re:CONNECT – An Open Ideas Competition

Sponsor: The City of Vancouver
Type of competition: Open, international, ideas
Language: English
Location: Vancouver, BC
Eligibility: Urbanists of all professions and backgrounds, architects, intern architects, designers, students and creative thinkers among the general public are invited to submit proposals. Entrants will be able to participate individually or in groups. There is no limit on the number of participants in a group entry. Interdisciplinary teams are encouraged.
Registration Fee: Two options offered:
“Free” – No entry fee. Jury selected winners, but no cash prizes
“Fee” – $65 entry fee. Jury selected winners, with cash prizes for top idea in each category totaling $10,000
Timeline:
22 September 2011 – Competition launched
13 October 2011 – Questions deadline
20 October 2011 – Answers to questions posted on website
2 November 2011 – Registration deadline
4 November 2011 – Submission deadline
9 November 2011 – Jury deliberation
21-25 November 2011 – Online voting for People’s Choice Award
1 December 2011 – Celebration event with guest speakers and presentation of winning entries

Jury:
Allan Jacobs – Author, Urban Design and Planning Consultant
Patricia Patkau, MAIBC – Architect and Founding Partner, Patkau Architects
Joe Hruda, MAIBC – Architect and Founding Partner, CIVITAS
Tom Hutton – Professor, Centre for Human Settlements & School of Community and Regional Planning, UBC
Rob Bennett – Executive Director, Portland Sustainability Initiative
Awards: One winner for each of three categories:
“Connecting the Core”  – $5,000
“Visualizing the Viaducts” – $3,500
“The Wildcard” – $1,500
Design challenge: re:CONNECT challenges the public and design community to generate ideas about the land lying to the east of Vancouver’s downtown core, and the two viaducts that connect the downtown to this area. The three categories will look for solutions on a large scale (False Creek Flats), small scale (Viaducts), and a wildcard category where anything goes. Prize money is $5000, $3500, and $1500 for the three categories.
Submission requirements:
  • Submissions must be received digitally, as either a PDF or JPEG
  • Submissions must contain two (2) A1 sized panels (594mm x 841mm)
  • Content on panels must be oriented in portrait-style
  • For both streams, submission panels must integrate text that identifies the goals pursued and the challenges addressed:
      • The ‘fee stream’ may contain up to three paragraphs, each no more than 100 words
      • The ‘free stream’ may integrate up to 600 words maximum into their panels.
  • Clear visual communication of the idea is required in both streams
  • Applicants must include as part of their submission, a small square JPEG (approximately 1024 x 1024 pixels) to act as a thumbnail reference for the online public voting gallery
  • In addition, a written summary of up to 70 words must be submitted as a reference for the voting gallery
  • Participants are permitted to upload revised material but the previous submission will be overwritten
  • All panels must be submitted entirely anonymously and be void of any identifying text, logos, or other graphics. (see more detail below)
  • Each submission must be clearly directed to a single award category. A single submission cannot be entered in multiple categories; however an applicant may enter unique submissions in each category. In the ‘fee stream’ an applicant is required to pay the fee only once to enter one submission in each category
For more information, go to: www.vancouver.ca/reconnect

E-mail: reconnect@vancouver.ca