Mayor's Urban Design Awards
The Mayor’s Urban Design Awards (MUDA) celebrate excellence in urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, planning and public art in Calgary. Established in 2005, the awards aim to highlight innovative, inclusive and high-quality urban design that shapes Calgary into a livable, attractive, memorable and functional city.
The awards program is offered in partnership with the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC). Winners in many of the award categories at the municipal level are eligible, and invited to participate in, the National Urban Design Awards, hosted by the RAIC.
Save the date for the 2026 MUDA Gala – November 18, 2026. Tickets on sale soon.
We are accepting submissions for the 2026 Mayor’s Urban Design Awards
The deadline to submit projects to the 2026 Mayor’s Urban Design Awards is August 17, 2026, at 4 p.m. MDT.
Submissions must be uploaded, entry fee paid, and meet the listed submission requirements to be considered.
Submission requirements
General
- Submissions should clearly present the creative solutions to help the jury make informed decisions related to each of the jury evaluation criteria.
- Submissions must be anonymous. Do not put the firm name or any other identifier on any documents in the submission.
- Make sure images do not contain any identifiable private individuals.
- No video clips will be accepted.
- You can submit your project in any or all the categories it qualifies for. All entries will require a separate entry form and fee together with and associated visual and written materials.
- Projects may be submitted multiple times over various years if they have not been awarded previously and are six years or less from conception. If a project has received an award in a conceptual category then a resubmission may be made for the built work.
- Submissions will be accepted from students enrolled in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, planning or related programs in the last two years, as per eligibility.
- There is a $150 submission fee per entry. Student entries are free.
Written materials
Each item must be saved as a single PDF file, in minimum 11- point font:
- Eligibility Statement
- A brief statement summarizing the applicability of the project to the award category and highlighting how the project responds to the defined award criteria
- Maximum 250 words
- Project Description
- A summary which includes the project site and context, intent, design concept and descriptions of features which respond directly to the award criteria
- Describe how the design meets the expectations of the Urban Design Elements described in Calgary’s Guide to Urban Design Review
- Maximum 500 words
- This summary may be used by the City to prepare promotional material exclusively for the MUDA program
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Visual materials
Should fully explain the project, and include:
- One Digital Presentation Board – PDF image, size A1
Each team is to determine what information is needed to communicate their project most effectively. Suggested visual materials to be included on the board:- Clear and well annotated concept and/or masterplans
- Site plans and/or photo imagery to communicate the project location and context
- Annotated landscape / site plans
- Floor plans and/or building sections which best convey the urban design impacts
- Project elevations and perspective renderings which fully describe the project and clearly show the relationship to the public realm
- Accurate portrayals of materiality and details
- Photographs of completed projects
- Written annotations to describe the design features or components
- Each board must be saved as a single PDF of high resolution (150 dpi or above)
- Design Drawings – Up to three sheets, PDF
- All plans, maps, sections and elevations must have a scale applicable to that drawing
- Sheets should include a maximum of four drawings chosen to illustrate significant design elements in greater detail than the presentation board format allows
- These materials to be used for adjudication only, not for exhibition or promotion
- Photographs or Renderings – Up to six individual images
- Minimum image size 1000px x 1000px; Maximum image size 2500px x 2500px
- Images must be submitted in either JPEG, TIFF, GIF, PNG, or PDF format. No video-clips will be accepted
- Images are intended for the purpose of online viewing only (print resolution is not needed)
Document formats
- Make sure all individual files are in a folder with the following naming format for upload:
- Photographs should be submitted using the following naming format: Photo_description-photographer_credit.jpg
- All other files should be submitted using the following naming format: Award_Category-Material_Category-Material_NumberItem_number.pdf
- Maximum file size: 100 MB
Award categories
Read about this year’s Jury.
For the 2026 MUDA, a biennial awards program, there are 10 categories.
Civic design projects
This category recognizes a civic improvement project such as a park, a public space, civil engineering or infrastructure project. The design will reinforce the value of urban design through the creation of an innovative public realm which addresses inclusivity, sustainability, and engagement with community and context.
A construction project completed or installed after August 17, 2021, within Calgary. Submissions must be led by a registered design professional (architect, engineer, planner or landscape architect).
Award criteria
- Positive contribution to the public realm
- Design excellence
- Demonstration of the value of urban design and its ability to creatively address equity, inclusivity, accessibility and climate resilience, while engaging with its context
Winners in this award category will be invited to participate in the RAIC National Urban Design Awards program.
Community initiatives
This category is for any built project or community improvement program, however modest, initiated and implemented by a community-based organization or partnership that enhances the public realm. Streetscaping, public art, commemorative or interpretive installations, and environmental initiatives are examples of this category.
Eligibility
The improvement must have been completed after August 17, 2021, within Calgary.
Award criteria
- Wide community involvement: Demonstration of how the community was involved and supported the improvements
- Positive contribution to the public realm
- Innovation and uniqueness of the built project
- Design rationale should be clearly described and well-illustrated
- Reflects neighbourhood culture and resident diversity
Winners in this award category will be invited to participate in the RAIC National Urban Design Awards program.
Conceptual or theoretical projects
This category is for a plan or a study of a site or area within Calgary that provides a strategy for urban transformation. It is intended for unbuilt work and is not dependent on implementation status. Visionary urban design studies, master plans, development proposals, redevelopment strategies and community plans of high ambition and inspirational value may be submitted.
Eligibility
The plan, study or proposal must have been completed after August 17, 2021, within Calgary.
Award criteria
- Employs a holistic, systemic approach to city-building
- Demonstrates critical thinking and strategic foresight to address current and future challenges
- Reflects the city that Calgary aspires to be - inclusive, diverse, equitable, adaptable and resilient
- Clearly describes and illustrates design concepts
Housing innovation
This category is for residential design projects, constructed or approved, of any size or scale, which demonstrate innovation in the areas of neighbourhood intensification, accessibility, affordability, “aging in place”, and promoting wellness through healthy living environments. Particularly, the award focuses on designs which contribute to providing creative solutions to the problem of housing affordability, providing improved livability for seniors, and providing simple, viable housing design options for those citizens facing mobility challenges.
Eligibility
A building or complex of buildings approved or completed construction after August 17, 2021, within Calgary.
Award criteria
- Exhibits innovations which address one or more of the challenging design issues listed above
- Illustrates an awareness of and response to existing surrounding context
- Contributes to the public realm in a positive way
- Strives to achieve a healthy and high quality of life for its occupants through design innovation
- Supports social outcomes and/or community well-being through partnerships or collaboration
- Design rationale should be clearly described and well-illustrated
Winners in this award category may be eligible to participate in the RAIC National Urban Design Awards program.
Urban architecture
This category recognizes a building or group of buildings that contribute to, and support, an urban design initiative. The submission may be for an individual building or group of buildings, of high architectural standard, which achieve urban design excellence through their unique relationship with their immediate surroundings because of siting, massing, and pedestrian amenities. The building(s) will also contribute to defining a special relationship with the neighbouring urban fabric. Interior spaces can be included if they have a strong relationship to/influence on the public realm and meet the criteria.
Eligibility
A new building, a renovated building, or complex of buildings completed after August 17, 2021, within Calgary. Submissions must be led by a Registered Architect.
Award criteria
- Positive contribution to the public realm
- Architectural excellence
- Demonstration of the value of urban design through their unique relationship with/influence on/creation of public realm
- Design rationale should be clearly described and well-illustrated
Winners in this award category will be invited to participate in the RAIC National Urban Design Awards program.
Urban design plans
This category recognizes a plan or a study of an area within Calgary that provides a development or redevelopment strategy for urban transformation. It is intended for work that has some certainty of implementation within a mid-term to long-term timeframe. Urban Design studies, master plans, redevelopment strategies, and community plans of high inspirational value with the potential for significant impact on the city’s sustainability or development may be submitted.
Eligibility
The plan or study must have been completed after August 17, 2021, within Calgary.
Award criteria
- Addresses a wide range of factors affecting development
- Highlights new ideas and/or approaches to interventions in the city
- Addresses Calgarians’ shared priorities and vision around inclusivity, diversity, equity, climate, and resilience
- Design rationale should be clearly described and well-illustrated.
Winners in this award category will be invited to participate in the RAIC National Urban Design Awards program.
Urban fragments
Urban fragments are single or multiple small-scale pieces of a building or landscape that contribute significantly to the quality of the public realm. This category includes elements such as street furniture, lighting elements, interpretation media, memorials, public art, or other forms of intervention that contribute to the beautification, sustainability, enjoyment, and/or appreciation of the urban environment. Projects can be of a temporary (but not ephemeral) or permanent nature.
Eligibility
Completed or installed after August 17, 2021, within Calgary.
Award criteria
- Positive contribution to the public realm
- Design excellence
- Innovation and uniqueness of the element
- Design rationale should be clearly described and well-illustrated
Winners in this award category will be invited to participate in the RAIC National Urban Design Awards program.
Student projects
Submissions may be made directly from individual students or groups of students enrolled in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, planning or related programs. Students and student groups may also be nominated by their schools to submit. Submissions must be the result of a studio project or a final project or thesis.
Eligibility
This category is open to students enrolled in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, planning or related programs, at the undergraduate or graduate level, after August 17, 2024.
Awards will be given for student work completed at both the undergraduate and graduate level; however, only students at the graduate level will be invited to participate in the RAIC National Urban Design Awards program.
Projects must investigate sites or be implementable on sites within Calgary.
Award criteria
- Comprehensiveness: Addressing a wide range of factors affecting development and providing solutions to the stated problem
- Conceptual clarity and urban design excellence, as demonstrated in the illustrations showing physical improvements
- Design rationale should be clearly described and well-illustrated
Climate resilience
Confluence award
Lastly, the jury may select up to two projects, from any category, to receive a Confluence Award. Awards in this category will be given to a public space, building, or group of buildings that embody urban design excellence and creativity through awareness of the Calgary context, particularly its history and culture. Award winners will embody visionary city-building and aspire to be culturally and historically reflective and aesthetically significant.
Liveable cities are an organic collaboration of nature and design. They hold our memories of long walks and warm welcomes, the safe places where we played with friends, and the open pathways that drew us into the future.
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More Information
For more information and to speak to someone in regards to these opportunities, please contact:
Email: MUDA@calgary.ca