New architecture and design competitions: Barbican Seeds in the City, McGill Libraries-Safdie Archives Research Grant, CTBUH China Awards, and Chicken Coop Competition

Bustler's curated picks of new architecture and design competitions this week feature four calls seeking top achievements in Chinese tall building design and urban innovation, research proposals requiring the use of the Moshe Safdie Archives at McGill University, ideas for the design, fabrication and installation of an experimental pavilion at the Barbican's St. Giles Terrace in London, and designs for an inventive, contemporary chicken coop.

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

CTBUH China Awards Program
Registration/Submission Deadline: Thursday, January 15, 2026

"Our inaugural China Awards Program spotlights the projects and practices pushing vertical urbanism forward, elevating performance, sustainability, and human well-being at a meaningful scale. Honoring the most advanced achievements in tall building design, technology, and urban innovation, it showcases China’s leadership in shaping the future of sustainable vertical cities and offers insights that will influence high-rise development worldwide."

McGill Libraries-Safdie Archives Research Grant
Registration/Submission Deadline: Friday, January 16, 2026

"McGill University is thrilled to announce the inaugural Safdie Archives Research Grant. The Grant is available to scholars, students, and practitioners whose project requires them to travel to Montreal to consult material in the Moshe Safdie Archives held at Rare Books and Special Collections. Each year up to $7,500 in reimbursement for travel and travel-related expenses will be made to one individual who requires a minimum of 2 weeks to carry out their research during the next fiscal year, (1 May - 30 April)."

Seeds in the City Barbican Competition
Registration/Submission Deadline: Thursday, January 22, 2026

"The competition seeks proposals for the design, fabrication and installation of an experimental pavilion to be built on St. Giles Terrace, next to the City of London Girls’ School (CLGS) and St. Giles Cripplegate Church. The pavilion will form part of the London Festival of Architecture 2026, running throughout June, and will support a programme of talks, workshops and educational activities focused on food growing, sustainability, climate change and community wellbeing."

Chicken Coop Competition
Registration/Submission Deadline: Saturday, February 21, 2026

"We, a group of ten hens (in collaboration with Outsider Magazine), are launching an architectural competition. We need a new chicken coop. Our living standard has not changed significantly for centuries: a few planks, some straw, and the simple logic of 'keep it covered and closed so the fox can’t get in.' While people debate living, sustainability, structure, materials, light, and microclimate, hens remain stuck in a kind of pre-modern era—which, let’s be honest, does not reflect well on the progress of architecture for animals. We are not asking for a skyscraper or a smart house. We simply want the coop to be architecture—one that clearly expresses how society understands its relationship to animals, landscape, comfort, natural materials, and everyday rituals."

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.