Design the World You Want International Student Ideas Competition 2026

Competition Brief

The Design the World You Want 2026 competition is an event where students from all over the world can share their ideas. It is organized by World Landscape Architecture. They have help from RMIT University and some other companies like Arcadia Landscape Architecture, ASPECT Studios, Hassell, and Hansen Partnership. The students have to think about how they can make the Victoria Harbour waterfront in Melbourne a nice and lively place.

The area they have to work with is the Harbour Esplanade and Victoria Harbour in the Docklands area of Melbourne. It goes from New Quay Promenade in the north to Harbour Lights Landing in the south. This area includes Yanonung Quay and some jetties and piers. There is also an area of water where the Central Pier used to be. This land and water belong to the Kulin Nation. More specifically, to the Woiwurrung and Boonwurrung peoples. The winners of the Design the World You Want 2026 competition will be announced at an exhibition at RMIT University during Melbourne Design Week.

Intent

Students are asked to look at the competition site and come up with a design idea that gives residents, office workers, and visitors a place to go. The site was first thought of as a spot for the Docklands area with views of Victoria Harbour and the Bolte Bridge. People who want to enter the competition have to think about two ideas: Design Futures, which is about using design to help the environment and make communities better, and Circularity, which is about changing from designs that use up a lot of resources to designs that use fewer resources and are better for the environment. Students have to think about how their design can help people and the environment at the same time, and how it can be a good example of Design Futures and Circularity. The goal is to create a design that’s good for the competition site and for the people who will use it, like residents and visitors, and that also helps the environment, which is what Design Futures and Circularity are all about.

Purpose

DTWYW is a chance for students to work on a real city project and a real design problem. They get to show their work to the public at RMIT University. It will be promoted on the WLA platform. If you are picked for the shortlist, your work will be shown at RMIT University Building 100 during Melbourne Design Week. You will also get tickets to the opening night. DTWYW is not connected to any government or private company, and the things people submit will not be used for anything later on.

Requirements

All teams have to have at least one student who is currently studying or has finished studying landscape architecture or landscape design. This student must have graduated in the class of 2025 or 2026. Teams can also have students from different subjects and from different universities. There is no limit on how many people can be in a team. When we judge the teams, we are judging. This means that the submission boards cannot have any information about the team members, the university, or the school. To enter, teams need to send in things. They need to send two display boards that are combined into one file. This file must be a PDF. It cannot be bigger than 30MB. Teams also need to send a PDF with a description that’s no more than 500 words. They need to send one special image that is in JPG format. This image must be 1200 pixels wide and 150 dpi. Some students are not allowed to enter. These are students from countries that are listed under the Australian Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011. Landscape architecture or landscape design students from these countries cannot enter the competition.

Judging Criteria

Entries will be judged on three things.

First, how well does the idea match what we are looking for? Does it show a good future for nature and people?
Second, how well does the design fit with the place, its history, and what’s already there?
Third, how clear, creative, and impactful is the story behind the design concept.

Jury

Nelson Gomes – Studio Lead Melbourne, Arcadia Landscape Architecture, Melbourne, Australia
Farinoosh Hadian Jazy – Landscape Project Consultant, LDA Design, London, UK
James A. Lord – Founder and Owner, Surfacedesign Inc, San Francisco, USA
Claire Martin – Associate Director, Oculus, Melbourne, Australia
Dr Alessio Russo, PhD – Associate Professor in Landscape Architecture, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia

Registration Fees

Category	Fee
All student teams (per entry)	$20 AUD (approx. $15 USD / €12 / £11 / 100 CNY)

Registration is purchased via the WLA online shop. Each purchase provides one entry registration. Payment is per entry, not per team member.

Prizes and Rewards

Award	Prize	Available To
Winner	$1,000 AUD (paid via PayPal)	1st place team
Runner Up	$500 AUD (paid via PayPal)	2nd place team
Digital certificate (PDF)	Certificate	All shortlisted finalists
Exhibition at RMIT University Building 100	Public exhibition during Melbourne Design Week	All shortlisted entries
Complimentary opening night tickets	Free admission	All shortlisted entrants
Publication on WLA platform	Global exposure	Shortlisted and winning teams

Key Dates

Milestone	Date
Competition opens	23 February 2026
Submission deadline	10 April 2026, 11:59pm Melbourne time (AEDT)
Shortlist announced	4 May 2026
Winners announced and exhibition opening night	15 May 2026, RMIT University Building 100

No extensions will be granted for late submissions. Participants must check their local timezone carefully against Melbourne time (AEDT).

✦ ArchUp Competition Review

The Design the World You Want competition is a good opportunity for students. It is organized by a known group in the landscape architecture community, and they have the support of established companies in Australia. The judges are a mix of people from Melbourne and other countries like the United Kingdom and the United States, and they include both people who work in the field and teachers. The competition is about designing a site in Melbourne’s Docklands, which makes it feel like a real project. The best designs will be shown at RMIT University during Melbourne Design Week, which is a great way for students to get their work seen by professionals. The entry fee is $20, which is not a lot of money for students. The winner will get $1,000. The runner-up will get $500, which is a nice reward for all the hard work. One thing to note is that the designs will not actually be built, and the competition is not sponsored by any government or institution. This means it will not have an impact on the real world, even though it is a professional competition. For students who are studying landscape architecture and related fields, this is still one of the competitions to enter. It is a way to get experience and get your work seen by others.

Final Thoughts

The Design the World You Want competition, or DTWYW 2026, is a chance for students of landscape architecture and urban design. You get to design a site, and your work will be judged by a credible group of people. The best designs will be shown to the public during Melbourne Design Week. You could win some money. All, for a very small entry fee. The deadline to enter is April 10, 2026, so students need to start working on their designs away.