New architecture and design competitions: CTBUH Student Tall Building Design Competition, Timber in the City, AIA COTE Top Ten for Students Competition, and Concrete Masonry Competition

This edition of Bustler's curated picks of noteworthy architecture and design competitions features four calls seeking student-led designs of social and culturally-centric tall buildings in urban settings, innovative and sustainable wood-based structures by students, exceptional student design studio projects that integrate health, sustainability, and equity, and student-driven designs for a next-generation welcome center that integrates concrete masonry products.

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

CTBUH 2025 International Student Tall Building Design Competition
Registration/Submission Deadline: Monday, August 4, 2025

"The goal of the competition, which is open to all students who are currently enrolled at the university level, is to shed new light on the meaning and value of tall buildings in modern society. This year's competition focuses on “From the Ground Up: Tall Buildings and City-Making,” the theme of the CTBUH 2025 International Conference, to explore the multifaceted approach required to grow and transform cities, emphasizing that meaningful urban development transcends physical structures."

TIMBER IN THE CITY 6: Urban Habitats Competition
Registration Deadline: Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Submission Deadline: Wednesday, June 3, 2026

"The program is intended to challenge students, working individually or in teams, to reimagine the boundaries of wood construction in the urban environment, leading to the transformation of our existing cities through constructing sustainable buildings made from renewable resources, offering expedient affordable construction, innovating with new and traditional wood materials, and designing healthy living and working environments. Now in its sixth cycle, the series continues to push the urban potential of wood—this year by tackling the “missing-middle” gap between single-family dwellings and high-rise apartments."

2026 AIA COTE® Top Ten for Students Competition
Registration Deadline: Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Submission Deadline: Wednesday, June 3, 2026

"Each year, the competition recognizes ten exceptional student design studio projects that integrate health, sustainability, and equity, evaluated following the same categories of the AIA COTE® Top Ten Award for built work, and the AIA Framework for Design Excellence (now adopted as the basis of professional practice and awards across the AIA)."

2026 Concrete Masonry Competition: Welcome Center
Registration Deadline: Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Submission Deadline: Wednesday, June 3, 2026

"This design competition challenges students to envision a next-generation Welcome Center, crafted primarily from concrete masonry products. Far from ordinary rest stops, these centers are gateways to new experiences, offering a place of arrival, pause, and possibility. Your mission? Transform this essential welcome center into a dynamic landmark, multifunctional hub. The future Welcome Center must weave together a tapestry of uses: a beacon for visitor information, a culinary stopover with one or more restaurant outlets, a communal dining space, zones for rest and relaxation, child-friendly play areas, accessible restrooms, a pet relief station, emergency aid facilities, and critically, areas of refuge. It must be universally accessible, resilient in the face of change, and forward-thinking in its design.

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.