Dezeen, Villeroy & Boch and Ideal Standard launch Shaping Water Competition

Dezeen has teamed up with Villeroy & Boch and Ideal Standard to challenge architects and designers to create an installation celebrating the essence of water for Clerkenwell Design Week.

The Shaping Water Competition tasks entrants with creating a large-scale installation for St John's Gate, a prominent historic location in the heart of Clerkenwell, London, during this year's Clerkenwell Design Week festival.

The winning entrant will win a prize of £5,000 and a budget of £15,000 to realise their design for Clerkenwell Design Week, which takes place on 20, 21 and 22 May 2025.

This makes the Shaping Water Competition a special opportunity for an architect or designer to create an installation in an extremely high-profile location during one of London's most popular design events.

In addition, a shortlist of the best ideas will be published on Dezeen and showcased in an exhibition at Ideal Standard's Clerkenwell showroom.

Competition open for entries until 2 April

The Shaping Water Competition is open for entries now and entrants have until 2 April 2025 to submit their designs.

The contest is free to enter for anyone over the age of 18 in any country around the world but, as the winning entrant must be able to realise the installation on site, it is intended for professional architects and designers.

In addition, entrants must ensure that they can be in London from 17 to 23 May to oversee the construction and deconstruction of the installation.

Full details of how to enter the challenge can be found in the competition brief and rules.

Entrants tasked with capturing the essence of water

The installation should draw from the functional and aesthetic qualities of water to celebrate its dynamic nature and the transformative effect it can have on wellbeing.

It should be a striking and captivating piece of design for the public realm that makes the most of the historic location to create an enjoyable installation for Clerkenwell Design Week visitors and other passersby.

The design must include a representation of water in some way.

Entrants are free to create a functioning water feature, with either still or flowing water, or an installation that captures the essence of water in a more abstract way, such as digitally or through innovative use of another material.

Competition calls for bold and imaginative ideas

Designers are free to use any materials they want for the installation. It must be easy to disassemble and reassemble so that it can be used in other locations after CDW.

Entrants must also consider the environmental impact of the design and take steps to mitigate and ideally eliminate any negative impact.

Entrants will be given a budget of £15,000 to realise the installation. This budget must cover all costs to fabricate, install, maintain and demount the installation, including any shipping costs and any travel and accommodation costs for the team to install it.

Shortlisted designers and the winning designer may also be required to create and submit additional material in order to receive necessary approvals from Clerkenwell Design Week, the local council and other stakeholders.

Entries will be judged against four criteria

Entries will be judged by a panel of representatives from Dezeen, Villeroy & Boch and Ideal Standard.

The judges are seeking bold and innovative ideas for the competition. Entries will be judged against four key criteria:

› Design: How well does the entry answer the brief to celebrate the dynamic nature of water and the transformative impact it can have on wellbeing?
› Impact: How successful is it as an installation for the public realm and how well does it respond to the historic site?
› Feasibility: How realistic is it to construct for the budget?
› Sustainability: How does the design reduce or eliminate environmental damage?

The Shaping Water Competition closes for entries at 23:59 BST (British Summer Time) on Wednesday 2 April 2025.

A shortlist of the best ideas will be published on Dezeen, with the winner announced and published on Dezeen in May 2025.

The winning entrant will win a prize of £5,000 and a budget of £15,000 to realise their design.

For more information about how to enter, including the full brief and rules, visit www.dezeen.com/shaping-water-competition-brief-rules.

Partnership content

The Shaping Water Competition is organised by Dezeen in partnership with Villeroy & Boch and Ideal Standard. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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