The John Stewardson Memorial Fellowship in Architecture, in partnership with AIA Philadelphia and the Community Design Collaborative, is pleased to announce the 2026 design competition, Grounds for Debate. Coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the United States’ independence, this year’s competition asks participants to design an architectural intervention at Independence Mall that supports public gathering, debate, disagreement, listening, and collective imagining. The project positions architecture not as a backdrop for democracy, but as an active framework through which civic life is practiced, contested, and renewed. 

This competition offers a valuable opportunity for students and emerging professionals to engage with urgent questions around democracy, public space, power, historical memory, and access—while responding to one of the nation’s most symbolically charged sites. 

Eligibility Criteria and Eligibility and Fees below.

Key dates: 

• Monday, March 2, 12:00 PM Eastern: Registration deadline and deadline to submit questions. Questions must be emailed to [email protected] and will be addressed at the Charrette. Entrants must complete two forms: a Registration Form and an Eligibility Form. 
• Saturday, March 7: Design Charrette at the Independence Visitor Center, 599 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Philadelphia-based students and residents are expected to attend in person, and all participants who are able are strongly encouraged to join on site to fully engage with the discussion, site context, and collective exchange. Virtual participation will only be available for statewide and out-of-state competitors who are unable to attend in person. Participation in the Design Charrette is mandatory for entry into the competition. 
• Tuesday, March 31, 12:00 PM Eastern: Submission deadline. All projects must be submitted digitally by 12:00 PM EST. 
• Early June: Award notifications issued. 
• Late August: Results publicly announced. 
• Fall 2026: DesignPhiladelphia Festival opens with an exhibition featuring competition winners. 

By taking part in Grounds for Debate, participants will: 

• Engage Civic Questions – Explore how architecture can foster public discourse, disagreement, and democratic participation across differences. 
• Address Historical Complexity – Respond to the layered histories, absences, and erasures embedded within Independence Mall and the American founding narrative. 
• Experiment with Public Space – Investigate formal, informal, and adaptive spatial strategies that support assembly, debate, refusal, and repair. 
• Link Symbolism and Use – Develop proposals that balance architectural expression with operational clarity, access, and agency for diverse publics. 

Ultimately, participation in this competition goes beyond design—it is an invitation to imagine democracy as an unfinished, collective project and to consider how architecture can help shape its next 250 years. 
 
Eligibility and Fees:
All fees for schools, alumni, and participants are waived for this year. Entries may be submitted by individual competitors or by teams of up to three (3) members, provided that at least one team member meets one of the eligibility criteria listed below.  

• Individuals expecting to graduate in 2026 from a NAAB-accredited professional architecture degree program (e.g., M.Arch or B.Arch) located within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; or 
• Alumni of a NAAB-accredited professional architecture degree program in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania who graduated between 2021 and 2025, including those currently working in professional practice; or 
• Alumni of a NAAB-accredited professional architecture degree program outside the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania who graduated between 2021 and 2025, who are currently employed by an architect established and licensed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and who hold an active NCARB Record. 

Registration: Complete the following forms by Monday, March 2, 12:00 PM Eastern to participate: