Arquia/próxima 2024–2025 Competition
Competition Brief
Arquia/próxima 2024–2025 is a foundation-organised biennial architecture competition and cultural program by Arquia. The competition intends to spot, document, and make the professional work of the new architects and designers belonging to the very early stages of their career visible. Instead of asking for just one design proposal, the competition jury gets to evaluate both realized and unrealized works done during the first professional years post-graduation.
Intent
The main idea behind the contest is to bring to the fore the less known but talented architectural practices and individual designers whose work resembles the current issues in the fields of architecture, urban design, and other related areas. The program will offer a wider portrait of the early professional trajectories and will not be limited to just rewarding a certain design typology.
Purpose
Arquia aims at bringing the future architects’ and designers’ works to the forefront, thus creating an open archive of architectural production at the early-career stage while eliminating epochs between practice, research, and cultural discourse. The competition is at the same time a platform for recognition and a curatorial framework for the understanding of the currents in architecture throughout Spain and Portugal.
Requirements
The competition is meant for architects and allied design professionals who graduated less than 10 years before the edition deadline. Works to be considered under the category of eligible ones are: built projects, competition submissions, research projects, urban proposals, installations, and experimental practices. The submissions should manifest professional significance and unambiguous authorship.
Jury
The contest is judged by a rotating panel of architects, researchers, and practitioners from various regions and fields. The organizer picks the jury members with the purpose of guaranteeing a wide range of architectural methodologies and viewpoints.
Fees
| Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| Submission | No fee specified by the organiser |
Rewards
| Award | Description |
|---|---|
| Arquia/próxima Award | Recognition of selected works within the official programme and exhibition. |
| Arquia/próxima Innovation Award | Special distinction for experimental or forward-thinking architectural practices. |
Important Dates
| Stage | Date |
|---|---|
| Competition Announcement | 2024 |
| Submission Deadline | February 2026 |
| Selected Works Announcement | April 2026 |
| Exhibition and Awards Event | October 2026 |
✦ ArchUp Competition Review
The Arquia/próxima 2024–2025 contest, presented by Fundación Arquia, shifts its focus from the usual new design proposals to the appreciation of the already budding careers of architects. General information about the jury mentions diversity and rotating membership, which gives a little bit of credibility but at the same time restricts transparency on the particular skills of individual members. The competition is of a professional and curatorial nature, where the documentation and visibility take precedence over the tangible construction or execution. The awards function as symbolic recognitions only and not as substantial financial incentives; thus, the practical benefits for the participants are mainly related to portfolio development, professional exposure, and critical validation. The jury’s makeup indicates not only that a knowledgeable but also that a widely defined evaluative view has been taken.
Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Arquia/próxima 2024–2025 is less a traditional design competition and more a platform for professional recognition of emerging architects. It is the value of the prize that is recognized in terms of long-term visibility, institutional validation, and cultural positioning rather than in financial terms. The contest will be particularly significant for the young professionals who are eager to locate their work within the present-day architectural discourse rather than those who want to participate in one speculative brief only.
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