Shaping Water Competition

Dezeen Competitions: the Shaping Water Competition seeks designs for an installation celebrating the essence of water for Clerkenwell Design Week.

Organised by Dezeen in partnership with Villeroy & Boch and Ideal Standard, the contest challenges entrants to come up with bold and imaginative ideas for a large-scale installation for St John’s Gate, a prominent historic location in the heart of Clerkenwell, London, during Clerkenwell Design Week.

This competition is now closed

Organiser: Dezeen, in partnership with Villeroy & Boch and Ideal Standard
Competition: Shaping Water Competition
Judges: A panel of representatives from Dezeen, Villeroy & Boch and Ideal Standard
Submission deadline: 2 April 2025
Winner announcement: May 2025 (the winner will be notified in mid-April)
Prize: £5,000 prize plus £15,000 budget to realise the installation

Click here to find out more and enter ›

Competition overview

The Shaping Water Competition is a special opportunity for an architect or designer to create an installation in an extremely high-profile location during one of London’s most popular design events.

Entrants are tasked with creating an installation for St John’s Gate during Clerkenwell Design Week, which takes place on 20, 21 and 22 May 2025.

The installation should draw from the functional and aesthetic qualities of water to celebrate its dynamic nature and the transformative effect it can have on wellbeing.

The winning entrant will win a prize of £5,000 and a budget of £15,000 to realise their design for Clerkenwell Design Week. Shortlisted designs will be published on Dezeen and showcased in an exhibition at Ideal Standard’s Clerkenwell showroom.

Eligibility and judging criteria

The competition is free to enter for anyone over the age of 18 in any country around the world but, as the winning entrant must be able to realise the installation on site, it is intended for professional architects and designers.

The winning entrant must have public liability insurance of at least £5,000,000. In addition, entrants must ensure that they are able to be in London from 17 to 23 May in order to oversee the construction and deconstruction of the installation.

Judges will be looking for bold and imaginative ideas that address the following criteria:

• Design: How well does the entry answer the brief to celebrate the dynamic nature of water and the transformative impact it can have on wellbeing?
• Impact: How successful is it as an installation for the public realm and how well does it respond to the historic site?
• Feasibility: How realistic is it to construct for the budget?
• Sustainability: How does the design reduce or eliminate environmental damage?

How to enter

Contestants will need to submit the following information via an online form:

• A description of the design concept, explaining how it responds to the brief
• A key visual (drawing or render) that showcases the idea (if shortlisted, this will be published on Dezeen and included in the exhibition)
• Up to 14 supporting images (drawings or renders) that showcase the design and explain how it will function and be constructed
• Optional: a video showcasing the design
• Optional: a physical model of the design

The winning designer will also be required to create and submit additional material in order to receive necessary approvals from Clerkenwell Design Week, the local council and other stakeholders.

Shortlisted designers may be required to create and submit additional materials to be included in the exhibition.

Submission deadlines

All entries must be received by midnight BST (British Summer Time) on Wednesday 2 April 2025. Any entries received after this date will not be considered.

The winning entrant will be notified by mid-April, which will give them a month to work on realising the installation. Shortlisted entrants will also be informed at this time.

The finalists will be announced and published on Dezeen in May 2025.

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