Student Project Awards

The Architecture of Coexistence

About ArchDaily

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Awards Brief

At ArchDaily, we believe that the future of architecture is being shaped today in classrooms, studios, and workshops around the world. Guided by our mission to empower architects and designers with transformative tools, knowledge, and inspiration, we celebrate those who expand the definition of architecture, foster interdisciplinarity, and engage with the urgent challenges of our time. The Student Project Awards is an initiative dedicated to recognizing the creativity and vision of students who are redefining architectural discourse. With its own identity and a jury-based evaluation, the award is exclusively accessible to all ArchDaily Campus subscribers, ensuring a space designed to spotlight emerging voices and ideas.

Theme: The Architecture of Coexistence

Since 2020, initiatives such as the ArchDaily Next Practices Awards have identified a growing focus within the profession: an increasing attention to an architecture of care. This approach appears not only in the work of the awarded practices but also in the efforts of many architects who are reshaping the discipline at large.

In this first edition of the Student Project Awards, we approach care from a collective perspective, focusing on the spaces that nurture better ways of living together: the architecture of coexistence. To speak of coexistence is to expand the notion of care, recognizing the presence of others — human and non-human, past and future — and designing with them in mind.

The Award will concentrate on one essential interpretation of coexistence: designing inclusive spaces for communities. Architecture has the power to bring people together, bridging differences of age, culture, and background. It can foster belonging, cultivate dialogue, and create environments where communities thrive in dignity and diversity.

We invite students to interpret this theme through a conceptual architectural project. Submissions should include the materials necessary to narrate and visually communicate the proposal: plans, sections, drawings, and sketches, accompanied by a written statement outlining the story and intentions of the project. Together, these elements should demonstrate how your design responds to the call for an Architecture of Coexistence.

With this award, ArchDaily offers a global platform for students to share ideas, experiment with forms of care, and propose new ways of living together. It is an opportunity to imagine architecture not only as the act of building, but as a practice of inclusion, empathy, and shared futures.

Thank you to all the students who choose to participate in these Awards and share their visions with our global community.

Calendar

Nov 26 2025	Submissions Open	Participants can begin submitting their projects. Review the guidelines carefully to ensure your submission meets all the requirements.
Feb 13 2026	Submissions Close	The deadline to submit your project is on February 13, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CET.
Feb 27 2026	Longlist Announcement	All participants whose work meets the eligibility criteria will have their projects showcased on the official Awards site.
Mar 16 2026	Shortlist Announcement	Shortlisted projects will be announced in a dedicated section of the Awards site.
Apr 1 2026	Winners Announcement	The winners will be featured in a dedicated section of the Awards site and highlighted across ArchDaily

How to Participate

Before submitting your work, read all the submission requirements to ensure your project will be considered and follow the steps below.

Review the Awards brief and requirements.
Choose either a previously designed project that fits the theme, ensuring you have all the necessary materials; or prepare a new project specifically for the Student Project Awards.
Click on Submit Project and fill out the form with all the requested information, providing all required project details and visuals.
Check your email for a confirmation of submission.
Stay tuned for longlist, shortlist and winners announcements.

Submission Materials

Participants must upload the following materials in order to participate in the Student Project Awards:

A project title (15 - 50 characters)
A brief abstract of the project (500 - 1,500 characters)
- A short description of your project in a clear and concise manner, outlining the story and intentions behind it.
- Make sure you address the Awards brief and keep in mind the evaluation criteria.
Up to 5 - 10 images of the project (these can be drawings, models or renderings)
- Images must be jpg or png files.
- Maximum 10mb each.
- Maximum dimensions 6000x6000px.
- Please do not submit images with overlayed text, credits or author names.
- Keep in mind that all images will be automatically credited to the author of the project.

Evaluation Criteria

Projects will be assessed by an esteemed jury according to the following:

Relevance to the Award Theme – How directly and meaningfully the project addresses the proposed challenge.
Critical Approach – The capacity to engage with the theme and the wider world through reflective, questioning, and forward-looking perspectives.
Presentation and Communication – The clarity, creativity, and effectiveness of the visual and narrative representation.

In addition, projects will be evaluated on how well they embody the values defined in The ArchDaily Guide to Good Architecture:

Considerate – Respectful of users, communities, and environments.
Durable – Built to last in material, function, and relevance.
Holistic – Integrating multiple dimensions of design and impact.
Inclusive – Accessible and attentive to diversity.
Innovative – Offering fresh ideas, approaches, or solutions.
Local – Grounded in context, culture, and place.
Protective – Safeguarding people, ecosystems, and heritage.
Resourceful – Making intelligent and responsible use of materials and systems.
Useful – Responding effectively to needs and purposes.
Desirable – Creating meaningful, engaging, and inspiring experiences.

Prizes and Recognition

Participating in the Student Project Awards is an opportunity to gain international visibility and connect with the global design community. Beyond the recognition of the jury, all submissions will be showcased and celebrated through ArchDaily’s platforms:

A dedicated page for the longlist, displaying all eligible submissions.
A dedicated page for the shortlist, highlighting selected projects.
A dedicated page for the 3 winning projects and potential honorable mentions.
An official announcement featuring the winners, published on ArchDaily.
Exclusive coverage of winning projects on ArchDaily.
Broad promotion through ArchDaily’s social media channels and newsletters, reaching a global audience of students, professionals, and institutions.
Honorable mentions will be awarded at the jury’s discretion, with the number determined by the quality and relevance of the submissions.
The 3 winning projects will each receive a cash prize of USD 1,500, offered as support for their future endeavors.

Rules & Requirements

Projects must be submitted exclusively through the online submission form.
Eligibility is open to all ArchDaily Campus subscribers who are currently studying architecture, urban planning, landscape architecture, interior design, or product design.
All submission materials must be in English.
Each student is permitted to submit one project only.
Collaborative projects are accepted, however they must be submitted by one individual user, under their account.
In the case of collaborative projects, the submission must be made by only one team member. If the same project is submitted by more than one person within the team, only one will be considered (the first one received, chronologically).
Students submitting a project must hold full copyright and ownership of the work. Any instance of plagiarism or disputed authorship will result in immediate disqualification from the awards.
All submitted images will be automatically credited to the author of the project.
ArchDaily reserves the right to curate all submitted images and make the final selection that will appear on the site.
Students may submit design proposals developed within their coursework or any other academic context, or alternatively, projects created specifically for this award.
Projects that have been previously published on ArchDaily are not eligible for submission.
Students retain full intellectual property rights over their work but grant ArchDaily a non-exclusive license to publish submitted projects across its platforms and social media channels.
Once a project has been submitted, no modifications or updates will be permitted.
Submissions will only be accepted until the official deadline: February 13, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CET. Projects sent after this date will not be considered.
All submitted projects will undergo an evaluation process conducted by the ArchDaily editorial team. Only submissions that comply with the rules and address the Awards theme will be considered eligible.
The jury will select three winning projects, and may also designate an additional number of honorable mentions at its discretion.
AI-created projects are not permitted. AI may be used to support the creation of visuals, but the overall design concept, description and execution must be fully created by the author(s).

Transparency & Trust

Winners and honorable mentions will be selected by an independent external jury.
In the event of a potential conflict of interest, the concerned jury member will notify the organization and abstain from evaluating the specific project.
All submissions will first be reviewed by the ArchDaily editorial team to ensure eligibility and compliance with the Awards rules before being passed on to the jury.
Projects will remain confidential during the evaluation process and will not be shared with third parties until officially published.
Approved projects will be published without editorial modifications, aside from minimal text editing, formatting adjustments necessary for consistency across the platform, and curation of the submitted images.
Jury decisions are final and not subject to appeal, ensuring clarity and fairness in the evaluation process.
The Awards are open globally, and all submissions will be evaluated under the same criteria, regardless of geography, school, or available resources.
Winners and honorable mentions will be notified by email following the official announcement on the Awards platform.
By purchasing an ArchDaily Campus Subscription, you gain access to its benefits — including the option to submit to the Student Project Awards — and no refunds will be issued if you choose not to submit an entry.
Results will be announced strictly according to the published calendar, ensuring transparency and predictability.
Each of the three winning projects will receive a cash prize of 1,500 USD. This prize is awarded to the project as a whole. For collaborative projects, the cash prize will be granted to the submitting author, who serves as the official representative of the team. ArchDaily is not responsible for how the prize is distributed among team members.

FAQ

Who can participate?
The award is open to students worldwide who are ArchDaily Campus subscribers, from all schools of architecture, urban planning, landscape architecture, interior design, graphic design, game design, and product design.
Can I submit my thesis or final graduation project?
Yes, as long as it meets the eligibility criteria and can be condensed into a maximum of 1,500 characters. Please note we will only accept design proposals, not theoretical proposals.
Do I need my professor’s approval?
No, submissions can be made independently.
Can I submit a project created outside of coursework?
Yes, projects developed independently for this award are welcome.
Can I update my project after submission?
No, modifications are not allowed once the project is submitted.
Can I participate if I am a graduate student?
Yes, the Awards are open to undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Can I submit a project I worked on with a team?
Yes, team projects are allowed, but each participant may only be part of one submission.
What languages are accepted for submissions?
All submissions must be in English to ensure fair evaluation by the jury.
Is there a fee to participate?
No additional fee is required beyond the ArchDaily Campus plan subscription.
What happens if my project does not follow the guidelines?
It will not be approved for publication or evaluation.
How will I know if my project has advanced to the next stage?
Participants who meet the criteria and move to the next stage of the process will be notified via email and featured in the Student Project Awards site in each corresponding stage (longlist, shortlist and winners).
Will I receive feedback on my project?
Due to the large number of submissions, individual feedback cannot be provided.
Can I submit a project that has already been published elsewhere (e.g., a magazine or portfolio site)?
Yes, but projects previously published on ArchDaily are not eligible.
Do I need to submit physical models or drawings?
No, the entire process is digital, and only digital materials are accepted.
Who owns the rights to the submitted project?
Students retain full ownership of their projects. By submitting, they grant ArchDaily a non-exclusive license to publish the work across its platforms.
How will credits be attributed?
All published projects will clearly display the student’s name (and, where applicable, the names of team members) as the authors of the work and all images associated with it.
I’m a student and I have another type of ArchDaily Subscription (Essential or Plus tiers). Can I submit my project?
No, the only way to participate is to have an ArchDaily Campus subscription. If you would like to change your subscription in order to participate, contact our team at subscription@daaily.com.
I want to know more about the ArchDaily Campus subscription
To learn all about the ArchDaily Campus Subscription, see a full dedicated FAQ list here.

Support

For any technical or procedural questions, please contact our support team at awards@daaily.com.