Architecture Thesis Competition
Your final-year thesis, judged on the strength of its idea, its research and the architecture it arrives at.
- Prize
- ₹50,000
- Entry, India
- ₹1,000
- Entry, outside India
- US$50
- Dates
- Announced soon
Dates and the entry form will be announced here.
The brief
A thesis is the first time most architects choose their own question. This competition is for the ones that chose well: projects that start from a real problem, follow it through honest research, and arrive at architecture that could only have come from that question.
There is no set theme. Housing, public space, adaptive reuse, landscape, infrastructure, speculative work: all are welcome. What matters is the line from question to building, and how clearly you show it.
We are looking for thinking more than rendering. A clear diagram that explains a decision will count for more than a polished image that hides one.
Who can enter
Final-year architecture students, and graduates who completed their thesis in the last two years.
What to submit
- Up to 5 A2 sheets (landscape), as a single PDF under 30 MB.
- A written abstract of 300 to 500 words: the question, the site, the approach and what you found.
- A short statement from your thesis guide or institution confirming the work is yours (a letter or email is fine).
- No names, college logos or other identifying marks on the sheets: judging is anonymous.
How entries are judged
| Strength and relevance of the question | 25% |
| Depth and honesty of the research | 20% |
| Architectural resolution: plan, section, material, structure | 30% |
| Clarity of presentation | 15% |
| Originality | 10% |
Rules
- One entry per person. Group theses may enter together; the prize is shared.
- The work must be your own thesis. Drawings and images made by others must be credited.
- Rendering and image tools are fine, but entries whose ideas or text were generated by AI will lose points, and undeclared AI use can disqualify an entry.
- You keep the rights to your work. By entering you allow Design IRL to show it, credited to you, on the site and in announcements.
- Entry fees are not refundable.
Fees
₹1,000 for entrants in India, US$50 for entrants outside India. The ₹50,000 prize goes to the winning entry.