MARSTOPIA

Eleven continues their adventures in space by launching an international architecture & design competition on Martian living.

Eleven has announced their latest ideas and design competition 'Marstopia’, the official sequel to their 2016 award-winning international challenge Moontopia. This latest competition invites creatives from all around the world to imagine Marstopia - the first human colony on Mars - and in doing so, begin to define Martian vernacular design.

Today, science fiction dreams of turning mankind into a multi-planetary species are well within our reach. As scientific and technological breakthroughs are fueling a renewed space race, it is becoming increasingly clear that the colonization of Mars is within our lifetime.

In the contemporary discussion of Martian colonization, the focus is predominantly on the science and technological aspects of getting to the Red Planet. As these fields pave the way for Mars to become an opportunity for groundbreaking exploration, where does this leave the creative industries? Despite dates being set for missions to Mars, there is still a huge gap in the field of Martian architecture and extra-terrestrial design.

This gap represents the genesis of Marstopia, a competition designed to get the creative community engaged with this new field and generate visions of future worlds beyond ours.

What does Martian vernacular design look like? You decide.

Marstopia challenges architects, designers and visionaries to engage with this hot topic, inviting them to conceptualize their visions of Marstopia and opening up the debate of Martian colonization to the creative fields.

Do you see Martian colonisation as an exciting prospect, or as a step too far? Is living on Mars an inspiring Utopia or a questionable Dystopia? Whatever your stance, this competition provides a platform for creative expression on the future of design and architecture beyond our planet.

Marstopia is open to all creatives – both professionals and/or students – from around the world. Participants, who can compete individually or in a team of up to four people, are asked to register and submit their proposals online by the 11th of March 2018, in the form of two digital A1 landscape sheets accompanied by an additional 500 words explanatory text. Models are highly encouraged but are not mandatory.  

The winners of Marstopia will also be invited by our competition friends Mars City Design™ to attend an exclusive 10 day summer workshop in Los Angeles on Mars architecture including a mentorship programme to develop the design concept further with leading space agencies, VIP visits to space companies and JPL NASA, and a once in a lifetime opportunity to networking with professionals, pioneers and visionaries in the space industry.

The competition, which officially opens for registration on Saturday the 11th of November 2017, is scheduled to run for four months, closing on the 11th of March 2018 at 11:00am (UK Time). Awarded entries will be officially announced on the 11th of May 2018. Winners will be selected by an international jury panel of pioneers and experts in the field of Martian exploration and architecture. The public will also have an opportunity to vote for their favorite design online which will go on to win the People’s Choice Award.

‘Marstopia’ is Eleven’s ninth international competition to date. Since their creation in mid-2015, the challenges launched by this UK based magazine and creative agency have received great global success. Previous competitions have been exhibited in Europe and the USA, published in multiple international magazines such as the Architecture Review, the AJ, Dezeen, Archdaily and Designboom, and have been featured in Bustler’s ‘Top-10 Best Competitions of the Year Awards’ in both 2015 and 2016.

For more information on Eleven’s Marstopia challenge and to register, please visit here.

Competition Schedule:

• Competition Opens: 11th November 2017

• Early Bird Fees change to Standard Fees: 1st December

• Standard Fees change to Late Bloomer Fees: 1st March 2018

• Registration Closes / Submission Deadline: 11th March at 11:00am (UK Time)Public Voting Opens Online: 13th March

• Public Voting Closes Online: 10th May at 11:00am (UK Time)

• Winners and Awarded Announced: 11th May 2018

Competition Fees:

• Early Bird: £60
• Standard: £80

• Late Bloomer: £100

Competition Awards:

• Winner: £2000 and Sponsorship courtesy of Mars City Design TM to attend an exclusive 10-day workshop and space-architecture mentorship programme in Los Angeles, valued at $3,000 per person. Workshop scheduled for August 2018. (Please Note: Exact dates of workshop to be confirmed. Sponsorship does not include travel to and from LA and hospitality.)
• Runner-Up: £400
• 6x Honourable Mentions: no cash (boo) but lots of glory (yay)!
• People’s Choice Award (selected by general public voting online): £100

*All of the awarded entries listed above will be published on Eleven’s ‘Elevenses’ feed, social media, Apple News channel, and feature in the 3rd issue of Eleven’s new bi-monthly (out on the 11th June 2018). In addition, awarded entries will receive fantastic worldwide attention through Eleven’s media partners.

Confirmed Competition Jury:

• Marc Guberman – Team Leader of Mars Habitat Project and Partner – Fosters + Partners
• Andrew Aldrin – Director – Buzz Aldrin Space Institute
• Stefano Boeri – Founding Partner – Stefano Boeri Architetti
• Alberto Villanueva Galindo – Academic and Director – IDEA Architecture Office
• Jessie Andjelic – Co-founder of SPECTACLE & Head of Mars Studio, University of Calgary
• Vera Mulyani – CEO & Founder – Mars City Design, Executive Director & Founder –
  Spaceport LA
• Dmitry Zhuikov and Arina Agieieva – Founders - ZA Architects
• SEArch+ – First Place in NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge for Mars
• Monika Lipinska, Inci Lize Ogun & Laura Olivier – Winners – Eleven’s Moontopia Competition
• Andrea Verenini – Founder – Eleven Magazine
• Eloise Carr – Editor and Creative – Eleven Magazine