iF DESIGN STUDENT AWARD 2027
iF DESIGN STUDENT AWARD 2027 invites student concepts responding to social and environmental needs. For architecture students, the sustainable-cities category offers a route for spatial ideas, although this is a multidisciplinary design award rather than a building commission.
Five essentials
| Organizer / scope | iF Design; international student concepts |
|---|---|
| Eligibility | University students and graduates within two years; teams up to four |
| Entry fee | Free |
| Prize fund | EUR 50,000 shared between selected outstanding concepts; not a guaranteed payment to every winner |
| Registration and submission | 3 February 2027, 23:59 CET (22:59 UTC); 4 February, 01:59 Saudi time |
Brief and submission
Connect the proposal to one of UN Sustainable Development Goals 1–15. A public-space or housing concept should explain its users, problem and practical contribution, rather than rely on visual presentation alone.
Submit in English through my iF: two JPG/PNG images (landscape and portrait, RGB, maximum width 4,750 px and 5 MB each), a PDF poster up to 5 MB, a statement up to 650 characters, and student credentials. A video link is optional; no physical model is required. See the official submission checklist.
Jury, awards and rights
Assessment covers problem-solving, ethical value, solidarity, design quality and economic feasibility. The top 300 reach the final jury on 23 April; final results are scheduled for 4 May 2027. Named members of the 2027 student jury were not confirmed in the pages reviewed; the professional iF DESIGN AWARD jury is a separate panel.
The accessible overview and FAQ do not establish the full intellectual-property licence. Before uploading unpublished work, review the student entry guide and account terms for ownership, publication and reuse provisions. This review does not assume a transfer of ownership or a guaranteed development contract.
✦ ArchUp Competition Review
Free entry lowers the financial barrier, and the emphasis on usefulness gives architectural work a credible basis for evaluation beyond appearance. The strongest submissions will make the relationship between spatial decisions and a measurable human need easy to understand.
The broad disciplinary field also changes the task: an architectural project must communicate to design reviewers who may not share its technical vocabulary. Clear selection criteria are useful, but they do not replace a named jury or readable reuse terms. Our assessment is therefore favourable on access and brief clarity, with those two checks still important before submission.
Related competitions
For a more geographically defined student brief, see Town Housing — Lyceum Fellowship 2027. For public-space design with an AI methodology requirement, see Farouk Hosny Architecture Award 2027; its eligibility is restricted to Egyptians.
Sources checked 12 November 2026: official call and FAQ. Announcement graphic: iF Japan Office.
Time remaining for submission
Deadline: 3 February 2027, 23:59 CET / 22:59 UTC.
Official competition page
Review the current overview, obtain the full program brief and use the organizer’s submission form.
