The RSA Student Design Awards STUDENT ARCHITECTURE COMPETITION

The RSA Student Design Awards

BRIEF

The RSA Student Design Awards is a global curriculum and annual competition for higher education students and recent graduates run by the RSA. Each year the Awards challenge emerging designers to tackle a range of design briefs focused on pressing social, environmental and economic issues.

We work closely with industry partners to develop the briefs, we help colleges and universities embed them in their curricula, and we support participants through workshops and mentoring. Winners are rewarded with cash prizes, paid industry placements, complementary RSA Fellowships and a range of other benefits to kick-start their careers. The competition has helped identify solutions and talent that have had a huge impact in the world.

SCHEDULE

KEY DATES

Aug 2018 – Briefs launch + register your interest online

Mon 14 Jan 2019 – Competition opens for submissions via www.thersa.org/sda

Wed 13 Feb 2019, 4 pm GMT – Deadline for ‘early bird’ submissions at reduced entry fee of £25

Wed 13 Mar 2019, 4 pm GMT – Final deadline for online registration + submissions (£35 entry fee)

20 Mar 2019 – Judging begins (2 stages: anonymous shortlisting + interviews with finalists)

May 2019 – Winners announced

Jun 2019 – Awards ceremony

AWARDS

The award for the winning submission/s varies from brief to brief, depending on what sponsorship is available. Some briefs carry cash awards, while others carry a mixture of cash awards and paid industry placement awards. These are distributed at the jury’s discretion.
All winners are invited to the Awards Ceremony at the RSA – which includes a keynote talk by a high profile figure, the presentation of the awards and a drinks reception with networking.
All winners also receive a year’s complementary RSA Fellowship, which means they can access the RSA’s networks and resources.

FEES

Early Bird Rate – for entrants submitting their work before or on 13 February 2019, the entry fee is charged at the reduced early bird rate of £25 per entry.
Standard Rate – after 13 February 2019 and until the final submission deadline on 13 March 2019, the entry fee is £35.
Voucher Codes – universities have the option pay for students’ entries. In order to do this, tutors should visit the ‘Tutors’ page on our website and complete the web form to request a voucher code. It is the responsibility of the tutor to distribute the voucher code to students, which they should then enter at the payment point when completing the online submission form.

JURY

Each RSA brief is judged in person by a different panel of designers, industry experts and social innovators in two stages: anonymous shortlisting, followed by interviews with finalists.

The RSA Student Design Awards STUDENT ARCHITECTURE COMPETITION