1. Criteria of Eligibility and Restrictions
Eligibility
The contest is open to architects, planners, designers, artists, and students from all over the world, individually or in teams.
- There is no age limitand no participation fee.
- Each participant or team may submit one project only.
Members of the IAAC faculty, staff, or jury, as well as their direct relatives, are not eligible to participate.
Project Site
Projects submitted to the contest may take either a generic or a site-specific approach.
Proposals can be conceived as universal concepts that could be applied in any urban context, or they may focus on a specific location.
The contest especially encourages proposals set in the city of Barcelona, contributing to the public debate that will take place throughout this year as part of Barcelona 2026, World Capital of Architecture. Participants are invited to use Barcelona’s urban fabric, geography, and architecture as reference material for their visualizations and design strategies.
Nevertheless, projects located in other cities around the world will also be accepted, provided they include a clear reflection on how their ideas could be adapted to the context of Barcelona.
Evaluation Criteria
Projects will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
- Visionary Capacity:The ability to project compelling urban futures, whether utopian, dystopian, or realistic.
- Relevance:The pertinence of the proposal to the challenges of contemporary urban life.
- Design and Spatial Quality:The clarity, innovation, and expression of architectural thinking.
Integration of Disciplines: The capacity to combine design, technology, ecology, and social awareness in a coherent proposal.
Restrictions
The following will not be eligible to take part in the competition:
Any individual or organization related to the promoting organization, such as members of the advisory committee or sponsored researchers, and anyone professionally associated with the promoter; members of the Competition Jury and organizing Staff; any person directly or indirectly involved in the summary of the Competition.
2. Free Registration
Registration is free of charge and will be conducted online through the IAAC contest platform:
👉 www.advancedarchitecturecontest.org
After registering, participants will receive a unique registration code, which must appear on all submitted materials to ensure anonymity during the jury evaluation.
3. Submission Requirements
All entries must be submitted digitally through the online platform before the deadline indicated in the Key Dates section.
Submissions must include the following materials:
- Three (3) A3 panelsin horizontal format (landscape) – PDF, max. 10 MB each.
- Panels must contain all relevant drawings, renderings, diagrams, and explanatory graphics.
- The registration code must appear on each panel.
- No names or identifying information should be included.
- A written document (A4, 1–2 pages, PDF)explaining the project’s concept, objectives, and methodology (max. 1,000 words).
- Optional video or interactive media (max. 2 minutes)illustrating the project idea, uploaded through a public link (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.).
All materials must be submitted in English.
4. Format
Each of the 8 panels will be presented in PDF format. The size of each file must not exceed 5MB. The same panels will also be presented in a JPG format and maximum dimensions of 2500px by 2500px. The size of each file will not have to exceed 5MB.
Please note: Upload all files together, as subsequent editing of the uploaded content will not be possible.
ID Code: The ID code will be automatically generated when you register. Place your ID code at the right bottom of each panel.
5. Suggested software
Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, ControlNet, DALLE-2, ChatGPT, Photoshop, Rhino, Grasshopper, Ladybug, Karamba, Illustrator, AutoCAD, Blender, Rhino Compute, etc…
6. Contact
For questions and additional information, please contact:
[email protected]
www.advancedarchitecturecontest.org