Do I have to pay to submit my project?
No, participation in Light of Tomorrow by VELUX is FREE – but you need to be registered in order to participate. Register here.

I am trying to register to participate in the award, but I can’t find my school or my school’s country on the list. What do I do?
No worries. Reach out to lightoftomorrow@velux.com and write your school name and its location (country) and we will add it to the drop-down list. Please keep in mind that it might take a few days for us to update the list.

What do I have to submit?

• One image file depicting your project. Keep in mind that this is what the jury will look at when evaluating your project, so give the jury a clear understanding of your project.
• A description of your project, no longer than 800 words, in English.
• A thumbnail image
• A banner image

Read the image specifications and more information around this in the award brief.

How can I add a teacher and/or team members to my team?
You can add a teacher and team members when you submit your project. You can submit your project from 01 September 2025 up until the deadline on 06 April 2026 (latest time: 23:59 UTC−12)

Do I have to be a student for being allowed to participate?
YES, you must be signed up as a student (bachelor or master) in the study year 2025-26. PhD students are not allowed to participate – neither individually nor in teams.

Can students of engineering or other disciplines participate?
YES, we welcome interdisciplinary teams, however, the team leader must be enrolled in an architectural education and the project must be backed by a named teacher from a named school of architecture.

Are PhD students allowed to participate?
NO – neither individually nor in teams.

Am I allowed to reuse an old project from my university studies or do I have to create a new project for the competition?
You are free to use or further elaborate a previous project, if you believe in it. We recommend, however, that you prepare a new project specifically for this competition.

Can I include a country name as part of the location of my project, or is that forbidden due to anonymity?
You may specify the location of your project.

What are the requirements to the project; should it be a specific kind of project, with a specific size?
 Light of Tomorrow by VELUX is open for your personal ideas about daylight in architecture following the theme “Light of Tomorrow.”. See more in the official brief.

Can I participate with more than one project?
Yes, you may submit more than one project (or be participant in more teams). You must register a new account specifically for each different project – and every project needs to be backed by named teachers. However, we recommend that you participate only with one project.

Does the teacher have to be a professor or PhD student to back up a student project?
A named teacher at a named school of architecture is enough, not necessarily a professor or a PhD student.

Can a teacher back two student projects and is it possible to have two teachers backing the submitted project?
YES to both questions. Teachers may back several student projects, and one project may be supported by two teachers.

Can I use other characters than English characters?
NO, you have to write English letters or the system will not be able to recognise the letters.

Where can I find the competition rules?
The full competition rules are available in the official brief.

Is there a limit to the number of team members in a project?
NO, there are no limits on the number of team members, but a maximum two team members will be invited to the Award ceremony.

Can we have more than one teacher supporting our project?
YES, you can have one or more teachers. Teachers will not be invited to the Award ceremony.

Do I need to have a teacher supporting my project?
YES, and the teacher’s name needs to be included in your project registration details before you submit your project.

Do all team members need to be students of architecture?
NO, we welcome interdisciplinary teams, but all team members must be registered students in the study year 2025-26.

Can team members be from different schools – or even from different countries or continents?
YES, teams can be formed across schools, countries and even continents BUT it is the school and country of the team leader that defines the region of the project will be submitted to (according to the 5 UIA regions).

If we are participating as a team with different schools, can we have only one teacher from any of the schools?
YES, you can select one teacher from any of the schools.

Can I participate if I graduated during 2025-26?
YES, if you have graduated (finalized your master) within the study year 2025-26 you are allowed to participate (individually or in a team).

Can I be part of a team if I am a postgraduate?
If you are undertaking a masters degree, you can still participate. If you already graduated as an architect earlier than the study year 2025/2026 or are doing a PhD you cannot participate.

Can I work with a public open space – in a square or street?
YES, that is within the scope of the award.

The award brief says that the overall theme is about “daylight”; so is it possible to work with “sunlight”, “moonlight” or “starlight”?
YES, you can work with all aspects of natural light.

Can I work with public infrastructure or landscape space?  YES, that is within the scope of the award.

Can I submit a project working with housing or a cultural center?  YES, that is within the scope of the award, if you are including considerations about the interiors and their daylight conditions. 

Do I have to use VELUX products? NO, the award is not restricted to the use of VELUX products. Innovative thinking and use of specific VELUX components as daylight providers will however be within the scope of the award.

 Can we work with any kind of building type within the scope of the award? YES, you can work with daylight in buildings of all scales eg. from a modest shed to a school or a railway station, as you like.

Can we work with a project (for example) in South America, even though we are from Europe?
YES, there are no limitations to where you choose your location.

Can I use AI-generated or modified images in my project?
Using AI to create the building itself is not permitted when participating in the International VELUX Awards. However, AI-generated or modified elements such as trees, people, animals, etc., are permitted to use as supplementary components for your project.

If you have any further questions regarding the award, competition and submission process please send us an email to lightoftomorrow@velux.com