The NCC’s Design Challenge 2026: Student Ideas Competition for the National Capital Region is now live.

The study site is the Ottawa River shoreline in Gatineau, Quebec. The competition is open to university and college students in urban planning/ urbanism, landscape architecture, architecture, urban design, fine arts, engineering and other related design programs. Registration and all relevant planning and policy documents are available through the competition webpage. Participation is free and the deadline for registration is January 23, 2026. Submissions are due on March 23, 2026. The winning team (maximum 4 people per team) will be invited to present their ideas at a public Urbanism Lab event in Ottawa on April 29.