New architecture and design competitions: MICROHOME, Genius Loci Festival Competition, Dewan Award for Architecture, and Invisible Accessibility Competition

This edition of Bustler's curated picks of noteworthy architecture and design competitions features four calls seeking audiovisual art that would be projected on the Weimar City Castle in Weimar, Germany, student-designed proposals for an accessible sports center at the University of Montreal, forward-thinking designs for an off-grid modular microhome that is fit for a young professional couple, and ideas for the transformation of Baghdad's historic Central Railway Station.

For the complete directory of newly listed competitions, click here.

Genius Loci Festival Competition Open Call 2025: "Faust"
Registration/Submission Deadline: Sunday, June 15, 2025

"Until June 15th 2025, applicants can submit a 30-second video clip for the projection on this year’s building, the southern facade of the Weimar City Castle and the Ensemble Bastille. This year, Genius Loci Weimar is once again in search of the very special spirit of the chosen place and a convincingly atmospheric, but also experimental visual language and dramaturgy. A realization in animation, 3D animation and also as a live action film is conceivable. We expressly encourage short film makers, motion graphic artists, and video and film artists of all disciplines and genres to apply for the selected location with their different aesthetics, animation techniques, and narrative styles."

Together, Let's All Go to the Sports Center!
Registration Deadline: Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Submission Deadline: Tuesday, August 5, 2025

"The Faculté de l'aménagement at the Université de Montréal is pleased to announce the launch of an international, multidisciplinary and anonymous ideas competition, reserved for students, to create inclusive experiences at the CEPSUM, the Université de Montréal's sports center. With a total of $31,500 in prizes, the competition promotes the idea of invisible accessibility, an experience of the built environment that is of high quality to all, where the design of accessibility is integrated in an indistinguishable manner, and where universal accessibility is envisaged as a global state of the project experience, rather than a dedicated path made up of identifiable and visible solutions."

MICROHOME / Edition #10
Registration Deadline: Thursday, September 25, 2025
Submission Deadline: Wednesday, October 29, 2025

"Participants are tasked with designing an off-grid modular microhome for a young professional couple, a benchmark household size used in all MICROHOME competitions. The total floor area must not exceed 25 m², pushing designers to balance spatial efficiency, livability, and sustainability. The competition invites bold ideas that rethink residential architecture at its smallest scale—while maintaining comfort, innovation, and practicality. Designs should address real-world housing challenges, including sustainability, affordability, and adaptability. Projects may be set in any location globally, whether urban or rural, and should explore creative approaches to energy efficiency, off-grid functionality, and environmentally responsible material use."

Open Call: A NEW CROSSROADS FOR BAGHDAD - REIMAGINING THE CENTRAL RAILWAY STATION
Registration Deadline: Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Submission Deadline: Wednesday, October 1, 2025

"The Dewan Award for Architecture 2025 invites architects, designers, students, and emerging studios from around the world to reimagine Baghdad’s Central Railway Station — a historic landmark poised for transformation. This is more than a design challenge. It’s an open call to envision how architecture can honour the past while shaping the future. We welcome bold, context-sensitive proposals that balance heritage preservation with civic ambition, and architectural vision with urban integration."

Would you like to contribute competitions, award programs, or calls for submissions that aren't listed on Bustler yet? Send them directly to our team to review. We may include them in our next roundup.