Win an Ultimate Pass to AIA24!
Enter the #DesigningTogetherAIA24 social media contest!
Share your most innovative design ideas—new or old, doodle or digital sketch—on Instagram using #DesigningTogetherAIA24 to be entered to win a free Ultimate Pass to AIA24, plus $2,000 cash!
Show off your best design ideas
The design process is a deeply personal and creative journey, but it all starts with the idea.
The #DesigningTogetherAIA24 contest celebrates that early ideation phase where imagination and creativity converge to create real-world innovation. Whether it’s an idea on paper—a quick napkin sketch or an afternoon doodle—or a more well-formed digital Midjourney creation, submit your most innovative design idea (new or old) for a chance to win $2,000 cash and a free Ultimate Pass to AIA24 (a $1,899 value).
Potential design inspirations
Architects and designers draw inspiration from various sources to translate abstract concepts into tangible designs. Explore the following common idea sources to help spark your imagination.
- Nature: Considered the ultimate muse, nature has long been a source of inspiration for architects and designers—offering endless forms, patterns, and textures to emulate and reinterpret. From the fractal geometry of leaves to the organic shapes of seashells, the natural world provides a wealth of design inspiration.
- History: Ancient civilizations, classical architecture, and cultural heritage sites offer a rich tapestry of ideas and motifs. As Mark Twain wrote, “There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations. We keep on turning and making new combinations indefinitely; but they are the same old pieces of colored glass that have been in use through all the ages.”
- Art: An abstraction of nature, art in all its forms provides unexpected combinations that are forever inspiring through the juxtaposition of ideas, processes, and colors in a way that haven’t been before.
- Artificial intelligence: Generative AI is at the tip of every designer’s fingertips. Midjourney or DALL-E can take a simple prompt and within a split-second offer up a visualization you didn’t expect, and from which you can endlessly iterate. Show me a house made of solar panels and bamboo that incorporates biophilia—and voila, a visual idea is born in seconds!
- Doodling: It’s the old-fashioned back of the envelope or napkin sketch done wherever inspiration strikes—sipping on a latte or listening in on a zoom call.
Enter in three easy steps
Wherever your inspiration comes from, show us your visual idea on Instagram in the #DesigningTogetherAIA24 social media contest. There are no limits or requirements for submission— from something simple to something wild—all ideas are welcome.
Follow these simple three steps when posting on Instagram and you will be automatically entered for a chance to win an Ultimate Pass to AIA24, June 5–8.
- Pull out an old sketch or create something new in 5-10 minutes.
- Post it on Instagram using #DesigningTogetherAIA24 and #contestentry.
- Tell us what’s innovative about it in the description or headline.
Three lucky winners will receive an Ultimate Pass to AIA24, and first place will get an additional $2,000 in cash! The deadline to submit is May 3—don’t miss this incredible opportunity to attend the premier AEC industry event for free. For full details, visit the #DesigningTogetherAIA24 contest page.
Pro tip: Don’t overthink it! A quick doodle or AI-generated prompt may earn you a free pass to AIA24 where you can learn, network, and find inspiration for your next award-winning design!