Citadel of Wisdom Competition 2026

Competition Brief

Citadel of Wisdom 2026 is an open international architecture competition organised by YAC (Young Architects Competitions), based in Bologna, Italy, in partnership with Fondazione Oltre Noi Capalbio and the Municipality of Capalbio. The competition invites architects and designers to imagine a day centre for the elderly in the medieval hamlet of Capalbio, in the Tuscan Maremma region of central Italy.

The brief is open to architects of all nationalities and experience levels. Teams of any size may participate. Competition rules are available in English, Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese, and Russian.

Intent

The brief is rooted in a clear social and cultural argument: that elder members of communities have historically served as custodians of memory, tradition, and identity, and that contemporary urban models have progressively marginalised them. In the Tuscan Maremma specifically, older people have long been the carriers of local knowledge, folk songs, sayings, and stories that sustained the area’s cultural identity. The competition asks designers to imagine an architecture that reintegrates the elderly into community life by providing space for intergenerational exchange, social life, and wellbeing, in dialogue with both the medieval hamlet of Capalbio and the surrounding rural landscape.

Purpose

The competition envisions a two-phase project. The first and primary phase this competition addresses is the design of a day centre for the elderly as a place of connection, activity, and social life. A second evolutionary phase, to be developed separately in the future, will include residences for self-sufficient seniors integrated into the area’s social fabric. The day centre must be recognisable as architecture while remaining in harmony with the 14th-century built context of Capalbio and the wider Maremma landscape. All awarded projects will be submitted to architecture websites, magazines, and platforms, and may be exhibited at national and international architecture events.

Requirements

The competition is open to all architects regardless of nationality or professional status. Teams of any size may register. The site is the medieval hamlet of Capalbio in Grosseto province, Tuscany. Registration grants access to site photographs, 2D drawings in DWG format, and the full competition rules. Submissions must comply with the detailed technical requirements published in the competition rules document available in seven languages. All phases of the competition must be completed within the specified deadlines. Site material is provided by YAC and the municipality.

Jury

Jorge P. Silva – AIRES MATEUS Architects, Portugal
Claudia Merloni – Architect
Gianfranco Chelini – Municipality of Capalbio
Giancarlo Pedreschi – Municipality of Capalbio
Massimo Caputi – Fondazione Oltre Noi
Gianluca Comin – Luis Business School

Registration Fees

Registration Tier	Period	Fee (excl. VAT)	Fee (incl. 22% VAT)
Early Bird	16 March – 12 April 2026	€65 per team	~€79.30
Standard	13 April – 10 May 2026	€85 per team	~€103.70
Late	11 May – 7 June 2026	€115 per team	~€140.30

22% Italian VAT applies to all fees. Registration tier does not affect the submission deadline; all participants must submit by 10 June 2026, regardless of when they registered.

Prizes and Rewards

Award	Prize
1st Prize	€8,000
2nd Prize	€4,000
3rd Prize	€2,000
Gold Mention (x2)	€500 each
10 Honourable Mentions	Recognition + publication
30 Finalists	Recognition + publication

Total cash prize pool is €15,000. All awarded projects are submitted to architecture media platforms and may be exhibited at national and international architecture events.

Key Dates

Milestone	Date
Early Bird registration opens	16 March 2026
Early Bird registration closes	12 April 2026
Standard registration closes	10 May 2026
Late registration closes	7 June 2026
Material submission deadline	10 June 2026
Jury summoning	17 June 2026
Results announcement	13 July 2026

✦ ArchUp Competition Review

Citadel of Wisdom is a well-framed social architecture brief with a genuine civic partner in Fondazione Oltre Noi and the Municipality of Capalbio, a specific and characterful site in the medieval Tuscan Maremma, and a jury anchored by Jorge P. Silva of AIRES MATEUS, a practice with a well-established reputation for contextually sensitive architecture that makes them a credible voice for this particular brief. The social brief, a day centre for the elderly in a culturally rooted rural community, is more substantive than the generic cultural hub or pavilion formats that dominate the open competition market. The dual evolution toward senior residences in a second phase gives the brief a longer horizon and makes it feel like a real planning initiative rather than a purely academic exercise. The prize pool of €15,000 is competitive for a YAC competition. The early bird fee of €65 is reasonable; the late tier at €115 increases the cost-benefit pressure, given that all participants face the same submission deadline regardless of registration timing. The jury includes two representatives of the client municipality, which reflects the real-world nature of the brief but also means half the jury has a direct institutional interest in the outcome. For architects interested in community architecture, heritage contexts, and socially engaged design, this is one of the more grounded and purposeful open competitions currently available.

Final Thoughts

Citadel of Wisdom 2026 is a community-grounded architecture competition with a real client, a specific Tuscan medieval site, a €15,000 prize pool, and a jury led by AIRES MATEUS. Early Bird registration at €65 closes 12 April 2026, and submissions are due 10 June 2026 at youngarchitectscompetitions.com.