Story Space: Two Places for Storytelling
Competition Brief
Norwich University School of Architecture and Art invites a conceptual outdoor structure containing two storytelling spaces: audiences of five and 50, with seating and storyteller shelter. Choose a relatively flat hometown site; footprint: 100 × 62 feet. No construction commitment is announced.
Eligibility and Submission
U.S.-citizen secondary-school students; individuals or teams of up to four. Register online to receive the submission link. Submit one PDF: at least four views and a narrative of up to 500 words. Drawings, model photographs and renders are accepted; AI tools are prohibited.
No entry charge is stated. Board dimensions, file-size limit, submission language, copyright licence, cancellation/refund provisions and tax treatment are not specified in the reviewed call.
Scholarships
These are Norwich-only scholarships, not cash prizes: first $8,000, second $4,000, complete submission $2,000, each spread over four years. Every team member receives the applicable award. Combination with other scholarships is restricted.
Organiser and Jury
The university’s archive documents Pocket Place in 2025 as its sixth annual school design competition. This establishes an earlier edition; the reviewed material does not identify its winners. A named jury and weighted scoring are not published for Story Space. Tolya Stonorov is the contact and a professor/associate director, not a confirmed juror.
Dates and Deadline Note
Feedback questions: 23 October 2026. Submission: midnight, 15 November 2026. Results: late 2026. Registration is required; no separate registration cutoff is stated.
Indicative countdown only: the form labels the period EDT (UTC−4), although November normally uses EST (UTC−5). We interpret midnight as the end of 15 November and conservatively use the stated UTC−4 offset: 16 November, 04:00 UTC. This is not a confirmed closing instant; submit earlier and confirm with Norwich.
✦ ArchUp Competition Review
The useful architectural question is how proximity changes listening. A five-person setting needs a different relationship between speaker and audience from a 50-person gathering. Test sightlines, competing sound, step-free access and weather exposure in section, rather than relying on a single persuasive perspective.
The educational brief is approachable, but scholarship value depends on choosing and attending this university. Entrants should compare the award with their wider study plans and ask how renewal, admission and other aid interact. The absence of published juror names limits assessment of the selection panel; it does not establish unfairness.
Reviewed 1 October 2026 under ArchUp’s competition transparency policy. Featured image: Norwich University’s official Story Space competition poster, as published by ArchDaily. Updated 2 October 2026.
