Architecture can be a competitive field. While there will always be a demand for professionals who can design buildings, homes, and public spaces, most firms and clients look for architects with a robust portfolio and proven history of successful projects. This can make it difficult to break into the industry and find an architecture job, even with the right education and skills.

One way to grow your portfolio and build your reputation in the design world is through architecture competitions. Participating in competitions can also be beneficial for architects further along in their career, potentially paving the way to land more prestigious projects or clients even if you don’t win the grand prize.

That said, not every competition will be the right choice for every architect. Understanding the types of competitions, and which one will be the best for you, can help you decide what role competitions can play in your career progress.

Types of architecture competitions

Traditionally, architecture competitions all took the same basic format. They started with a formal application process, after which the accepted competitors would create their entries then submit them to be evaluated by the judges or jury.

Many architecture competitions today still follow this format, but there are other models that competitions can follow, too. In some cases, entries are judged based on other criteria before they even submit their designs. They also differ in who is eligible to compete. Some competitions are open to any architect, while others are by invitation only, or limited to specific demographics like students or diverse architects.

Choosing the right type of competition is the first step to succeed in them. Here are the most common types of architecture competitions you’ll find today:

• Student competitions – These competitions are exclusively open to students currently enrolled in an architecture program, providing them with a chance to put their learning into practice. The focus is educational, aimed at developing these students as architecture professionals, and the winning designs may or may not actually be built or completed as projects. Often, these competitions emphasize design innovation and experimentation, encouraging participants to explore new ideas or approaches.
• Open competitions – Any architect can enter an open competition, from university students through established professional firms. This makes open competitions among the most competitive. Normally, the goal of an open design challenge is to gather a wide variety of ideas and solutions.
• Endorsed competitions – Architecture competitions are often sponsored by a government agency or professional organization for architects. They are overseen by a professional advisor and adjudicated by a jury of experts. The endorsing organization awards the commission to the winner, and they will typically culminate in the development and construction of the winning idea into a physical building.
• Invited competitions – In these competitions, only those designers or firms who have been directly invited can participate. Since getting an invitation usually requires building a reputation in the field first, these may not be as useful for career advancement for young architects as other types of competition.
• Site-specific competitions – These competitions focus on the design of a building for an established location. The details of the location will be included in the brief, and adherence to the practical, technical, and logistical details of the site is an important factor in choosing the challenge’s winner. At the end of the competition, the winning design will typically receive the commission to design and construct the building.
• Prototype design competitions – This type of competition emphasizes creative problem-solving and the real-world application of architectural vision. Entrants will create a physical or digital prototype of a new architectural design, often a tangible scaled model that demonstrates how it will function in the real world. The goal is often to push the boundaries of conventional design and aesthetics to deliver experimental and innovative building concepts. The winning prototype may receive a contract for a real-world project, or may instead win an award or funding.
• Project competitions – On the other side of the spectrum from prototype designs, project competitions seek practical designs, emphasizing feasibility over conceptual thinking. The brief will often include detailed site and project requirements, with the winning design often being put into execution at the competition’s completion.
• Design-build competitions – Similar to project competitions, these challenges focus on real-world, practical designs. The key difference is that participants are responsible for constructing the project as well as designing it. The focus on hands-on experience and practical execution can make them a good choice for professional growth.
• Ideas competitions – Also called conceptual competitions, these challenges focus on the theoretical and abstract side of design. Like prototype design competitions, the focus is on pushing the boundaries of design and exploring new architecture concepts, such as sustainable design or similar industry trends.

Consider where you are in your architecture career and what your goals are for the competition when you’re choosing what type to enter. For early career architects, competitions focused on prototypes and ideas may be more feasible than project or design-build competitions, which often require the input and skills of an entire team.

Benefits of participating in architecture competitions

Knowing what you hope to get out of an architecture competition is the first step to setting your personal goals for them, and that in turn increases your odds of feeling like the competition was worth the effort you put into it. Obviously, the ultimate goal for most people will be to win the competition, but there are often benefits to be gained beyond awards and contracts. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most common benefits of competing in architecture challenges.

1. Portfolio building

A strong portfolio of past work is often necessary to finding work as an architect, whether you’re applying to join a firm or seeking out your own clients independently. Architecture competitions are an excellent way to expand your portfolio, especially for early career architects who don’t have a ton of professional experience under their belt.

For one thing, competitions are an effective way to diversify the types of projects in your portfolio, demonstrating your adaptability and capability to design a variety of buildings and structures for different purposes and at different scales. Most competitions also require thorough documentation and presentation of submissions, including high-quality visuals like diagrams and models as well as things like site analyses, technical solutions, and conceptual development sketches. This wealth of documentation can greatly enhance your portfolio, giving you a competitive edge the next time you’re looking for a job.

2. Networking opportunities

The organizations that host architecture competitions don’t only work with architects in that context. If the host is a company or government agency, they likely hire architects on an ongoing basis, and entering their competitions is one way to catch their eye and start building client relationships with them. Competitions hosted by professional organizations or educational institutions can be an excellent way to connect with potential mentors since they’re often organized and judged by established professionals. In either case, the other architects and firms who enter are also potential professional connections that you can make by participating in competitions.

3. Industry recognition and professional exposure

Winning an architecture competition is obviously a great way to boost your reputation in the industry. Even a small award is a sign that someone values your design skills, and that can boost your credibility and trustworthiness with potential clients. Beyond the prestige of winning, many competitions also choose finalists, runners up, honorable mentions, or other short-lists from the pool of entries they receive, which can also help to get you more attention both within the field and from potential future clients or employers.

4. Practice working under creative and time constraints

Architecture competitions tend to offer more creative freedom than the typical client project, but they still come with constraints. This could be the details of the site you’re designing for, a theme or concept the competition focuses on, or simply a deadline for turning in the completed entry. These constraints can give you the opportunity to push creative boundaries and explore new ideas or types of design that you may not have worked with otherwise. It may seem counterintuitive, but the truth is having a specific problem to solve can often encourage more experimentation, forcing you to find creative approaches or explore innovative concepts that can inform your design vision or strategy for projects in the future.

5. Skill development

Practice makes perfect in just about every discipline, and architecture is no exception. Taking part in competitions gives you the chance to hone both your technical and your soft skills. If you’re competing solo, it uses and develops skills like project management, visualization, and presentation. If you’re working as part of a team, this gives you practice in areas like communication and interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly when you take on design-build competitions. Along with this, actively participating in the architecture community through competitions helps you stay up-to-date on the latest trends in the industry, at the same time it helps you develop the skills you’ll need to deliver on those trends to your clients.

Potential drawbacks of architecture competitions

Architecture competitions can be a great tool for professional growth, as well as personal and professional motivation, at any stage in an architect’s career. That said, they’re not all going to be equally useful for every individual, and even the most valuable competition can have drawbacks. Here are some to be aware of when you’re considering whether to participate in one.

1. They require a high time commitment.

The time commitment required for a competition depends on a lot of factors, like the scope and complexity of the project and the timeline or deadline to submit designs. Even smaller competitions will still require some kind of time commitment, though, and with no guarantee you’ll get anything in return for that time you’ve invested. It can be a challenge to balance the time spent on competitions with the billable hours you put in for clients, the hours you devote to your studies as a student, or your other professional obligations as an architect.

2. Costs and resource allocation.

Many competitions have entry fees to fund the administration of the competition and the prize money for the winner. Sometimes these can be quite steep, costing several hundred dollars just to take part in the competition. That’s on top of whatever you need to spend on materials for models or 3D printing, costs for printing and preparing presentations, and the cost of your own labor and that of other collaborators or consultants involved in the project. Before entering a competition, think critically about whether that financial investment is feasible and whether it will still feel worth it if you don’t win.

3. You often face stiff competition.

There are a limited number of prizes available in any given competition, far fewer than the number of participants they attract. The more prestigious the competition, and the higher the prize for the winner, the more entries it’s likely to garner and the lower your odds of winning will be. Added to that, the judging is often subjective, which can make it challenging to stand out from that competition and gain the recognition that you’re hoping to earn from competing.

4. Dealing with rejection and criticism.

Getting design critique from other professionals can be very helpful for refining your design philosophy and helping you identify skills and areas where you can improve. That doesn’t mean it’s always easy to hear this criticism, however. Bear in mind that not all competitions will provide feedback to the entries they reject. In some cases, it can be difficult to tell why you weren’t successful, which can be demotivating and make the effort you put into the competition feel like it was wasted.

How to find architecture competitions

Now that you know the potential benefits and drawbacks of entering architecture competitions, you hopefully have a better idea of whether they’re a smart choice for your career. If you’ve decided that they are, your next question is likely: just where do I find competitions to enter?

If you’re a student, your college or university can be your first resource to find open competitions, particularly ones that are aimed at architecture students or early career architects. Professional organizations can be another helpful resource. Some, like the ASCA, host competitions for members, and you can learn about other opportunities by engaging with other members at events or on their online forum.

There are also several websites that list architecture competitions. Here are a few of the most popular:

• Competitions.archi – An online listing of international design and architecture contests, including many prestigious competitions.
• Bustler – You’ll find a wide variety of competitions listed on this site, from student competitions through high-profile contests for established firms. They also list shows, conferences, and similar events.  
• ArchDaily – There are a plethora of resources for architects on ArchDaily, including lists of both current and past competitions that you can filter by type or date.
• Buildner – Buildner organizes architecture competitions, often on behalf of well-known international organizations. Their current open contents are listed on their website, which has a global perspective.
• Young Architects Competitions – As you might guess from the name, this site lists specifically contests that are aimed at students or architects early in their careers.

Tips for success in architecture competitions

Choose competitions based on your professional goals.

This came up in passing earlier in the article, but it’s an important enough point that it bears repeating. You want to be selective in which competitions you enter to ensure you’re committing your time and resources to things that will actually further your professional growth. This starts by thinking about your design philosophy and where you are in your career. It also helps to know what you want to get out of the competition. Are there particular skills you want to develop, or certain types of projects you want to add to your portfolio? Taking time to think through your goals before you search for competitions will make it easier to identify which ones are the best fit.

Carefully review the requirements, objectives, and constraints.

Before you start, thoroughly review the eligibility requirements, regulations, entry deadline, submission format, and other details in the brief. If anything is unclear, reach out to the organizers to ask for clarification. Adhering firmly to all of the guidelines of the contest will give you the best chance of winning a prize.

Research before you start designing.

If the contest is recurring, study the past winners to get a sense for what kind of projects tend to do well. If it’s site-specific, research the history, culture, and environment of the location and use that context to inform your design. Researching the competition’s organizers and judges can also give you useful insights into their aesthetics and what they might look for in a winning entry.

Don’t neglect your presentation.

While you’re being judged on the design itself, how you present that design can absolutely make a difference in how your vision comes across and where you ultimately place in the competition. Make sure your submission is well-organized, professional, and has a clean and logical layout. Aim to present your materials in such a way that it conveys a narrative, showing your design process through sketches and diagrams. It’s also important to pay attention to the technical details and measurements, ensuring everything is accurate before you submit the project.  

The final word on architecture competitions

The main thing you want to remember about architecture competitions is that the prizes are limited, and the entries are often quite high. This means that a lot of high-quality designs don’t end up winning a prize, or even making the shortlist.

Just because you didn’t get recognized by the competition doesn’t mean all is lost, though. While it’s great to win, and that’s every contest participant’s ultimate goal, you can still get value from taking part in a competition that you don’t win. Maybe another client will even want you to build that exact design down the road. At the very least, it’s a representation of your talent and creative vision, one that you can showcase in your portfolio as an example of your capabilities.

Having multiple goals for a competition can help it to feel worthwhile, regardless of the outcome. If you go into architecture competitions with the mindset of learning and creative exploration, you’ll be best set up to get the most out of it.