House of No Waste Competition 2025: A Global Call for Sustainable Innovation

Application Deadline: December 1, 2025

The House of No Waste Competition (HØW) is now open for entries, inviting the brightest young minds in architecture, engineering, urban planning, design, and environmental sciences to reimagine how we build and manage our cities sustainably. Organized by the United Nations University-FLORES, this global competition seeks groundbreaking solutions to reduce waste, close resource loops, and foster sustainable innovation in the built environment.

Driving Innovation in Sustainable Design

The HØW Competition provides a unique platform for young professionals—including architects, structural and building engineers, planners, landscape architects, material scientists, product designers, and environmental researchers—to propose forward-thinking solutions that address the urgent challenges of the circular economy and Resource Nexus. Participants are encouraged to challenge traditional models of construction and resource management by introducing creative, scalable, and environmentally conscious alternatives.

Key Focus Areas

• Waste Reduction: Rethinking construction and urban design to minimize material waste across all project stages.
• Closing Resource Loops: Designing systems that recycle and reuse resources effectively.
• Sustainable Integration: Embedding innovative systems that ensure environmental balance throughout a building’s lifecycle.

Submissions should align with the official HØW criteria while maintaining adaptability across different economic levels and climate zones. Both real and conceptual projects are welcome, from commissioned work to academic research and self-initiated proposals.

Competition Awards

The competition features a prize pool of €30,000:

• 3 Main Prizes: €8,000 each
• 3 Acknowledgement Prizes: €2,000 each

Winning projects will not only receive financial recognition but will also gain international visibility, offering participants the opportunity to showcase their innovative ideas to a global audience.

Eligibility

The competition is open worldwide to young professionals born after August 31, 1984 (40 years or younger at the competition’s opening). Each team must nominate one official contact person to manage communication with organizers.

Submission Guidelines

Participants are required to submit:

• A project summary of up to 2,000 characters.
• Three statements responding to the HØW criteria (2,000, 1,000, and 1,000 characters).
• Between 3 and 11 project images (including 2 key visuals and 1 author/team photo). Accepted formats include JPG, PNG, TIFF, and PDF, with a resolution of up to 9000 x 6750 pixels and a maximum file size of 5 MB per image. All images must include captions.

Projects may be conceptual or in development, with preference given to those that demonstrate potential for real-world application and adaptability.

Important Dates

• Webinars: September 8, 2025 & September 22, 2025
• Final Submission Deadline: December 1, 2025, at 2:00 PM CET

Why Participate?

The HØW Competition is more than just a contest—it is an opportunity to drive real change in global construction and urban development practices. By participating, young professionals can contribute to the future of sustainable cities while gaining exposure, recognition, and resources to further their innovative projects.

For more information and to apply, CLICK HERE