Streetlife Design Competition 2026–2027
Streetlife Design Competition 2026–2027 is an international ideas competition asking young multidisciplinary teams to identify a neglected or “lost” site and redesign it as accessible public space. The selected site may be anywhere in the world and may be publicly or privately owned, but the proposal must treat it as open to the public and limit the intervention to one hectare.
Important participation notice: registration closes on 30 November 2026, while the design submission follows on 11 December 2026. A valid registration and order number are therefore required before the later submission date. Neither official date includes a published closing hour or time zone.
Competition overview
| Organiser | Streetlife BV, Leiden, with Landezine |
|---|---|
| Edition | Third edition, 2026–2027 |
| Type | International public-space and landscape ideas competition; no implementation commission is promised |
| Site | A neglected site chosen by the team, anywhere globally; maximum intervention area 1 hectare (2.471 acres) |
| Eligibility | Multidisciplinary teams with at least one landscape architect; all team members born after 11 December 1990, except guiding faculty |
| Current fee | EUR 100 late registration (about USD 112 at the ECB reference rate used on 21 October 2026); non-refundable except if the competition is cancelled |
| Registration | 30 November 2026; no official hour or time zone published |
| Submission | 11 December 2026; no official hour or time zone published |
Brief and design scope
Teams must begin with a real place and show why it has been overlooked, disconnected or underused. The brief asks for a spatial response that works with memory and context, improves environmental performance and supports social use. The proposal is assessed as a public-space strategy rather than as an isolated object.
The site can be publicly or privately owned, but the project must assume public accessibility. Existing university work is eligible only if it was produced within the preceding two years and meets the current brief. The competition remains conceptual: publication, prizes and recognition do not amount to a construction commitment.
Eligibility and participation
| Team structure | Multidisciplinary team with at least one landscape architect |
|---|---|
| Age rule | Each participating team member must have been born after 11 December 1990; guiding faculty are exempt |
| Excluded entrants | Established architecture offices, commercial firms and brands |
| University work | Permitted when produced within the previous two years and adapted to the competition requirements |
| Registration sequence | Pay the applicable fee, obtain the order number and complete the entry form before the registration deadline |
Submission requirements
| Main file | One landscape-format A3 PDF, up to 10 single pages and 100 MB |
|---|---|
| Text | Body text no smaller than 12 pt |
| Identification | Cover and filename must include the registration order number |
| Required content | Site analysis and problem statement; objectives and project statement; site plan; sections; details or schemes; and pedestrian-scale views |
| Transfer | The current call instructs entrants to complete the entry form and send the PDF by the stated transfer route |
| Operational caution | An official submission-material page also references a separate JPG folder and completed Word file; use the newest package supplied after registration and verify the live instructions before transfer |
Schedule and fees
| Early fee | EUR 50 through 30 June 2026 (about USD 56 at the 21 October 2026 reference) |
|---|---|
| Standard fee | EUR 75 from 1 July to 30 September 2026 (about USD 84) |
| Late fee | EUR 100 from 1 October to 30 November 2026 (about USD 112) |
| Registration closes | 30 November 2026; hour and time zone not stated |
| Submission closes | 11 December 2026; hour and time zone not stated |
| Finalists | Expected in mid-February 2027 |
| Award ceremony | Planned for April 2027 in Leiden |
Prizes
| First prize | EUR 7,000 (about USD 7,861), trophy and certificate |
|---|---|
| Second prize | EUR 3,000 (about USD 3,369), trophy and certificate |
| Third prize | EUR 2,000 (about USD 2,246), trophy and certificate |
| Honourable mentions | Three awards of EUR 1,000 each (about USD 1,123 each), trophy and certificate |
| University Prize | Trophy, certificate, Landezine university promotion package and EUR 1,500 (about USD 1,685) toward ceremony travel |
Jury and assessment
| Elizabeth K. Meyer | Endowed Professor of Landscape Architecture, University of Virginia |
|---|---|
| Maria Hellström Reimer | Professor in Design in Theory and Practice, Malmö University |
| Eric-Jan Pleijster | Partner and co-founder, LOLA Landscape Architects |
| Thomas Lub | Director, Streetlife America |
| Zaš Brezar | Founder and editor-in-chief, Landezine |
Published criteria cover context and memory, environmental strategy, social impact and representation, with additional value placed on multidisciplinary quality. The panel combines academic and professional landscape expertise with representatives connected to the organising and media partners; entrants can therefore see the expertise mix, while also recognising those institutional relationships.
Rights and publication
Entrants retain ownership of their work. The terms grant Streetlife and Landezine a perpetual, royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to reproduce and communicate submitted material for competition promotion and publication, with author credit. No additional fee or royalty is promised for that use. The entry fee is generally non-refundable, and the terms do not convert an award into an implementation contract.
✦ ArchUp Competition Review
The brief’s strongest feature is that it makes site diagnosis part of the design task. Teams must explain why a place has become “lost” and then connect ecological repair, public access and everyday use. The one-hectare limit gives the proposal a scale at which plans, sections and pedestrian views can test those ideas concretely.
The jury’s published landscape, design and academic experience is relevant to the challenge. The key practical reservations are the strict age and team-composition rules, the non-refundable late fee, the broad perpetual promotional licence and the absence of an implementation commitment. Entrants should also reconcile the current call with the material-package instructions received after registration before transmitting files.
Related competitions — editor’s selection
For adjacent approaches to landscape, ecology and public space, see Eulsukdo Land Ecological Art Open Call and The Future of Harem Bus Station.
Indicative countdown to registration closing
The organiser states 30 November 2026 but publishes no closing hour or time zone. This display assumes 23:59 UTC only as an indicative endpoint; the actual cutoff may differ. Register early.
Official registration
Review the current official package, obtain the order number and confirm the live submission instructions before preparing the final transfer.
