wants to conduct travel-based research. The jury’s criteria for judging the submissions is the quality of design work submitted, their accomplishments in the field, the research proposal sent in and the candidate’s ability to fulfill the project that they have proposed.

Who Is Eligible?

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In the initial phase of this prize, the fellowship was only given to alumni of GSD but that is not a requirement anymore. The competition is now open to outsiders with the primary eligibility criteria being that the applicant must have a degree from a professionally accredited architecture program. The degree must have been received in the past 15 years. The competition requires the submission of a portfolio, a research proposal and a travel itinerary that must take the applicant out of their country of residence. For the final presentations, finalists will be required to visit GSD.

Prize Money

The winner of the Wheelwright Prize receives a $100,000 award.

Registration

The deadline for submissions is usually the end of January each year.

Home Competition

arch out loud the home competition 2018 The main premise on which Arch Out Loud’s Home Competition is based is that the home in which we reside is the most significant architectural unit in our lives. It is representative of safety and stability and gives us the much-needed consistency that human beings need in their lives. The rise of the internet and the phenomenon of globalization has changed the dynamics even of this home and this competition seeks to showcase these changes through design.

Who Is Eligible?

The competition is open to all designers with no limitations of age, location or experience. The Home Competition, however, requires that all the proposals examine the performance of a single unit. It can be a part of a large system or it can be a small single family home, multi-family building, or adaptable structure.

Prize Money

Overall Winner: $2,500 Innovation Award: $1,000 Adaptability Award: $1,000 Pragmatic Award: $1,000

Registration

The competition usually opens in the month of February each year.

Blank Space Project’s Fairy Tales

Blank Space Project’s Fairy Tales Blank Space Project announces an annual Fairy Tales competition that was held in partnership with ArchDaily, Archinect, Bustler and the AIAS in 2019. The final decision on the winners is taken by a jury that includes big names in the industry like Tatiana Bilbao, Mark Foster Gage, Jürgen Mayer, and Moshe Safdie.

Who Is Eligible?

Fairy Tales is a competition that is open to all. If you are an architect, a designer, a writer, artist, engineer, student or an illustrator, you can submit your architectural fairy tales to Blank Space Project. You can organize yourself into a team and submit 5 images and a text-based fictional fairy tale, along with your team info to take part in the competition.

Prize Money

1st prize: $2,500 2nd prize: $1,500 3rd prize: $750 Along with the monetary prizes, the top three entries are featured in multiple online platforms across the world. Past winners have been featured in Wired, Domus, Design Milk, Architect Magazine, Vice and many more.

Registration

The competition opens around September each year with the winners being announced in March the following year.

NEWH Green Voice Design Competition

NEWH Green Voice Design Competition The NEWH Green Voice Design Competition is a platform that allows students to showcase their design skills in the field of sustainable design. While the criteria changes each year, it is usually centered around putting together a dynamic, creative and innovative design that puts to use the best available technology to deal with sustainable topics like site selection, water efficiency, energy conservation, and indoor environmental quality.

Who Is Eligible?

The competition is only open to interior design or architecture students. You should either be an undergraduate student enrolled in a 4-year program or a graduate student attending any accredited college. Two students majoring in interior design or architecture can get together to form a team and if they will the award, they will have to split the scholarship. Both will, however, receive paid travel and lodging to the event where the prize is awarded.

Prize Money

  • $7,500 undergraduate scholarship
  • $7,500 graduate scholarship
Keep in mind that the awarded scholarship funds are only paid to the college that the student is attending and are mailed directly to the institution.

Registration

The deadline to enter the competition is usually in the month of January each year.

The BDA Prize

The BDA Prize The BDA Prize is an annual design and ideas competition that is sponsored by Bushman Dreyfus Architects in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was established to foster the generation of forward-looking ideas to build a better community through the ideals of design and dialogue. For the 2019 BDA Prize, the theme was INVISIBLE C’VILLE. It called for innovative and thought-inducing works on paper that brought about a unique perspective on invisible quality, system or a story that defines Charlottesville.

Who Is Eligible?

You can send in submissions through any media on paper. It can be a drawing, a painting, a collage or a mapping but it must be either an original or a reproduction of an original that you have made. The single image should be on a twenty by thirty-inch paper and in landscape format. The accompanying text should be submitted electronically.

Prize Money

Eight unranked prizes of $1,000 each are awarded. In addition to this, the entries will be exhibited at The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center and the winners’ work will be displayed outdoors.

Registration

The deadline for entries is around February each year. The final decision is announced in April.

The Forge Prize

The Forge Prize The Forge Prize is a specialized competition that aims to acknowledge great innovation in the usage of steel. It was established by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and is organized by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA). Designers and architects are invited to submit proposals that showcase visionary designs with steel as the main structural component. The Forge Prize is held in the format of a two-stage challenge to engage a good number of designers as they develop innovative designs.

Who Is Eligible?

The competition is open to designers and architects that are practicing in the U.S. or Canada. You can enter as an individual or as a team but the latter would require a designated team leader.

Prize Money

  • At Stage One, three conceptual submissions are awarded a $10,000 stipend to continue onto the next stage.
  • The overall winner will receive an additional $10,000 award, for a grand total of $20,000.

Registration

The competition is announced in the summer months each year with the registration opening around September. After two stages of competitions, the final winners are announced in the summer of the following year.

eVolo Skyscraper Competition

eVolo Skyscraper Competition The annual Skyscraper Competition was established in 2006 and remains one of the world’s most prestigious awards when it comes to high-rise architecture. It aims to recognize great ideas that redefine the way in which skyscrapers are designed. This is done by employing innovative technology and materials, along with an emphasis on design.

Who Is Eligible?

The skyscraper competition is open to architects, students, engineers, designers, and artists from across the world. The participants, however, must consider the latest technology, sustainability and aim to solve the economic, social and cultural problems of the modern day city with their submissions.

Prize Money

1st place: $5,000 2nd place: $2,000 3rd place: $1,000 Along with the winners, the honorable mentions and some selected projects will also be published in the EVOLO SKYSCRAPERS 4 book.

Registration

The registration opens around July every year and the deadline for submissions is usually February. The decision is announced in April. If you are an architect who is looking to display their innovative designs on a global platform, these competitions are ideal for you. Keep a lookout for active registration and submission dates, and send in your best work! You may stand to win thousands of dollars for a great idea. Ready to enter your first competition? If you’re trying to compete, a portfolio is absolutely needed. We offer a number of architecture portfolio templates to save you time. If you’re either in school or recently graduated use coupon code “student” at checkout for an additional 15% off your purchase. architecture portfolio templates banner

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