The 2026 Young Architects Studio Competition

Welcome to the Young Architects Studio Competition 2026!

Now in its 16th year, the goal of this competition is to engage young architects, emerging design professionals, and students to find new and innovative ways to approach a regional design challenge.

 

ACCESS THE SUBMISSION FORM

Download 2026 Submission Criteria

The Prompt

“Growing Hazelwood Green: Designing a People-First Mixed-Use Edge for Greater Hazelwood”

Pittsburgh has spent decades working to reverse population loss and strengthen neighborhoods that can support long-term growth, affordability, and economic opportunity. Greater Hazelwood sits within that larger citywide effort, as a neighborhood that can help absorb future growth while protecting the residents and community fabric that already give the area its identity.

Greater Hazelwood’s neighborhood plan calls for development without displacement, improved public spaces, and stronger connections between Hazelwood Green and the rest of the community. The plan also emphasizes that Hazelwood Green should be fully integrated into the neighborhood, not separated from it.

This competition challenges architects and designers to propose a design intervention that expands Hazelwood Green in a way that directly benefits existing residents’ day to day life while welcoming new growth and community benefits. The proposal should define a vision that supports daily neighborhood life, local entrepreneurship, and public gathering.

The Challenge:

How can one design intervention help Hazelwood Green contribute to Pittsburgh’s long-term population growth while also strengthening Greater Hazelwood as a livable, inclusive, and community-centered neighborhood?

Designers are asked to envision a multi-use, adaptable structure or system within Hazelwood Green that serves both new development and long-term residents. The project should help connect Hazelwood Green with Hazelwood Avenue, Second Avenue, and surrounding community assets, creating a more connected neighborhood fabric.

The design should reflect Pittsburgh’s broader economic shift toward technology, robotics, and advanced research, while ensuring that growth remains locally beneficial. Hazelwood Green is already becoming part of that innovation economy through Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Innovation Center and related partnerships, which position the site as a major destination for robotics, testing, and community engagement.

Designers should consider how development can increase neighborhood vitality without displacement, support existing residents through year-round amenities, and create spaces that reflect Hazelwood’s history, culture, and evolving identity. The proposal should also prioritize accessibility, sustainability, and resilience as part of a neighborhood-focused growth strategy.

The Site:

Designers are encouraged to select or propose a site within Hazelwood Green or along the Hazelwood Avenue and Second Avenue corridors, considering how the project can connect the district to the broader Greater Hazelwood neighborhood and surrounding areas. The site should take advantage of existing transit access, neighborhood gateways, and opportunities for walkability, public space, and street-level activation.

Short-Term Impact:

    • Accommodate neighborhood activity and visitor use through community-serving amenities.
    • Support local entrepreneurship.
    • Improve street-level presence and engagement along Hazelwood Avenue and Second Avenue.

Long-Term Value:

    • Provide year-round amenities that serve residents, workers, and visitors.
    • Foster inclusive public use across ages, incomes, and backgrounds through spaces that support everyday life and neighborhood gathering.
    • Strengthen Hazelwood Green’s connection to Greater Hazelwood and surrounding area by reinforcing affordability, walkability, and neighborhood-serving growth.
    • Flexible economic hubs and adaptable civic amenities are encouraged.
    • Consider potential city institution partnerships.

Resilient Design:

    • Incorporate climate-responsive strategies that improve comfort, reduce environmental impact, and help manage stormwater and heat.
    • Design for flexibility and adaptability so the project can evolve with changing neighborhood needs over time.
    • Support green infrastructure, tree canopy, and durable materials that contribute to long-term neighborhood health and environmental resilience.

Alignment with Pittsburgh 2050:

    • Livability: Improve quality of life through accessibility, beauty, and utility.
    • Resilience: Anticipate and adapt to climate and economic shifts.
    • Equity: Ensure spaces are welcoming and useful for all residents.
    • Opportunity: Foster jobs, entrepreneurship, and local economic growth.

1. Pittsburgh 2050 Comprehensive Plan

2. AIA Framework for Design Excellence

3. AIA Guides for Equitable Practice

4. Hazelwood Neighborhood Plan

5. Pittsburgh’s Challenges

6. Future Impacts on City Industry

Enter the competition as an individual or create a design team!

Entrants are welcome to submit individual entries or design team entries. Individual entries must come from either an architecture graduate, or undergraduate/graduate student.

Architecture Graduates: 

Individual architecture graduates, who have been out of school for no more than ten years, are eligible to enter this competition. Entrants may or may not be licensed to practice architecture. AIA membership is not required, however, entrants must be located within AIA Pittsburgh’s 11-county chapter area.

Architecture Students:

Individual architecture undergraduate or graduate students, who are currently enrolled in an architecture program, are eligible to enter this competition. AIAS membership is not required, however, entrants must be currently studying in or have a home address within AIA Pittsburgh’s 11-county chapter area.

Design Teams:

The teams must be led by an architecture graduate and/or student. Teams can include graduates, who have been out of school for no more than ten years, or undergraduates/graduate students in a design industry related field which can include, but is not limited to, engineers, landscape architects, or artists. All team members must be located within AIA Pittsburgh’s 11-county chapter area.

The entry fee for each project is $35, which includes one ticket to the Design Pittsburgh 2025 ceremony. If submitting a group project, tickets for additional group members can be added for $20 per person.

All judging will be completely anonymous.

Judges will consider the following:

  • Comprehensive quality of the design proposal, including the written statement
  • Clarity of the narrative. How and why did you choose your scope/criteria?
  • How well the design solution communicates its vision and details of the proposal
  • Creativity of the design, materials, explanation, and solution
  • The rigor and level of detail expressed in the design proposal, relative to the chosen scale of inquiry

The YASC entries will be judged by measuring the architect’s performance against each project’s potential and not in competition with each other. Thus, each project will be assessed based on the designer’s skill in optimizing their unique design opportunity.

    • Award of Excellence – One Award of Excellence will be given to the participant that demonstrates a mastery of design in responding to the competition design prompt, and creates the most inspiring, innovative, and creative overall proposal.

The winner (or winning team) will receive a check for $500.

 

All project entries will be submitted via DropBox.

  1. Submit a submission request form along with the entry fee. See submission request form for details.
  2. Once AIA Pittsburgh has received your submission request form, you will receive an email inviting you to submit to your personalized YASC DropBox folder.

Note: If you do not have a DropBox account, you will be prompted to create one when you receive the invitation. 

Deadlines

Monday, September 21, 2026, 4:00PM: Submission Request Forms must be submitted to the AIA Pittsburgh office by 4PM. Please submit by email to info@aiapgh.org with subject “2026 YASC Submission Request”

Sunday, September 27th, 2026, 11:59PM: Project submissions must be received by AIA Pittsburgh via DropBox by midnight to be eligible for judging.The winner will be announced at the Pittsburgh Design Awards. 

For each project entry, please include the following items in your electronic submission folder via DropBox.com:

Design Submission:  For Jury Use. There should be no reference to the author’s identity in any of the Design Submission files.

  • One file formatted to 34” x 34” at 300 dpi, saved as a PDF. This file can contain text and imagery. It should focus on visual impact, as this will be displayed in the Design Pittsburgh exhibition viewed by the general public and the architecture community. This is also the main exhibit which will be accessed by the jury.  File name shall be labeled:
    • YASC25_ProjectTitle_Exhibit.pdf
  • The written summary sheet must synthesize the Design Submission as an at-a-glance synopsis, which includes the Thesis Statement (see below). This should be a written work, without any images, not to exceed one 8.5 x 11 sheet. File name shall be labeled:
    • YASC25_ProjectTitle_Summary.pdf

Publication & Print Images:  Images used for print, web, and exhibit publication should be the best representation of the designer’s solution to the design challenge. These may be shared with media outlets, shown in an AIA digital gallery, or shown in AIA social media channels.

  • Two image files not to exceed 2000 x 2000 pixels each, at 150 dpi, saved as a JPG or PNG. File name shall be labeled:
    • YASC25_ProjectTitle_Media_01.JPG
    • YASC25_ProjectTitle_Media_02.JPG
  • Thesis Statement – Description of the proposal in 500 words or less, to be quoted for publication (print, web, social media, etc).
    • YASC25_ProjectTitle_ShortDescription (word or text file)

AIA Pittsburgh assumes no liability for original drawings and other submission materials or loss or damage to any part of the submission. AIA Pittsburgh retains the right to reproduce any of the submission materials in its publications, educational programs, and web site, and guarantees that credit will be given to the designer. Please check all information for correct spelling and accuracy since it will be used for publication. By making a submission, the entrant agrees that the information contained in this form is correct and complete, and that the entrant will hold harmless AIA Pittsburgh for any and all damage arising out of the use of the information contained herein. Any errors or omissions are the complete responsibility of the entrant. The entrant further certifies that permission has been obtained from the owner, developer, and photographer of the project to publish photographs, drawings, and other information included in the submission (and releases and authorizes AIA Pittsburgh to use all such materials).