The Studio Matrx Student Prize
Every month we set one small design challenge for architecture and design students — and award the best response. One or two sheets, one idea, real recognition: cash, a certificate, and your work published in the magazine. It is free to enter, open worldwide, and the brief changes with every issue.
This month's award
For Issue 08 · July 2026
This monthDesign a shelter the monsoon can't beat
Design a small shelter — a bus stop, a verandah, a market canopy, a courtyard pavilion — that does not fight the Indian monsoon but works with it. Show, in one or two drawings, how it sheds or harvests the rain, keeps people dry, and stays cool and usable when the first cloudburst arrives.
Make it real · Waterproofing, explainedMore than a prize
For a student, being published is portfolio gold
₹10,000 cash
A cash prize of ten thousand rupees to the winning student (or shared by a winning team) each month.
Certificate of merit
A signed Studio Matrx certificate — for your portfolio, your wall and your CV.
A memento
A Studio Matrx keepsake, posted to the winner anywhere in the world.
Published in the magazine
Your sheet runs in the next issue's Student Showcase, with your name and your school.
A winner's badge
A digital winner's badge to use on your portfolio, LinkedIn and CV.
A guest-judge critique
A short written critique of your entry from the month's guest architect.
How to enter
Free · one or two sheets · one emailRead this month's brief
The award and prompt are at the top of this page. Design to it.
Make one or two sheets
Assemble your drawing and a short rationale onto an A3 PDF. Keep it light.
Email your entry
Send the PDF before the deadline. We confirm every entry we receive.
Watch the next issue
Winners run in the following month's Student Showcase and are notified by email.
Judged each month by a practising architect — a different guest judge with every issue.
Deadline · 30 June 2026
The year of awards
Opens 3 months ahead · last date 1 month beforeEach month carries its own named award, themed to the issue. Every contest opens three months ahead and the last date is one month before its issue — so winners appear in the issue itself, and you can plan early. Win one and you are in the running for Student of the Year — December's flagship, drawn from the year's eleven winners.
Past winners
The archive begins nowThis is the very first Studio Matrx Student Prize. The winners' wall is empty — be the name that starts it.
Be the inaugural winnerThe rules
Simple, and the same every monthOpen to any architecture, interior or design student worldwide — diploma to postgraduate. Themes are India-rooted; entrants are not. Free to enter.
One or two A3 sheets (PDF) per monthly award, with up to 150 words of rationale. One entry per student or team (up to three) per award.
Each contest opens three months before its issue and the last date is one month before — so winners appear in that issue's Student Showcase. Plan early.
You keep full copyright of your work. Entering grants Studio Matrx permission to publish your sheet with credit if shortlisted or selected.
A practising architect guest-judges each month on the idea, the drawing, originality and fit to brief. The decision is final.
₹10,000, a certificate, a memento, publication, a winner's badge and a short critique. Eleven monthly wins feed December's Student of the Year.
Questions, answered
The rules, in plain wordsWho can enter?
Any student currently enrolled in an architecture, interior design, or design programme — diploma, undergraduate or postgraduate — anywhere in the world. The themes are rooted in India, but the contest is open globally. It is free to enter.
How heavy is the brief?
Deliberately light. Each monthly award asks for just one or two sheets — a sketch and a section, or a small concept board. You do not submit a full project. The point is a single strong idea, clearly drawn, so students of every year can enter. December's Student of the Year is the one fuller brief.
Can I enter as a team?
Yes — up to three students may submit one entry together. If a team wins, the ₹10,000 prize is shared and each member is named and certified.
How many entries can I submit?
One entry per student (or team) per monthly award. The theme changes every month, so you are welcome — encouraged — to enter again and again. Eleven monthly wins build toward December's Student of the Year.
When does each contest open and close?
Every monthly award opens three months before its issue, and the last date to enter is one month before — a two-month window, posted well ahead on the calendar above. Winners then appear in that issue's Student Showcase. This month, The Rain Shelter Award opened 1 April 2026 and closes 30 June 2026, featured in the July issue.
Who judges?
Each month's award is judged by a practising architect — a guest judge announced with the issue, often a voice from that month's interview. It means a credible name is attached to your win, and a different perspective each month.
Can I use AI tools?
You may use AI to explore ideas, as you would any reference. But the design thinking, the drawing and the words must be your own — entries that are wholly AI-generated will not be considered. Be honest about your process.
Who owns my work?
You keep full copyright of your design, always. By entering, you grant Studio Matrx permission to publish your sheet, with credit, in the magazine and on the platform if you are shortlisted or win.