Architecture & Design Competitions 2026

NYX Game Awards 2026

Organizer: International Awards Associate (IAA)

Dates: Early Bird: May 8 – Jun 3, 2026 | Regular: Jun 4 – Jul 1 | Final: Jul 2 – Aug 5 | Final Extension: Aug 6 – Sep 9, 2026

Description: International recognition program for video game developers, studios, publishers, and marketing agencies worldwide. Covers PC, mobile, console (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch), and Meta Quest VR. Categories span game design, audio, marketing, and digital content. Games must have been released after January 1, 2024 or be in active development. Blind judging on a 1–100 scale across five criteria: Creativity/Concept, Content/Execution, Visuals/Design, Innovation/Functionality, and Overall Impression.

Entry Fees: Game Category 1st entry: $250 (Early Bird) / $270 (Regular) / $290 (Final) / $310 (Final Extension). Game Creativity single entry: $115 / $135 / $155 / $165. Additional $30 annual admin fee per participant.

Prizes: No cash prizes. Game of the Year and Special Recognition receive a physical statuette included. All other levels may purchase the statuette separately. Winners receive profiles, certificates, press release templates, social media posts, and 5-year listing on the NYX website.

Tokyo Design Awards 2026 — Season 2

Organizer: International Awards Associate (IAA)

Dates: Early Bird: May 8 – Jun 3, 2026 | Regular: Jun 4 – Jul 1 | Final: Jul 2 – Aug 5 | Final Extension: Aug 6 – Sep 9, 2026 | Results: after Sep 9, 2026

Description: Annual international design competition themed “Ignite the Beginning. Design the Future.” Open to architects, interior designers, product, packaging, lighting, furniture, and transportation designers, brands, and students worldwide. Work produced on or after January 1, 2022 is eligible. Spans 12 disciplines including a Japan-inspired Character and Pop Design category. Inaugural year — Season 1 completed, Season 2 now open.

Entry Fees: Season 2 fees not yet publicly listed. Season 1 professional rates ranged from $219 (Regular) to $269 (Last Minute) per entry. Individual Achievement categories: $355–$445. $30 annual admin fee per participant. Confirm current fees at thetokyodesignawards.com.

Prizes: No cash prizes. Design of the Year (1 per discipline) receives the Kira nine-tailed fox statuette, press release, newsletter feature, Muse.World article, and dedicated social media post. Platinum (85–100 pts), Gold (70–84), Silver (50–69): tiered recognition, certificates, badges, 5-year archive, and press release templates.

Noble World Hotel Awards 2026

Organizer: International Awards Associate (IAA)

Dates: Early Bird: May 8 – Jun 3, 2026 | Regular: Jun 4 – Jul 1 | Final: Jul 2 – Aug 5 | Final Extension: Aug 6 – Sep 9, 2026

Description: Annual international recognition programme for the hospitality industry. Open to hotels, resorts, boutique properties, operators, architects, and interior designers globally. Covers categories in hotel architecture, interior design, luxury experience, sustainability, F&B, wellness, and service. Entries judged blind on a 1–100 scale. Part of IAA’s 34+ program network alongside MUSE, NYX, and Tokyo Design Awards.

Entry Fees: Follows IAA tiered structure. 1st entry approximately $185–$310 depending on category and period, plus $30 annual admin fee per participant. Confirm exact fees at nobleworldhotelawards.com.

Prizes: No cash prizes. Hotel of the Year and Special Recognition receive a physical statuette included. All levels receive winner profiles, certificates, press release templates, and 5-year listing. Top tiers receive social media posts, newsletter features, and Muse.World media coverage.

NYX Awards 2026 (Marketing Communications)

Organizer: International Awards Associate (IAA)

Dates: Early Bird: May 8 – Jun 3, 2026 | Regular: Jun 4 – Jul 1 | Final: Jul 2 – Aug 5 | Final Extension: Aug 6 – Sep 9, 2026

Description: International awards programme recognizing influential work in marketing communications, branding, advertising, digital media, and creative campaigns. Open to agencies, in-house teams, freelancers, and students globally. Blind judging on a 1–100 scale across creativity, execution, visuals, innovation, and overall impression.

Entry Fees: Single entry: $115 (Early Bird) to $165 (Final Extension). Campaign entry: $185–$225. Additional category: $95–$130 single / $130–$165 campaign. $30 annual admin fee per participant.

Prizes: No cash prizes. Tiered recognition: winner profiles, certificates, press release templates, social media posts, Muse.World features, and 5-year listing. Top two tiers receive the physical statuette included; others may purchase it separately.

Kinderspace #4 — Architecture for Children’s Development

Organizer: Buildner (formerly Bee Breeders) in partnership with ArchDaily

Dates: Early Bird closes: Jun 18, 2026 | Advanced closes: Aug 27, 2026 | Registration deadline: Oct 28, 2026 | Submission deadline: Nov 30, 2026 at 23:59 London time | Winners announced: Jan 19, 2027

Description: International architecture competition for innovative kindergarten design supporting children’s cognitive, emotional, and social development. Open to all with no professional qualifications required. Teams of up to 4 members. Participants choose a site within their home country. Available in English, Italian, French, and Spanish. Organized by Buildner, the world’s leading architecture competition platform with 15 years of experience and 183 completed competitions.

Entry Fees: Early Bird (until Jun 18): €85 professional / €75 student. Advanced (Jun 19 – Aug 27): €105 / €85. Last Minute (Aug 28 – Oct 28): €135 / €105. All fees +4.5% VAT. Group student discounts available for 3+ registrations from one university.

Prizes: Total prize fund €10,000. 1st Place: €5,000 + certificate + publication on Buildner + winner interview and video. 2nd Place: €2,500. 3rd Place: €1,000. Buildner Student Award: €1,000 (combinable with top 3). Buildner Sustainability Award: €500 (combinable with top 3). 6 Honourable Mentions: certificate + publication.

2026 Burnham Prize — The Future of State (Chicago Architectural Club)

Organizer: Chicago Architectural Club with World Business Chicago, Chicago Architecture Center, Chicago Loop Alliance, and Loop Arts District

Dates: Registration deadline: Jun 15, 2026 | Submission deadline: Jul 20, 2026 at 5:00pm CT | Winners announced: August 2026 | Public exhibition and Arts Fest on State Street: Oct 17, 2026

Description: Open international urban design and architecture competition calling for proposals to reimagine Chicago’s State Street corridor — from the Chicago River to Roosevelt Road (~1.5 miles) — as a mixed-use civic destination. Open to all, no professional qualifications required, teams of any size. Proposals may address retail, housing, culture, adaptive reuse, education, and public realm at any scale. One proposal may be selected for implementation pending grant funding. Jury includes Carol Ross Barney (Chicago Riverwalk), Phil Enquist (SOM urban design), Irene Sunwoo (Art Institute of Chicago), Reed Kroloff (IIT Architecture Dean), and Ernest C. Wong (Site Design Group).

Entry Fees: Regular registration (to Jun 15): $75 professional / $50 student. Early Bird of $50/$25 closed May 15.

Prizes: Total pool: $8,000 USD. 1st Place: $3,000. 2nd Place: $2,000. 3rd Place: $1,000. All shortlisted/exhibited projects: $100 honorarium per team. All winners exhibited at Chicago Architecture Center.

Small Project – Big Impact Challenge 2026 (Building Trust International)

Organizer: Building Trust International (charity, 15 years of humanitarian design-and-build projects)

Dates: Submission period: May 1 – Jun 30, 2026 | Deadline: Jun 30, 2026 at 11:59pm GMT | Jury evaluation: Jul 1–31, 2026 | Winners announced: Aug 1, 2026

Description: Calls on architects, designers, engineers, and creative thinkers to propose small-scale, buildable projects with budgets of $50,000 or less that deliver meaningful social or environmental impact. Projects may be located anywhere globally and must address the needs of underserved communities or wildlife conservation through practical, sustainable design. Submissions require a 500-word project statement, up to 3 A3 pages of drawings/visualizations, a budget outline, materials and construction details, and a beneficiary description. One entry per team.

Entry Fee: Free

Prize: Full funding of up to $50,000 for project implementation, plus potential collaboration with Building Trust International during delivery. The award is the built project — no cash prize to the designer.

FritsJurgens Sketch Contest 2026

Organizer: FritsJurgens Asia

Dates: Entries open: May 4, 2026 | Submission deadline: Aug 20, 2026 | Shortlist announced: mid-September 2026 | Winners announced: first week of October 2026 | Publication in FritsJurgens Sketchbook: January 2027

Description: Invites architects, designers, and students to design innovative pivot door installations using the FritsJurgens pivot system. Submissions must clearly show the pivot system and include a detailed concept note explaining the idea, inspiration, and context. Entries may be hand-drawn or digital (JPEG, PNG, or PDF). Two categories: Student and Professional. Open internationally.

Entry Fee: Free

Prizes: Top 5 winners per category receive cash prizes (specific amounts not publicly disclosed), designing devices, global publication, and a feature in the FritsJurgens Sketchbook. Top 10 shortlisted per category receive recognition and possible publication.

Smart Village Hub Competition 2026 (Archiol)

Organizer: Archiol Competitions

Dates: Registration deadline: Jun 30, 2026 | Submission deadline: Jul 9, 2026 | Results announced: Sep 15, 2026

Description: Invites architects, planners, and designers to create a Smart Village Hub — a multifunctional community centre integrating smart infrastructure, digital connectivity, sustainability, education, healthcare, skill development, governance, and social interaction for rural and peri-urban areas. Participants choose any hypothetical or real rural site. Open internationally, teams of up to 4. Submissions include drawings, renders, diagrams, and a written concept.

Entry Fees: Early Bird (Jan 1–14, 2026): $14. Standard (progressive Jan–Jun): $17–$47. Late (Jun 15–30): $54. Student and university group discounts available.

Prizes: Top 3 winners receive publication, certificate, jury report, interview, and free memberships. 5 Honourable Mentions and 1 Special Mention receive publication and certificate. 30 shortlisted receive a certificate of participation. Cash prize amounts depend on total entries received and are not pre-committed.

2×8 Student Exhibition, Competition & Scholarship Fund 2026 — ACLA & AIA Los Angeles

Organizer: Architecture for Communities Los Angeles (ACLA) and AIA Los Angeles. Nonprofit 501(c)(3), running since 2002.

Dates: 2026 cycle dates to be announced — contact andrea@acl-la.org. The 2025 edition launched May 2, 2025 at 4450 West Adams Blvd, Los Angeles.

Description: California’s only annual statewide architecture student competition and exhibition. Up to 20 California colleges and universities each submit 2 student projects — hence “2×8.” Work is publicly exhibited regardless of jury outcome. A concurrent faculty competition designs the exhibition installation itself. California architecture faculty register their institution’s participation via ac-la.org.

Entry Fee: No fee for individual students. School registration fee applies per institution. Firms and individuals can sponsor the scholarship fund at tiered levels — in 2024, $30,000 was raised awarding scholarships to 11 winning student projects.

Prizes: Merit-based scholarships funded entirely by firm and individual donations. Named scholarships from sponsoring firms. Scholarship amounts vary by year’s fundraising. Public exhibition for all submitted work and exposure to AEC professionals at the opening ceremony.

UNBOX 2026 Architecture Competition (Volume Zero)

Organizer: Volume Zero Competitions (active since 2016)

Dates: Launch: Mar 5, 2026 | Headstart closes: Jun 12, 2026 | Early Bird closes: Sep 11, 2026 | Standard closes: Nov 6, 2026 | Submission deadline: Dec 3, 2026 | Winners announced: Feb 5, 2027

Description: Invites architects and designers worldwide to reimagine public architecture through small-scale micro-architecture solutions. Challenges participants to design adaptable, inclusive, and multifunctional public spaces responding to rapid changes in social behaviour, technology, climate, and spatial inequality. No fixed site — open interpretation of the brief. Teams of any size.

Entry Fees: Headstart (until Jun 12): $82.60 international / INR 3,186 India. Early Bird (Jul 11 – Sep 11): $94.40 / INR 3,540. Standard (Sep 12 – Nov 6): $112.10 / INR 4,130. All fees include 18% GST.

Prizes: Total pool: $10,000 USD. 1st Prize: $5,000 + certificate + publication. 2nd Prize: $2,500. 3rd Prize: $1,500. Gold Mentions: $1,000 each. 10 Honourable Mentions: certificate + publication. Participation certificates issued to all entrants. Publication in international architecture magazines.

Ruinas de Quilmes Architecture Competition 2026 (Terraviva)

Organizer: Terraviva Competitions, Milan — established platform with documented winners archives from multiple editions

Dates: Promo code RDQ15XTVC (15% off) valid until May 11, 2026 | Early Registration closes: Jul 17, 2026 at 3:00pm CET | Standard closes: Sep 18, 2026 | Submission deadline: Oct 16, 2026 at 3:00pm CET | Winners announced: Nov 16, 2026 at 12:00pm CET

Description: International open ideas competition for the design of a contemporary Open-Air Museum at the Ruinas de Quilmes — the largest preserved pre-Columbian indigenous urban complex in Argentina, in the Calchaquí Valleys of Tucumán Province. Participants design a Visitor Centre as the main gateway plus small-scale architectural and landscape interventions including pathways, viewpoints, informational devices, and resting areas. Open to architects, designers, urbanists, engineers, artists, and students worldwide. Jury of 8 from Argentina, Spain, Denmark, Italy, Turkey, and the USA.

Entry Fees: Early Registration: €69 + 22% Italian VAT. Standard: €99 + VAT. Late: €139 + VAT. Monthly membership plan from €19/month. Student group discounts via alexandra@terravivacompetitions.com.

Prizes: Total pool: $9,000 USD. 1st Prize: $4,000 + public exhibition + publication. 2nd Prize: $2,000. 3rd Prize: $1,000. 5 Golden Mentions: free Terraviva membership coupon + publication. 10 Honourable Mentions: free competition registration coupon + publication. 30 Finalists: published on Terraviva channels. Prizes paid in EUR at a fixed 1 EUR = 1.25 USD rate.

Coastal Shelter — Outer Banks, USA: Architecture Competition 2026

Organizer: Archi Briefer (platform launched early 2026)

Dates: Launch: May 1, 2026 | Early Bird closes: May 30, 2026 | Standard closes: Jun 20, 2026 | Late closes: Jul 10, 2026 | Submission deadline: Jul 25, 2026 | Results: Aug 10, 2026

Description: Calls on architects, designers, and students worldwide to design a compact, temporary-use coastal shelter on the Outer Banks barrier islands of North Carolina, USA. Maximum footprint: 25 sqm. Construction budget cap: $75,000 USD. Must be a fully passive structure (no mechanical systems), elevated against storm surge, hurricane-resistant, and built from corrosion-resistant materials. Participants choose between ocean-facing dunes or calmer sound-side conditions. Submission is a single A1 sheet in PDF. Two categories: Student and Professional. Student discount code: STUDENT.

Entry Fees: Early Bird (closes May 30): $29 standard / $19 student. Standard (closes Jun 20): $49 / $39. Late (closes Jul 10): $69 / $59.

Prizes: No cash prizes. Winner (1): recognition, media exposure, and certificate. Runners-Up (4): recognition and certificate. All participants receive a participation certificate.

Radicepura Garden Festival VI — Gardens of Hope, Cultivating Coexistence

Organizer: Radicepura Foundation and Piante Faro nursery. Biennial festival running since 2017, held at Radicepura Horticultural Park, Giarre, Catania, Sicily.

Dates: Call launched: April 2, 2026 | Registration and submission deadline: October 30, 2026 | Festival opens: 2027

Description: Call for Ideas for the sixth edition of the first international event dedicated to Mediterranean garden design and landscape architecture. Theme: “Gardens of Hope: Cultivating Coexistence.” Eight winning gardens will be physically built on-site at the Radicepura Horticultural Park in Sicily. Primarily open to designers under 36 years of age. Proposals should treat the garden as a place of human and botanical coexistence, reflecting slow growth, patience, and harmony between species.

Entry Fee: Free

Prizes: 8 winning gardens built on-site with a construction budget of €10,000 each, fully funded by the Radicepura Foundation. The award is the realized, built garden exhibited at the 2027 festival. No separate cash prize.