Promotion: China's Ministry of Natural Resources and Shanghai Municipal Government have launched two competitions and an awards programme calling architects to submit projects that aim to transform Shanghai.

The Shanghai Urban Design Challenge (SUDC) is now open for entries and features a total prize of over ¥6 million.

As part of SUDC there are two competitions available to enter – the Typical City Block Urban Design Competition and The Micro Space Urban Design Competition. SUDC also includes an awards programme named Shanghai International Urban Design Awards.

Typical City Block Urban Design Competition is looking for urban designs for four typical types of small and medium-scale city blocks in Shanghai, each with a focus on urban renewal, green ecology, railway transit and rural revitalisation.

A total of four million prizes will be awarded to the winners, with the top prize amounting to ¥300,000.

The Micro Space Urban Design Competition invites entries to design a community pavilion with multiple functions – named Six Arts Pavilion – on two selected sites in Shanghai. The winner will be awarded ¥130,000.

Across the two competitions there are a total of 38 awards across six categories. Architects and students from all over the world are encouraged to enter.

The two competitions are now accepting submissions until 6 October 2023, with registration completed by 1 October. The judging process will take place in mid-October, followed by an exhibition of the winning entries in late October.

The competitions will be judged by a panel of leading experts in Chinese architecture and urban design, including university professors, senior experts from design institutions and architects in practice.

The award programme – Shanghai International Urban Design Awards – aims to celebrate urban planning with "practical interpretation" that have been executed in both Chinese and international cities.

Projects completed by institutions within the past five years are qualified to enter. The winners will be judged by influence and innovation in urban design. 18 awards across three categories – urban area design, city block urban design and specific urban design – will be awarded to the winners with a total of ¥1.5 million prizes. The award ceremony is scheduled for late November.

To join this year's challenge, participants can visit the official website of Shanghai Urban Planning and Natural Resources Bureau and click the "Urban Design Challenge" button at the bottom of the page.

Alternatively, participants can directly access the challenge portal here.

The photography is courtesy of Shanghai Municipal Government.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Shanghai Municipal Government as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.