2×8 Student Exhibition, Competition, and Scholarship Fund 2026 — ACLA & AIA Los Angeles
Competition Brief
The 2×8 Student Exhibition, Competition, and Scholarship Fund is California’s only annual statewide architecture student competition and exhibition, co-organized by Architecture for Communities Los Angeles (ACLA) and AIA Los Angeles (AIA|LA). Launched in 2002 by the AIALA as a program for 8 schools submitting 2 projects each — hence “2×8” — it has grown to include as many as 20 California colleges and universities per edition. The current edition is 2×8: Resilience 2025, held at the AIA|LA + ACLA Center for Communities, 4450 West Adams Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90016.
Both URLs submitted — the school registration page and the sponsorship page — are entry points to the same program. The school registration page is for California architecture faculty to register their institution’s participation. The sponsorship page is for architectural firms and individuals to fund the scholarship pool that goes directly to winning students.
Intent
The 2×8 program is designed to support next-generation designers by introducing student work to architectural firms, architects, and the public — while recognizing exemplary work through merit-based scholarships. The program celebrates the unrivaled diversity of California’s architectural pedagogy, giving each participating program the opportunity to showcase its core pedagogical vision through two selected student projects.
Each year the competition is given a unique name and theme. The 2025 edition carries the theme “Resilience.” Schools are encouraged to select work that represents that theme from their own student body. The jury selects winners from among all submitted projects and determines which winners receive scholarships funded entirely by donations from the sponsor community.
Structure
The 2×8 program operates as three interconnected components: a Student Exhibition (all submitted work is exhibited publicly), a Juried Competition (a jury of prominent professionals evaluates submissions and selects winners), and a Scholarship Fund (donor-funded merit scholarships awarded to winning student projects). The opening ceremony and announcement are open to the public. A secondary competition open to faculty is run concurrently to design the exhibition installation itself.
Eligibility
Participation is open to accredited California-based architecture programs at colleges and universities. Each institution selects two student projects that epitomize its core pedagogical vision for entry. Individual students do not register independently — their work is submitted through their academic institution. The school registration fee covers the institution’s participation for the edition.
Past Participating Institutions
Past participating schools include UCLA Architecture and Urban Design, USC School of Architecture, CalPoly Pomona Department of Architecture, Otis College of Art and Design, Woodbury University School of Architecture, California College of the Arts Architecture Division, East Los Angeles College Department of Architecture, and others across California.
Jury
Each edition features a jury of prominent architects, designers, and AEC industry figures. Past jury composition is documented across previous editions. The specific 2026 jury will be announced by ACLA and AIA|LA ahead of the exhibition.
- Jury panel: Composed of prominent architects, designers, and industry professionals. Selected by ACLA and AIA|LA. Full 2026 panel to be announced.
School Registration Fee
| Registration Type | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| School Registration (per institution, per edition) | Available on ac-la.org/product/2×8-school-registration/ | Covers participation of the institution and exhibition of 2 selected student projects. Contact andrea@acl-la.org for details. |
| Individual students | No direct fee — participation is through the institution | Students are selected by their faculty. No individual registration required. |
Sponsorship Levels
| Sponsorship | Amount | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Variable levels | Tiered — see ac-la.org/product/sponsorships-2×8/ | Firm visibility at exhibition and in 2×8 communications. Event tickets. Contribution directly funds student scholarship prizes. Select level from dropdown on sponsorship page for specific benefits. To pay by check: lori@aialosangeles.org |
All sponsorship proceeds go directly to funding student scholarship awards. In the 2024 edition, $30,000 was raised, enabling merit scholarships to 11 winning student projects. The 2025 edition targets the same or higher fundraising. 2×8 is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit — sponsorships may be tax-deductible.
Prizes and Rewards
| Award | Prize | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Place | Merit-based scholarship (amount varies by year’s fundraising) | Public exhibition. Recognition at opening ceremony. Jury report. Exposure to AEC professionals and firms. |
| 2nd Place (named scholarships, e.g. Montalba Architects Scholarship) | Merit-based scholarship | Named scholarship from sponsoring firm. Public exhibition and recognition. |
| 3rd Place | Merit-based scholarship | Public exhibition and recognition. |
| Honorable Mentions | None (recognition only) | Public exhibition and recognition. |
| All submitted projects | None | All work is publicly exhibited regardless of jury outcome. |
Key Dates — 2×8: Resilience 2025
| Milestone | Date / Details |
|---|---|
| 20th Anniversary Edition (2x8x20) Launch | 2 May 2025, AIA|LA + ACLA Center for Communities, 4450 W Adams Blvd, Los Angeles |
| Exhibition Venue | 4450 West Adams Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90016 |
| 2026 School Registration | Contact andrea@acl-la.org or visit ac-la.org for 2026 cycle dates |
✦ ArchUp Competition Review
The 2×8 program is one of the most institutionally grounded student architecture programs in the United States, co-organized by AIA Los Angeles — one of the largest and most active AIA chapters in the country — and ACLA, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a documented 24-year track record. Unlike commercial online competition platforms, 2×8 is a civic, nonprofit, public-exhibition program with real AEC industry jury members, a physical venue, and a scholarship model funded entirely by the architecture community through firm sponsorships rather than student entry fees. This makes it structurally closer to a professional recognition grant than a commercial competition: there are no individual student entry fees, the work is exhibited publicly regardless of jury outcome, and the scholarships are named after sponsoring firms who contribute directly to the award pool. The 2024 edition raised $30,000 and awarded scholarships to 11 winning student projects, which is a meaningful financial support level for student practitioners. The program’s geographic limitation to California institutions is the primary constraint for ArchUp’s international audience — it is not an open international call but a California-specific program. For California-based architecture faculty and program directors, the school registration page (ac-la.org/product/2×8-school-registration/) is the entry point to enroll their institution. For architectural firms, studios, and individuals wishing to fund student scholarships and gain professional visibility within the California architecture community, the sponsorship page (ac-la.org/product/sponsorships-2×8/) provides tiered sponsorship levels with corresponding visibility and ticket benefits. Both URLs are direct commercial pages — neither is a competition brief page. The actual competition brief, jury, and timeline for the 2026 edition should be obtained directly from ACLA at andrea@acl-la.org.
Final Thoughts
The 2×8 program is a model of how a student architecture competition can be structured as a genuine public good: no student fees, all work exhibited publicly, scholarships funded by the professional community, jury from active industry practitioners, and a civic venue in Los Angeles. For California architecture schools, participation connects student work directly to AEC employers and the broader professional community in one of the world’s most architecturally active cities.
For international practitioners and programs outside California, the program is a useful reference model for how a regional student exhibition-scholarship program can be structured with institutional credibility and civic reach. For firms interested in supporting California architecture students while gaining named scholarship recognition and professional visibility, the sponsorship program is worth investigating at ac-la.org/product/sponsorships-2×8/.
Registration Deadline
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