Words Gabrielle de la Cruz and Featured architecture competitions
In this day and age, competitions are no longer seen as mere platforms where people go against each other to win a prize. They have evolved into programs that offer participants the chance to take away insights to better themselves in their fields, meet respected names in their industries, and share their work and advocacies with a wider audience. In the architecture industry, competitions have become spaces for architects and designers to showcase their work confidently, listen to talks and keynotes from industry luminaries, and network with people who can potentially become collaborators or clients in the future.
Welcome to part two of Design Arena, where we present a list of five more architecture competitions that you can join this 2024! The selection allows you to share your work and gain global exposure through the awards’ network and prestige. Each competition also covers other categories within and related to architecture, giving you the chance to submit more design entries. Well-attended gala nights, trophies, and cash prizes await at the awards! We also included a unique architecture competition you can join, where you can practice your design skills while showcasing your signature style.
International Property Awards
“The International Property Awards are open to residential and commercial property professionals from around the globe,” states the International Property Awards team. The awards is known for celebrating companies in all sectors of the property and real estate industry, recognizing those with the highest levels of achievement in their field. Winning an International Property Award means having a world-renowned mark of excellence, and awardees are free to use their logo in marketing their companies. Awardees are also invited to the Glittering Awards Dinner, where they will be recognized among their peers and respectable names in the industry.
Participants enter and are judged among their peers within their respective regions, with the awards covering Africa, Asia Pacific, Arabia, Canada, Caribbean, Central & South America, Europe, United Kingdom, and United States of America. The jury is made up of “highly experienced professionals who cover the whole range of property disciplines.” Submissions are made online and awardees are invited to a regional gala night of recognition and networking.
Eligibility and Submission Requirements
Residential and commercial property professionals from all over the world are welcome to submit their entries to the International Property Awards. This means any company with projects in the following awards categories: Architecture, Development, Real Estate, and Interior Design. The architecture category spans residential to commercial projects, including residences, hotels, landscapes, offices, mixed-use buildings, retail, leisure, and more. Architecture websites and CGI companies can also join under their own categories.
Participants must follow the awards’ step-by-step process, which covers registration, a granted awards advisor, and selection of entry packs. The awards advisor will guide you and give you advice on how you can polish your entries.
Cost of joining the International Property Awards
Fees of the International Property Awards vary, depending on whether you wish to avail of the benefits the awards present:
Standard: £630 (including VAT, if applicable)
The standard rate covers one category registration for one project or company.
Enhanced: £1,295 (including VAT, if applicable)
On top of the category registration for one project or company, this package includes a quarter-page advert in the print and digital editions of International Property & Travel Magazine.
Enhanced Plus: £2,900 (including VAT, if applicable)
The enhanced plus package allows you to enter another project or company for free. It also includes a full-page advert in the print and digital editions of International Property & Travel Magazine.
Important Dates
The 2024-2025 International Property Awards are now open. Submissions are being received through their website, and entrants will be guided through important dates by their personal awards advisors. Should you wish to know more about the deadline, you may reach the awards through their official website. The Asia Pacific awards team can be contacted here.
Visit the International Property Awards website for more information.
International Design Awards
Created in 2007, the International Design Awards is a response to a lack of recognition among designers, thinkers, and entrepreneurs and is all about celebrating smart and sustainable multidisciplinary designs. It exists to recognize visionaries and discover emerging talent in the fields of Architecture, Interior, Product, Graphic and Fashion Design worldwide. “The Farmani Group founded the IDA as the design sibling of the Annual Lucie Awards for Photography, which has emerged as one of the world’s most prestigious photography awards,” says the awards.
A selected professional jury committee evaluate each work based on its merit assigning it a score. Winners of the IDA will receive a trophy designed by Ron Taft. A media release on IDA’s official website will be granted to the winners. They will also be provided with media mentions as winners of the prestigious award, both through media websites and social media channels.
Eligibility and Submission Requirements
Architects, interior designers, product designers, graphic designers, and fashion designers are welcome to submit entries to the IDA. Work submitted must be created within the last five (5) years. The process starts with a profile where all relevant information should be provided. The 600-word project description, credits, and other information should be written in English, and participants are welcome to mention any awards they have previously won. You can upload up to ten (10) images of your project, and should complete a PDF file containing additional project details, 3D drawings, product specifications, business plans, or any other information you may feel important to share with the Jury. The PDF will be only viewed by the jury and not the public.
Cost of joining the International Design Awards
Professional: $250; Additional entry: $200
Student: $80; Additional entry: $60
Additional categories for both will come with a 50% discount.
Important Dates
- May 30 – Early bird deadline with 10% discount
- June 30 – Extended early bird deadline with 5% discount
- September 30 – Regular deadline
- October 31– Final deadline
- November 15 – Extended final deadline
More about the International Design Awards here.
iF Design Award
The iF Design Award states that“the iF DESIGN AWARD, with nearly 11,000 entries from 56 countries last year, stands as one the most prestigious design awards in the world.” The award is owned by the non-profit iF Design Foundation and “emphasizes design’s global impact and ensures impartiality with our professional jury upholding strict screening criteria.” Each submission goes through a rigorous two-stage selection process by renowned design luminaries, and the program has an entire category for architects. Only the highest-quality entries will be selected among an increasing number of yearly participants. An awards night is held to recognize winners.
Eligibility and Submission Requirements
The iF Design Award is strictly granted to professionals within the architecture, interior design, product design, packaging design, and user experience fields. A separate category is dedicated to student architects/designers. Participants are required to register online via the iF section in the awards’ official website. The following will be asked for each entry:
- Form Basic: Entry name, type of entry, selection of discipline and category
- Form Media: Minimum of 4 images of the entry/product. One image should be in portrait format. (File types: JPG, PNG, max. resolution: 15-megapixel, max. file size: 5 MB, color Mode: RGB) Additional optional media: PDF, video link or weblink presenting your entry more detailed.
- Form Description: Design statement = short product/entry description (max. 650 characters) as well as five short descriptions focusing on each of the five criteria (max. 650 characters each).
- Form Details: Target group, market region, development time, project/product launch
- Form Credits: Minimum one company each for design and client/manufacturer
Cost of joining iF Design Award
No exact rates have been stated for the 2025 iF Design Award, but registration fees typically range from £250 to £450 depending on the date of submission. Below are last edition’s fees:
Qualified/jury-selected entries: £300
Winner fees: £2,500 to £3,000
Important Dates
The 2024 iF Design Award ceremony will be held on April 29. The deadline for registrations for the 2025 iF Design Award will likely be in June, the same time as last year.
Watch out for more details at the iF Design Awards website.
Brick Award
While the Brick Award falls under the category of architecture competitions, it is important to note that it is an exclusive awards program for outstanding brick architecture. The award was initiated by Wienerberger AG in 2004 “in order to put this natural building material into the spotlight, demonstrating how exciting, exceptional and modern architecture using brick can be.” While the award is hosted by Wienerberger, the use of Wienerberger products is no decisive factor for participation. Moreover, architects, architecture fans and even critics are invited to join the discourse, further strengthening the public focus on the functionality and aesthetic of brick as a material.
Winners will be awarded during the annual Brick Award Event, which invites professionals and architecture fans. The ceremony provides a space for people to connect, network, and exchange ideas. Awardees are also given the opportunity to be included in the awards’ Brick Book, where their projects will be showcased and provided with further exposure.
Eligibility and Submission Requirements
“Independent architecture critics, experts, architects, and developers are invited to submit innovative and creative buildings and other construction works made of clay materials,” says the international Brick Award. An online template is provided for participants, where they will be asked to fill in basic project data, provide a short informative text describing the project, and upload pictures and plans of the building.
Projects that are either single-family houses, innovative residential solutions, commercial buildings, industrial buildings, public places, infrastructure projects, and other innovative concepts are welcome to the Brick Award. A total of five (5) categories are available. “The award categories can be subject to slight changes depending on the year and the development of trends and current topics.”
Cost of joining the Brick Award
Participation in the Brick Award is free! Take note that other costs may follow and that the team will advise you if there are any.
Important Dates
Submissions for the 2024 Brick Award have recently closed, but the program will start accepting submissions for the 2025 edition towards the end of 2024. The month of December is usually dedicated to deadlines.
Watch out for announcements on the Brick Award here.
The Architect’s Chair
Here’s a different architecture competition to challenge your creativity! The new international design competition is “an exciting opportunity for architects and designers to showcase their versatility and creativity by designing a signature piece of furniture.” The program is inspired by the tradition of architects crafting custom furniture pieces as extensions or additions to their spatial designs, challenging its participants to “distill their design approach into its core components and represent their unique style in a single piece of furniture—the architect’s chair.”
The winning prize will receive a cash prize of £7,000, while the first, second, and third prize will receive £3,000, £1,500, and £1,000 respectively. Students have their separate category, with the winner taking home £1,000. A special sustainability awardee will receive £500, and Buildner will recognize six (6) honorable mentions. All winners will also receive a Certificate of Achievement. A jury of three to six members per competition will evaluate each entry for one to three days. The awards recently closed its first edition, and the second is currently open for submissions.
Eligibility and Submission Requirements
The Architect’s Chair is open to all architecture professionals and students. Submissions may be individual or per team, and individuals with relations to the panel of judges are not allowed to join. Participants are required to upload one (1) A2 landscape presentation board no more than 10 MB. The board should contain sketches, renderings, plans, sections, elevations, diagrams, and other presentation tools to explain your proposal. All information must be written in English and no video submissions will be accepted. Take note that no information must contain anything related to an individual or team’s identity.
A project preview image should also be chosen for each submission. The jpg/jpeg photo should be 2000×1680 pixels large, orientated horizontally, and no more than 10 MB. and in jpg/jpeg format. The competition jury will not see the image and it will only be used for the promotional materials in case the project is selected as the winner.
Cost of joining The Architect’s Chair
Advanced fees for professionals (until April 15 only)
Full award package: £100
No monetary award package: £80
Late fees for professionals (until June 19 only)
Full award package: £120
No monetary award package: £90
Advanced fees for students (until April 15 only)
Full award package: £90
No monetary award package: £70
Late fees for students (until June 19 only)
Full award package: £110
No monetary award package: £80
Important Dates
- February 12 – Early bird registration deadline
- February 13 to April 15 – Advance registration
- April 16 to June 19 – Final registration deadline
- June 19 onward – Entries may still be accepted but will come with late fees
- June 26 – Closing date for questions and inquiries
More about The Architect’s Chair here. •
