The AIAS supports and sponsors design competitions to contribute to the education of all students. Competitions present unique opportunities to investigate and utilize building materials and design techniques from different perspectives or those that the student might not be familiar with already. Furthermore, participants can compete among students from a broad range of programs and be evaluated by diverse juries of experts. Competitions can also assist instructors with developing a repertoire of design challenges to use in studio courses.

Sponsored by the International Corrugated Packaging Foundation (ICPF), the program challenged students, working individually or in teams, to explore the use of corrugated cardboard (a non-traditional building material) in design and construction. Furthermore, the program encouraged students to explore careers in the corrugated box industry.

ENTRY DEADLINE:  Mar 15, 2009
OFFICIAL WEBSITE:  www.aias.org/chairaffair

Sponsored by Kawneer and administered by the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS), the program will challenge students to learn about building materials, specifically architectural aluminum building products and systems and their assembly in the design of a library. While open to any student, the competition is designed for advanced students. Total prize money is $7,225, including $2,500 for the winning design.

ENTRY DEADLINE:  Dec 03, 2008
OFFICIAL WEBSITE:  www.aias.org/kawneer/

The city of Beijing today played host to the 2009 Delta Cup – International Solar Building Design Competition. First held in 2007, the event was organised by the International Solar Energy Society (ISES), Chinese Renewable Energy Society, co-hosted by China National Engineering Research Centre for Human Settlements and the Special Committee of Solar Buildings of the Chinese Renewable Energy Society, the event is sponsored by the Delta Environmental & Educational Foundation (DEEF). Please note: click the "English" button in the upper right-hand corner to translate the website from Chinese to English.

ENTRY DEADLINE:  Jan 31, 2009
OFFICIAL WEBSITE:  www.isbdc.cn

Redesign the broken models of the 20th century. Challenge our patterns of living and working in a fuel-hungry world…come up with solutions that connect us, make us more efficient, more humane.

The Next Generation Design Competition is open to any designer or architect in practice for ten years or less, as well as design students. The $10,000 prize is intended to support designers whose entries reflect considerations of sustainability, distribution and manufacturing systems, economy, current technologies and materials, function, and provocative form and can speak to any one of the 6 sub-disciplines supported by the magazine—architecture, urban planning, landscape design, interior design, product design, graphic design.

ENTRY DEADLINE:  Jan 30, 2009
OFFICIAL WEBSITE:  www.metropolismag.com/nextgen/

Sponsored by AARP and the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS), the 2008-09 Livable Communities program will challenge architecture and planning students to learn about universal design and designing for an aging population. Total prize money is $18,450, including $6,000 for the winning design.

ENTRY DEADLINE:  Apr 11, 2009
OFFICIAL WEBSITE:  www.aias.org/aarp/

Sponsored by the Vinyl Institute and administered by the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS), the 2008 program challenged students to learn about materials, specifically vinyl building products, and their assembly in the design of a bicycle center for Denver. Participants will gained knowledge about building materials and products while exploring the AIAS FORUM 2008 theme, "Energy." More information will be on the Web site soon.

ENTRY DEADLINE:  Dec 03, 2008
OFFICIAL WEBSITE:  www.aias.org/vinyl