Soundscapes in Structure: Design and Build Competition 2026
Competition Brief
The Soundscapes in Structure: Design and Build Competition 2026 is the 7th annual national design and build challenge organized by the Museum of Outdoor Arts (MOA) in Greenwood Village, Colorado. The competition invites design proposals from art, architecture, landscape architecture, design and related fields to develop an amphitheater bandshell that shows an innovative method of combining sound performance with distinctive visual design. The competition is designed for collegiate students who attend schools in the United States and who compete as individual students or as teams.
Intent
The competition aims to motivate students and novice designers to study how architecture and acoustics and public space design work together. Participants have to create a structure which responds to a live performance situation by combining sensory experience with sustainable development and artistic expression.
Purpose
The purpose is to create innovative design solutions which improve sound performance and structural performance in performance venues. The competition allows for experimental testing of different architectural elements and their usage in public park environments.
Requirements
Undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled in U.S. universities (or within one year post-graduation) may participate. The competing students must choose their fields of study from art, architecture, landscape architecture, design and engineering and similar disciplines. Participants have the option to submit their entries as either individual entries or team entries, but the competition encourages them to work together on their projects.
Jury
The jury panel consists of experienced design professionals from architecture and landscape architecture fields. The jury members who have been confirmed for the panel include Robin Ault who serves as Senior Principal and Design Director at Fentress Studios and John Birkey who works as Principal and Partner at Norris Design and Cynthia Madden Leitner who serves as President and Co-Founder of the Museum of Outdoor Arts.
Fees
| Type | Amount |
|---|---|
| Entry Fee | No fee |
Rewards
| Prize | Details |
|---|---|
| First Prize | $10,000 split among team members |
| Second Prize | $7,500 split among team members |
| Third Prize | $5,000 split among team members |
| Honorable Mention | $1,500 split among team members |
Dates
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Competition Announcement | September 24, 2025 |
| Competition Opening | October 23, 2025 |
| Pre‑Registration Closes | February 1, 2026 |
| Submission Deadline | April 26, 2026 |
| Finalist Selection | May 2026 |
| Finalist Presentations Due | June 2026 |
| Winners Announced | July 2026 |
✦ ArchUp Competition Review
The Museum of Outdoor Arts organizes the competition which judges use their architectural and landscape expertise to assess participants. The national design and build competition targets students by evaluating both theoretical and practical design work instead of actual professional assignments. The design work results in significant cash awards which create clear benefits that motivate participants to join the competition. The actual advantage enables designers to build their portfolios while testing their design concepts and learning how to merge architectural design with performance and acoustic systems. The jury possesses extensive experience yet the competition requires participants to develop educational designs because it does not guarantee actual construction results.
Conclusion
The Soundscapes in Structure: Design and Build Competition 2026 merges architectural creativity with performance and acoustic considerations which provides students with cash awards and a space to investigate experiential design. Its focus on conceptual proposals encourages experimentation and contextual responsiveness. The program only permits U.S.-based students to participate which limits international student involvement. The competition lacks professional implementation pathways which results in it being treated as a conceptual exercise rather than a chance to create actual structures. The competition enables students and emerging designers to build their professional portfolios while developing original ideas although it only provides few connections to actual work assignments.
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