Rules, terms & privacy

No purchase or fee required. Entry into the Competition is free. No payment is required to apply, submit, or be considered for any award.

Eligibility. The Competition is open to individuals, teams, firms, and organizations of any nationality, age (18+ unless participating under the supervision of a legal guardian or accredited academic program), and discipline, including but not limited to architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, public art, engineering, planning, and community design. Employees of BDC, the jury panel, and their immediate family members are not eligible to receive cash awards. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

How to enter. Complete and submit the application at /apply on or before August 23, 2026 · 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Late, incomplete, illegible, or inappropriate submissions may be disqualified at BDC's sole discretion.

Two-phase structure. Phase 1 is an open ideas phase. Selected Phase 1 applicants may be invited to participate in a separate Phase 2 design-build implementation phase governed by an independent agreement. A Phase 1 award does not guarantee Phase 2 selection, contract, or implementation.

Jury & selection. Submissions will be evaluated by a jury selected by BDC. Jury decisions are final, binding, and not subject to appeal. BDC reserves the right to issue fewer awards than published, to withhold any award if entries do not meet the published criteria, or to re-allocate prize amounts.

BDC's right to modify. BDC reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to modify, suspend, extend, postpone, or cancel the Competition or any portion of it (including deadlines, award amounts, evaluation criteria, or events) for any reason, including but not limited to insufficient quality of entries, force majeure, technical failure, or funding constraints. Updates will be posted on this website and constitute notice to all participants.

Compliance. Participants are responsible for compliance with all applicable laws, including export controls, tax obligations on any award received, and any regulations governing their profession or jurisdiction.

Original work warranty. By submitting, you represent and warrant that (a) the submission is your original work or that of your team; (b) you have all necessary rights, permissions, releases, and licenses (including from co-authors, collaborators, photographers, and any individuals depicted) to submit and to grant the license below; and (c) the submission does not infringe any copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, right of publicity, privacy, or other right of any third party.

Ownership. Subject to the license granted below, entrants retain ownership of the intellectual property in their submissions. Phase 2 implementation, if applicable, will be governed by a separate written agreement that may include additional IP terms.

License to BDC. By submitting, you grant BDC and its named program partners a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide, non-exclusive license to reproduce, display, distribute, publish, adapt, and create derivative works from the submission and your name/credit, in any media now known or later developed, for purposes related to the Competition, including without limitation: jury review, public exhibition, press, educational programming, social media, the project website, the project archive, fundraising materials, and reports to funders and the public. You waive any moral rights to the extent permitted by law in connection with these uses, on condition that BDC uses reasonable efforts to credit you.

Release. To the maximum extent permitted by law, you release BDC, its officers, directors, employees, jurors, program partners, sponsors, and contractors from any and all claims, liabilities, losses, and damages arising out of or related to your participation in the Competition, your submission, BDC's use of your submission as authorized above, or any award (or non-award) decision.

Public exhibition. Finalist and award-winning submissions may be displayed in physical and digital public exhibitions. Identifying information beyond your name, city, and team affiliation will not be displayed publicly without your permission.

What we collect. When you apply, we collect the information you provide on the application form (including name, email, phone, location, organization, portfolio link, team information, written narrative responses, and uploaded files). We also collect basic server logs (IP address, browser, timestamps) to operate the site and prevent abuse.

How we use it. We use this information to (a) review your application; (b) communicate with you about the Competition; (c) display submissions to the jury, finalists, and, if you are selected, the public per the Submission Terms; (d) operate, secure, and improve the site; and (e) report aggregate information to funders and the public.

Who sees it. Your application is accessible to BDC staff and the jury panel under confidentiality expectations. We may share information with service providers (such as hosting, email delivery, and file storage) acting on our behalf under appropriate protections. We do not sell personal information. We may disclose information if required by law or to protect rights, safety, and property.

Retention. Application materials are retained for the duration of the Competition and for a reasonable archival period thereafter. You may request deletion of your application subject to legitimate record-keeping needs.

Your choices. You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal information by emailing the contact below. You may unsubscribe from competition emails at any time using the link in any message we send.

Children. The Competition is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

BDC is committed to a respectful, harassment-free experience for all participants, partners, jurors, staff, and members of the public, regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, or socioeconomic background. Harassment, threats, intimidation, discriminatory language, plagiarism, and bad-faith submissions are grounds for disqualification and removal from Competition events. Report concerns to the contact below.

Renderings are illustrative. Concept imagery, renderings, and descriptive language published on this site are illustrative and do not represent final, approved, permitted, or funded designs. Actual built outcomes will be subject to design development, public review, regulatory approvals, environmental and engineering analysis, and applicable procurement processes.

Awards and budgets. All prize amounts, Phase 2 implementation budgets, and program funding figures are aspirational and subject to availability of funding, BDC board and partner approvals, and applicable contracting requirements.

As-is. This website and its contents are provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, express or implied. BDC makes no warranty regarding the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for a particular purpose of any information on the site, and is not liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or other damages arising from your use of the site or the Competition, to the maximum extent permitted by law.

Third-party links. Links to third-party sites are provided for convenience. BDC does not control and is not responsible for third-party content.

Governing law. These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Maryland, without regard to its conflict of laws principles. Any dispute will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Baltimore, Maryland.

For competition inquiries, legal questions, privacy requests, or to report a Code of Conduct concern:

gateways@baltimoredevelopment.com
Baltimore Development Corporation