The winning narratives of the first Fairy Tales Architecture Competition

Think you're too old for fairy tales? The submissions in Blank Space's first Fairy Tales Architecture Competition can make you believe otherwise.

The artistic storybook quality and intricate narratives of the entries came from at least two months of hard work from many of the participants -- with several of them being young non-architects, ages 18-34.

Out of over 300 entries from 50 countries, the jury of experts chose 3 top-prize winners:

• 1st PLACE (US$1,250): Chapter Thirteen by Kevin (Pang-Hsin) Wang and Nicholas O’Leary
• 2nd PLACE (US$600): Man and Ground by Anna Pietrzak
• 3rd PLACE (US$400): Oscar Upon A Time by Joseph Altshuler, Mari Altshuler & Zachary Morrison.

Ten Honorable Mentions were also awarded:

• Detroit S.A.R. by and Ya Suo Rania Ghosn
• The Secret Life of New World Towers by Berenika Boberska
• Hypnagogic set of events experienced by 132x12866y78z by Zygmunt Maniaczyk and Marcin Kitala
• Exordium by Posin Wang
• Endeavourism by Mark Rukamathu and Yarinda Bunnag
• Andy’s Window by JooYoung Ham and YooJin Lee
• Untitled by Irena Gajic, Tea Belicev, and Marta Gajic
• Ocularcentrism by Gianna Papapavlou
• The Metamorphosis of a Giraffe by Hannah Cook
• A "Flying" Fortress by Artur Dabrowski

Winners, Honorable Mentions, and select entries will be published in the first issue of Blank Space Magazine and other media outlets. Happily ever after, indeed.

Check out the winning narratives below.

1st PLACE: “Chapter Thirteen” by Kevin (Pang-Hsin) Wang and Nicholas O’Leary

 

"Mesmerizing, powerful images depict a bucolic yet futuristic world where a damsel in distress, Alice as a grown-up, is planning her escape from a setting that is no longer a wonderland, but a city that architecture has rendered unwelcoming and suffocating. Penning the 13th chapter to Carroll’s book, this submission actualizes a profoundly familiar fairy tale setting infused with new architectural forms, while elaborating on architecture’s failures and weaknesses."

For the full narrative, click here.
 

2nd PLACE: “Man and Ground” by Anna Pietrzak

"Minimalistic, evocative black and white images accompany a poetic analysis on the role of the ground as an architectural element, and as the co-protagonist of the architect’s life, as a man and as creator."

For the full narrative, click here.
 

Third Place: “Oscar Upon A Time” by Joseph Altshuler, Mari Altshuler & Zachary Morrison

"In this collaborative effort between two architects and an elementary schoolteacher, architecture is portrayed as a lifelong companion, changing shapes and growing alongside the protagonist of the story."

For the full narrative, click here.

Images courtesy of Blank Space Fairy Tales Architecture Competition

Click the thumbnails below to see the Honorable Mentions. You can also find their narratives here.