Eye Line 2024: call for entries

Pen, pencil, computer or even AI –whatever your medium, our drawing competition is open for submissions

How do you represent the world you would like to see? Eye Line 2024, RIBAJ’s annual, international competition showcasing the best drawing and rendering skills, is open for entries. As ever, we ask for images in two categories – student and practitioner – that brilliantly convey architecture, in any medium or combination of media. We are seeking the best and most exciting submissions from those at the sharp end of representation.

Images of all kinds, from hand-drawn concept sketch to technically proficient and layered renders are eligible: ‘drawing’ includes any method by which the power of an architectural idea is communicated, whether depictions of existing buildings or works of the imagination. Last year saw our first AI entries.

There are two categories:

• Student category: images made by those in architectural education or who are submitting images made before final qualification.
• Practitioner category:  images made by those fully qualified and working in practice, whether for real-life projects or exploring ideas or experiences.

Winning entries will be published in print and online. Our colleagues at RIBA’s Drawings and Archives Collection will inspect winners for potential inclusion in their archive.

Last year’s student winner was the Bartlett School’s Chia-Yi Chou, whose work was a meditation on carbon sequestration potential of forests if subjected to fractal geometry, increasing surface area. Her folding 2D drawings beguiled the Eye Line judges with their Archigram/steam punk references. Practitioner winner was Dustin Wheat, Professor of Architecture at University of Texas at Arlington, whose collage of pages from his sketchbook built a fluid, sublime picture of the architect’s internalised thought processes and influences.

Each year we are gratified by the originality, wit and talent presented to Eye Line: an international, free-to-enter award.  Practitioners and students – show us your best drawings and join a prestigious cohort of past winners! 

Enter now

Eye Line rules

We seek the best 2D representations of a building design or concept through visual means. They may be hand or digitally drawn, incorporating collage or any combination or overlay of methods. Video and straight photography excluded.

• Enter in either the student or practitioner category. The RIBA Journal reserves the right to reallocate to a different category if deemed necessary.
• Maximum of three images per entry, which can be from different projects or all from the same project.
• Joint entries on which more than one person has worked are permissible.
• All entries must be uploaded via the link below. We cannot accept physical works. Images must be at 300dpi, file size maximum 25Mb.
• The work must have been produced within the three years up to the closing date of 14.00 BST on Friday 10 May 2024 and must not previously have been entered for Eye Line.

Submissions using AI must be clearly labelled

Information required

• Title of work(s) if applicable, and medium.
• Name of the author(s) of the work.
• Name of organisation where author works or studies.
• Email, postal address and phone number.
• Dimensions of the original work as presented, in mm.
• Date it was completed.

Key dates

Deadline: Friday 10 May 2024, 14:00 BST
Judging: End May 2024
Winners and commendations announced: July/August 2024 issue of RIBAJ and online
Correspondence: [email protected]

Judges 2024

Chia-Yi Chou Eye Line 2023 student winner
Yinka Ilori MBE Artist and designer
Knut Ramstad Partner Nordic Office of Architecture
Sarah Wigglesworth MBE Architect and academic
Jan Carlos Kucharek Deputy editor RIBA Journal