Design a wall separating Donald Trump from the U.S. — Call for ideas now open

Willingly or not, you're probably aware of the events coming out of this one hell of a nerve-wracking U.S. election cycle. Amid everything that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump continues to recklessly spew, one of the milestones in his circus of a campaign is his apparent plans to build the U.S./Mexico border wall — the one that he wants to somehow persuade Mexico to pay for. 

In short, the historically controversial topic has reeled architects into the debate, most expectedly in the form of ideas competitions. Competition creator Reality Cues turns the tables in their newest installment: Good Walls Make Good Neighbors, Mr. Trump. Creating previous satirical contests like the Eco-Porn Competition, Reality Cues invites all to participate in their Trump-themed architectural charrette.

The objective is pretty straightforward: Design a wall that separates Mr. Trump from the rest of the U.S. 

In the premise, Reality Cues writes:

“Donald Trump’s proposal for a wall separating Mexico from the United States is a purportedly simple solution to a dubiously framed problem. The genius here is the exploitation of a universally recognized symbol of division and public exhaustion from complicated global politicking. The straightforward idea of building a wall – though preposterous – provides a sense of power in a time when many of us feel powerless. Along these lines, I propose a similar solution to an arguably much more threatening actor: a wall separating Donald Trump from the United States.”

“The straightforward idea of building a wall – though preposterous – provides a sense of power in a time when many of us feel powerless.”

For the “competition sites”, entrants must use one of Reality Cues' provided photos of Trump property, onto which you must redefine its architectural content or insert architecture of your own to separate it from the rest of the country.

Another word of advice from Reality Cues to keep in mind: “The work done here should not only showcase your talents, but should inspire. We want to ask questions more than produce answers.”

The jury features a notable list of people:

• Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan – Deputy Editor, Fast Company Design 
• Emily Gaynor Porto – CCO, Reality Cues 
• Luis Galán – Zulomex 
• Jordan Hruska – Arch writer 
• Pei-Ru Keh – New York Editor, Wallpaper* 
• Kelsey Keith – EIC, Curbed 
• Samuel Medina – Associate Editor, Metropolis 
• Minche Mena-Deferme – Founder, Shine Architecture 
• Luis Manuel Ochoa – Directivo, JAPI 
• Antonio Torres – Beast Master, The Bittertang Farm

Entries are due September 8, and winners are expected to be announced October 8. And one last very important thing to do on November 8: Vote during Election Day!

For further competition details, click here.