Grounds For Debate | Competition Challenge

DEADLINE: Registration deadline until Monday, March 2, 2026 @ Noon

Important dates:

• Monday, March 2: Registration deadline and deadline to submit questions. Questions must be emailed to aW5mbyB8IGNkZXNpZ25jICEgb3Jn by March 2, 2026 and will be addressed at the Charrette.
• Saturday, March 7: Design Charrette at the Independence Visitor Center, 599 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19106.
• Tuesday, March 31, 12:00 PM Eastern: Submission deadline. All projects must be submitted digitally by 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (Noon).
• Early June: Awards notifications issued.
• Late August: Results publicly announced.
• Fall 2026: DesignPhiladelphia Festival opens with an exhibition featuring competition winners.

Participation in the Design Charrette on Saturday, March 7th is mandatory for entry into the competition.

Philadelphia-based students and residents are expected to attend in person, and all participants who are able are strongly encouraged to join on-site to fully engage with the discussion, site context, and collective exchange. Virtual participation will be available for statewide and out-of-state competitors who are unable to attend in person.

How will you attend the Charrette on Saturday, March 7th?

• In-Person Student Participant
• Remote Student Participant
• In-Person Alum Participant
• Remote Alum Participant
• In-Person Professional Volunteer
• Remote Professional Volunteer

We need clarity on who will be in person and who won't, directly through Eventbrite, for easy communication with the different participant categories.

By taking part in Grounds for Debate, participants will:

Engage Civic Questions – Explore how architecture can foster public discourse, disagreement, and democratic participation across differences.

Address Historical Complexity – Respond to the layered histories, absences, and erasures embedded within Independence Mall and the United Statesian founding narrative.

Experiment with Public Space – Investigate formal, informal, and adaptive spatial strategies that support assembly, debate, refusal, and repair.

Link Symbolism and Use – Develop proposals that balance architectural expression with operational clarity, access, and agency for diverse publics.

Ultimately, participation in this competition goes beyond design—it is an invitation to imagine democracy as an unfinished, collective project and to consider how architecture can help shape its next 250 years.

Upon registering, you must fill out this form ( https://www.tfaforms.com/5209852). In this form, please indicate whether you are working as part of a team. If you would like to be matched with other individuals to form a team, you will be able to indicate so on the form, and at the Charrette we will connect you with a potential teammate.

Your creativity is invaluable, and we want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to contribute to this transformative process!

Also check out other Contests in Philadelphia, Festivals in Philadelphia, Exhibitions in Philadelphia.