Introducing the sixth Architect’s Chair competition, an exciting opportunity for architects and designers to showcase their creativity, versatility, and design vision through the creation of a signature piece of furniture.

Developed in partnership with Stockholm Furniture Fair, the world’s leading platform for Scandinavian design, this edition offers participants the unique opportunity to engage directly with one of the most influential events in the international furniture and design industry.

Take a seat and make a statement!

Inspired by the long-standing tradition of architects extending their design philosophy beyond buildings and into furniture, the competition challenges participants to distill their architectural thinking into a single object – the architect’s chair. Throughout history, renowned architects such as Charles and Ray Eames, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Marcel Breuer, and Arne Jacobsen have created iconic chairs that embody their distinct design approaches.

The Architect’s Chair competition continues this tradition by inviting a new generation of designers to explore materials, craftsmanship, construction techniques, ergonomics, and innovation through the design of a chair that reflects their unique creative identity.

This sixth edition carries special significance through its collaboration with Stockholm Furniture Fair. The competition results evaluation process will take place in connection with the fair, bringing submitted projects into direct dialogue with one of the most important gatherings of architects, designers, manufacturers, and industry leaders. In addition, selected winning designs will be exhibited during Stockholm Furniture Fair, providing participants with an exceptional opportunity to present their work to an international audience and gain visibility within the global design community.

The sixth competition edition.

As part of an ongoing series dedicated to custom furniture design, The Architect’s Chair encourages participants to move beyond the traditional boundaries of architecture and engage with furniture as a medium for architectural expression. By creating a signature chair that embodies their personal design philosophy, participants contribute to the evolving relationship between architecture, design, and craftsmanship while joining a tradition that continues to shape the future of contemporary furniture design.

Download the full competition brief for more information!

Competition is open to all. No professional qualification is required. Design proposals can be developed individually or by teams (4 team members maximum). Correspondence with organizers must be conducted in English; all information submitted by participants must be in English.

Open to all. Register now.

As part of Buildner’s collaboration with Stockholm Furniture Fair, selected winning designs from The Architect’s Chair Edition #6 will be exhibited at one of the most prestigious and influential furniture and design events in the world. Widely regarded as the leading platform for Scandinavian furniture, lighting, and interior design, Stockholm Furniture Fair has been a cornerstone of the global design industry for decades, attracting thousands of architects, designers, manufacturers, retailers, developers, journalists, and decision-makers from nearly 100 countries. The fair is renowned for showcasing groundbreaking ideas, emerging talent, and industry-leading innovations, making it a key destination for anyone shaping the future of design. For winners, exhibiting at Stockholm Furniture Fair provides exceptional international exposure, valuable networking opportunities, and direct access to manufacturers, media, buyers, and industry leaders, offering a unique chance to gain recognition and establish meaningful professional connections on a global stage.

Brief

The competition brief is available for download at any time in the following languages: English, Italian, French and Spanish

FULL COMPETITION BRIEF [ENG] [FR] [IT] [ES]

Download brief

Ask questions to the jury panel directly!

This option is available to registered participants only.

If you are registered, please access your upload panel and look for the
Jury Questions & Answers section.

Ask to all.
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specific jury member
Ask questions about

The brief

Interpretation and intent of the competition brief

Your task

Key themes, priorities, or values considered during evaluation

Design help

General design approach or conceptual direction

Personal design assessment

Request an in-depth design assessment of your project after results are announced.

The design assessment highlights each project’s strengths and areas for improvement, giving participants valuable insight into their work. It helps them better understand their submission, compare it to other entries, and identify opportunities for growth in future projects.

Prizes

Total prize Fund

8,000 € + Exhibition at Stockholm Furniture Fair

1ST PLACE

3,500 €

2ND PLACE

2,000 €

3RD PLACE

1,000 €

Student award

1,000 €

(more details)

Sustainability award

500 €

(more details)

Honorable mentions

6 Honourable mentions & certificates

Publicity campaign

The Buildner’s extensive global publicity campaign for the competition winners:

Buildner's two million

The results are published on buildner.com, a leading website in the architecture industry, attracting over one million unique visitors annually. Additionally, the campaign extends to Buildner's social networks, which boast over 800,000 followers combined, and through newsletter campaigns reaching over 200,000 subscribers.

Feature in a book

Winners will be featured in the book.

Interview and movie

Winners will have the opportunity to submit a movie and an interview, boosting their recognizability and helping to build their name in the industry.

Extensive media network

Buildner leverages an extensive network of media industry leaders to publish the competition results. This broadens the audience further, ensuring that participants' work is showcased across multiple platforms known for their influence and reach in the architecture and design sectors.

Publicity

ArchDaily feature

As part of the collaboration between Buildner and ArchDaily, the competition winners will be showcased on ArchDaily, a leading architecture news platform.

This feature will greatly boost the winners' visibility to millions of architecture professionals and enthusiasts worldwide, increasing their chances for new opportunities, attracting new clients, and establishing their reputation in the industry.

Read more about Buildner and ArchDaily partnership
&

Publicity

Exhibition at Stockholm Furniture Fair

Selected winning designs will be exhibited at Stockholm Furniture Fair, one of the world’s most prestigious and influential furniture and design events. Recognized as the leading international platform for Scandinavian furniture, lighting, and interior design, the fair attracts thousands of architects, designers, manufacturers, buyers, media representatives, and industry leaders from around the globe each year.

Exhibiting at Stockholm Furniture Fair provides winners with unparalleled visibility, placing their work in front of key decision-makers and offering valuable opportunities for international recognition, professional networking, and future collaborations within the global design industry.

Eligibility

This international competition is open to architects, artists, and creatives from all backgrounds. Whether you are an emerging talent, an established professional, or exploring a bold new idea, your vision is welcome. All submissions must be completed in English to ensure fair evaluation.

Key dates

Send reminders

Registration fees

I'm
I will pay in
EARLY BIRD

17 Jun - 23 Jul

110 €

90 €

ADVANCED

24 Jul - 24 Sep

120 €

110 €

LAST MINUTE

25 Sep - 03 Dec

140 €

120 €

EARLY BIRD

17 Jun - 23 Jul

110 €

90 €

ADVANCED

24 Jul - 24 Sep

120 €

110 €

LAST MINUTE

25 Sep - 03 Dec

140 €

120 €

EARLY BIRD

17 Jun - 23 Jul

110 €

90 €

ADVANCED

24 Jul - 24 Sep

120 €

110 €

LAST MINUTE

25 Sep - 03 Dec

140 €

120 €

+4.5% VAT

 

STUDENT REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS

Contact us to receive special student rates for group registrations (discount applies for 3+ registrations from one university/school) and to receive further information and support for getting your students involved in architecture competitions. 

Send us ([email protected]) a request from your university email address and basic information about yourself and your university/school. Only recognized university staff can apply for the reduced student rate.

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Architecture competitions newsletter

Ask questions to the jury panel directly!

This option is available to registered participants only.

If you are registered, please access your upload panel and look for the
Jury Questions & Answers section.

Ask to all.
One collective jury answer
Ask a
specific jury member
Ask questions about

The brief

Interpretation and intent of the competition brief

Your task

Key themes, priorities, or values considered during evaluation

Design help

General design approach or conceptual direction

Participants in the competition are not required to submit images of an actual, physically built chair. Instead, you can simply submit final renders or other representations of your concept design.
The "Architect's Chair" competition suggests a chair designed by an architect, meaning it's a chair conceived and executed with an architectural perspective. The target audience for this chair could be anyone, not just architects. It's about applying architectural principles and thinking to the design of a chair.
Yes, any form of seating, including benches and stools, is acceptable for submission to The Architect's Chair competition. The competition brief is open to interpretation, and you are even welcome to reimagine the very process of sitting. We encourage creativity and innovation in all entries.
Absolutely not! You’ll always keep full ownership and authorship of your project. Submitting to a Buildner competition doesn’t mean giving up your rights — it simply gives us permission to share and promote your work as part of the competition. We may feature your project on our website, social media, newsletters, books, or exhibitions — all to celebrate your creativity and inspire others. This permission helps us give your work the visibility it deserves, without needing to ask you each time we publish it.
Click on "register now", fill in all the required fields, choose your payment method and submit your information. You will be forwarded to Paypal or CPS secure payment gateway, to cover the competition fee. Once we receive your payment, we'll send you an email with your username and password to upload your submission directly to the website.
You can add/remove/edit team member information as often as you want in the upload panel, up until the submission deadline.
Yes we are in the process of negotiating with multiple international industry-related media representatives. The list of media partners is constantly updated on our website, please check it regularly to find latest updates.
No. Competition entries are evaluated anonymously. The participant registration type is only revealed upon the announcement of the results.
Please contact us – [email protected] and we will address the problem directly.
The short answer is yes, you may submit a previously published design concept as long as you are the author. Before re-submitting your project, please carefully read the following clarification points listed here - architecturecompetitions.com/resubmit-your-design
As AI-generated images may be based on pre-existing work or generated using proprietary algorithms, it is best to check the specific terms and conditions of the AI tool used to generate the image to determine its ownership status. It may also be necessary to seek legal advice to fully understand the ownership rights and any restrictions that may apply. In general, it is not recommended to consider AI-generated images as your sole work or intellectual property unless you have obtained explicit permission to do so.
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Architecture competitions allow me to delve into something that I would normally would not be involved in within my professional work. It allows me to be creative and challenges me to think in new and exciting ways, giving me a sense of satisfaction that I would otherwise not get. It’s an opportunity to investigate, research and come up with solutions in an environment that allows for innovation, and at times without the restraints that stifle new imagined realities.

I take part in competitions to share my work and vision with a wider audience.

HONORABLE MENTION

I haven't participated to many, actually ver few. I don't have enough time and resources for it. However, I see them as a great opportunity to showcase your work and compare it with that of colleagues from other countries. Honestly, it is also a chance to recover part of the investment you make while creating something and to get more visibility.

HONORABLE MENTION

We participate in architecture competitions because they provide an opportunity to explore ideas beyond the limits of academic projects. Competitions encourage us to experiment with new concepts, challenge conventional thinking, and respond to real-world social and environmental issues. They also allow us to exchange ideas with the international design community and continuously improve our design skills through research and critical thinking.

We are entering a competition for the first time with several goals in mind: to challenge ourselves in developing new projects, to share our approach to design…We are entering a competition for the first time with several goals in mind: to challenge ourselves in developing new projects, to share our approach to design with a wider audience, and to receive critical feedback from external professionals in the field. We also find it particularly stimulating to engage with different design approaches, from which we can draw new inspiration and learn.

I participate in competitions to give myself an opportunity to creatively explore my ideas, while pushing boundaries of what is possible. I believe that it is important to challenge oneself to truly learn and grow.

SUSTAINABILITY AWARD

I believe that architectural competitions serve as a platform for exchanging diverse opinions around a single theme. That is why I am participating, striving to broaden the diversity of thought and create a new framework that breaks away from stereotypes.

To develop an idea that exists only as a sketch, with no client and no commercial brief behind it, and to get feedback from people I would not otherwise reach. A competition gives that a deadline and a destination.

Because it's the best way to test your creativity to the fullest without limitations.

Just as climbers ascend a mountain because it is there, architects participate in competitions because there are questions worth contemplating and researching. I also take part in this process to gain new insights, refine my ideas, and share the results with others. I have been inspired by the work and writings of many people, and I have continued my architectural journey based on those influences. With the hope that my ideas may, in turn, inspire someone else, I will continue to pursue architecture.

HONORABLE MENTION
Celebrate your idea. Register today!