The organisers of the UIA 2026 Barcelona World Congress of Architects, the Consejo Superior de los Colegios de Arquitectos de España (CSCAE) and the Col·legi d’Arquitectes de Catalunya (COAC), invite architecture students worldwide to participate in the international single-stage ideas competition “Catalysts of Resilience.”

The competition is organised and conducted in accordance with UNESCO Standard Regulations for International Competitions in Architecture and Town Planning and the UIA best practice recommendations in the framework of the UIA 2026 Barcelona World Congress of Architectsthat will take place on 28 June - 2 July 2026.

Participants are invited to engage with the theme “Catalysts of Resilience” by addressing vulnerable places at risk of future habitational discomfort, inequality, or collapse. The competition calls for spatial interventions that support resistance and adaptation to foreseeable threats resulting from political shifts, social transformations, and climate change. Proposals should explore how resilience can be fostered by using time as a design tool.

Eligibility

The competition is open to any full-time registered students (individual or team) around the world. Multidisciplinary teams are encouraged. Only students of architecture, landscape architecture, urban design or urban planning can register as authors or co-authors. Students from other disciplines can register as collaborators. Participants may not be accompanied by tutors or teachers.

Official language

The official language of the competition is English. All form fields, text content of the submission, and supplementary information must be written entirely in English.

Jury

Josep Ferrando (Spain), Architect – Jury Chair

Tatiana Bilbao (Mexico), Architect

Marianna Rentzou (Greece), Architect

Sumayya Vally (South Africa), Architect – UIA Representative

Wtanya Chanvitan (Thailand), Architect

Alternate Jurors:

- Donn Holohan (Ireland), Architect

- Alejandro Vargas Marulanda (Colombia), Architect – UIA Representative

Professional Curatorial Advisors:

- Maria Giramé, Curator, UIA 2026 Barcelona World Congress of Architects

- Mariona Benedito, Curator, UIA 2026 Barcelona World Congress of Architects

Prizes

1st prize: 5000€ and a certificate.

2nd prize: 4000€ and a certificate.

3rd prize: 3000€ and a certificate.

4th prize: 2000€ and a certificate.

5th prize: 1000€ and a certificate.

The jury may also allocate honourable mentions up to five, as well as prepare a list of finalist proposals.

Schedule

Competition launch: 15 July 2025

Deadline for questions: 15 September 2025

Deadline for answers: 24 September 2025

Registration deadline: 07 November 2025

Submission deadline: 07 November 2025

Jury meeting and evaluation: November 2025

Announcement of results: January 2026

Exhibition: During the Barcelona Congress

Award ceremony: During the Barcelona Congress

Participation

Participants will be required to register via the UIA competition platform. Upon registration, competitors will receive a unique code to access and submit competition materials. There is no registration fee.

For more information about the UIA 2026 Barcelona Congress and its student competition, visit the website.

Top image in the article: *Collage of digitally manipulated images by Judit Musachs and Pol Pérez selected by the curatorial team.Images captioned clockwise: Bangkok Oportunistic Ecologies, drawing by Animali Domestici; Reino Mineral, drawing by Lluis Alexandre Casanovas; Closer Each Day: The Architecture of Everyday Death for The Canadian Centre for Architecture, drawing by Comon Acounts; Athens By Hills, drawing by Point Supreme; Nora House, drawing by Atelier Bow-wow; P.A.R.C, drawing by Adrià Escolano & David Steegman;  Isometric Fence Mount Fenell 1950; Phyla, drawing by TAKK; Jardins Elementaires, Villa Medici, drawing by Michel Desvigne; Cover from Athenian Primitivism, drawing by Al White.

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