Welcome!
Send Us a Drawing. Tell Us a Story. Win $2,500.
Introduction
At their best, architectural drawings are powerful visual storytellers, communicating a wide range of qualities about a building or space. With thousands of architectural images now at our fingertips, the One Drawing Challenge calls for submissions that defy convention, spark curiosity and make us pause to look closer. What kind of drawing captures the essence of a place? What can it tell us about the people that live, work and play within it? Can a drawing tell us a larger story about the cultural context of a home, city or country?
This is the One Drawing Challenge:
Can you capture a single drawing that tells a compelling story about architecture and its inhabitants?
Prizes
2 Top Winners — one student and one non-student
will each win the following:
$2,500
Cash prize
Featured Entry on Architizer Journal
Top Billing in the Official One Drawing Winner's Announcement (See last year's announcement)
An Exclusive Interview
A personal spotlight published in Architizer Journal. (See last year's interview)
2 Top Winners and 10 Commended Entries will all feature in our special Winners' Announcement on Architizer Journal. 100 finalists will be published in Architizer's major annual feature, 100 Drawings That Tell Powerful Stories About Architecture, to be distributed to Architizer's community including 100,000+ newsletter subscribers and 4+ million social media followers!
New for 2021, there will also be 8 Special Awards for originality in specific drawing formats, given to entrants in each of the 8 categories: Plan, Section, Elevation, Perspective, Parallel Projection, Sketch, Detail and Abstract. These drawings will be published in an additional editorial feature on Architizer.
Competition Brief
Your task is as follows: Create one drawing that communicates a new architectural proposal or existing piece of architecture, and the experience of those that would inhabit it. It can be located anywhere in the world and be at any scale. It can take any of the following forms:
Your drawing may depict a real or imagined space, place, building or group of buildings. As long as it portrays architecture in some form, it is eligible. Your drawing should be accompanied by a short, 150-word description of your proposal, which comprises your “story”. Your story should help explain what your drawing depicts, which could include: The type of architecture portrayed, where it might be located, who might inhabit it, what atmosphere it conjures, the essence it captures, and what makes it special.
Your drawing should be a minimum of 2000 pixels wide, with a maximum file size of 15MB. All the competition guidelines can be found here.
Competition Deadlines and Entry Fees
Competition Launch
Monday, June 14th 2021
Early Entry Deadline
Enter before Friday, July 2nd 2021
Students $35 | Non-Students $50
Main Entry Deadline
Enter before Friday, July 30th 2021
Students $45 | Non-Students $65
Final (Late) Deadline
Enter before Friday, August 20th 2021
Students $55 | Non-Students $75
Jury
The One Drawing Challenge Jury comprises practitioners and thought leaders from the worlds of architecture, design and technology, each with a special connection to drawing. The jury represents those leaders who are actively bringing architecture to the public today, both online and in the built environment. For entrants and winners, this is an opportunity to get their work in front of the people shaping how the world engages with architecture now and in the future.

Bob Borson, FAIA
Dallas architect Bob Borson is widely recognized as the blogger behind Life of an Architect — one of the world’s most popular architectural blogs.
Amanda Ferber
Amanda Ferber is a Brazilian architect who founded Architecture Hunter, one of the largest architectural Instagram pages in the world.
Ciel Hunter
Ciel Hunter focuses on supporting creators and artists, and in shaping storytelling of all forms. She was most recently at VICE Media.
Boryana Ilieva
Boryana Ilieva was a co-founder of architectural studio 11AM in Sofia, Bulgaria, developing single-family houses and condo interiors.
Paul Keskeys, ARB
Paul Keskeys is a registered UK architect, writer and editor based in New York City.
Wandile Mthiyane
Wandile Mthiyane is an Obama Leader, TedxFellow, architectural designer, social entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Ubuntu Design Group (UDG).
Chris Precht
Together with his wife Fei, Chris runs architecture studio Precht in the mountains of Salzburg, working on worldwide projects.
Suchi Reddy
Suchi Reddy, Founding Principal of Reddymade, established her firm in 2002.
Lora Teagarden, AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Lora Teagarden is a project architect at RATIO in Indianapolis, IN, a published author, creator of #AREsketches, and business owner.
Marc Tsurumaki, AIA
Marc Tsurumaki is a Founding Principal of LTL Architects, an award-winning partnership founded in 1997 and located in New York City.
Georg Windeck, RA
Georg Windeck is an architect and educator from Berlin, living and working in New York City. He is the author of Construction Matters (2016).
Bless Yee, RA
Bless Yee is an Associate at Handel Architects and the Non-Student Winner of the 2020 One Drawing Challenge.
James Wines
Renowned architect and artist James Wines is founder and president of SITE and has drawings exhibited in MoMA.
Dan Hogman
Dan is an architect, artist, and educator, founder of Studio Hogman, a multidisciplinary design and art studio.About Architizer
Home to the world's largest community of architects online, Architizer’s core mission is to empower architects with the tools they need to build better buildings, better cities, and a better world. We connect architects with building-product manufacturers and inspire them through our informative content, awards programs, and global reach spotlighting the world’s best architecture.
Competition FAQs
Check out the FAQ section for common questions about the competition. If you don't find the answer to your question there, please email us at competitions@architizer.com and we'll be glad to help.