To keep things fair and aligned with school-based support, all team members must be from the same school.
Design Competition
Shade Zones
An annual design competition to cool LA’s hottest neighborhoods
2026/27 Competition Organizers
About Shade Zones
Shade Zones is an annual design competition to keep LA cool and moving. Each year, Shade Zones will call for bold, inventive solutions to real-world design challenges that make public spaces cooler, safer, and more inviting. The best ideas are built to last, delivering comfort and resilience for years to come.
2026/27 Challenge
Permanent Shade
Designing cooler ways to walk, bike, and move along the L.A. River
In partnership with L.A. County, the competition challenges the next generation of shade-makers to design cooler, more comfortable spaces for walking, biking, and recreation. Designs will integrate shade with features like natural and built infrastructure, lighting, seating, and wayfinding.
The student designs will inform L.A. County’s Urban Natureways initiative, which aims to create a connected network of greenways across the County.
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Requirements
Designs should:
- Provide permanent, high-quality shade during peak heat
- Create a complete site design, integrating shade with amenities like seating, lighting, and wayfinding
- Incorporate vegetation and green and grey infrastructure strategies
- Respond to at least one of two L.A. River contexts: an access point or trail/bikeway convergence zone
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Who Can Enter
All undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in LA County colleges and universities. Each team can have up to 4 students and must attend the same institution. The team must also name a mentor or supervisor from their school’s faculty or staff that can verify their enrollment.
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Key Milestones
- September 2026: Registration opens
- October 2026: Registration closes
- January 8, 2027: Submissions due
- Early February 2027: Fan Favorite voting
- Late February 2027: Winners announced
Competition Resources
For Students
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Tools & Info
Resources to help you think, plan and create
Coming soon.
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Registration
Registration will open in September 2026.
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Office Hours
Available for registered teams only. Email shadezones@usc.edu for access.
Coming soon.
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Help Students Get in the Game
For Design Professionals
Are you a design professional looking to support the next generation? Sign up as a Design Advisor to share your expertise in short, high-impact sessions that give every team a fair shot and stronger designs.
Stay Up to Date
Keep up with the latest design competition news
Frequently asked questions
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Unlike last year, yes, one team can submit multiple designs! Teams may submit a design for one or both site contexts. If submitting for both, teams must develop a separate design for each site context; a single design cannot be submitted for both.
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Yes! After registration closes, we’ll post a list of architecture and design firms, as well as other experts offering virtual “office hours” right here. Students can book time to get design advice—but your team should still lead the design and do the heavy lifting.
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Yes! Feel free to include graphics that help bring your concept to life—just don’t include your school name or logo anywhere. All judging will be blind to keep things fair.
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All entries must be submitted online as a single 36″ x 48″ poster in portrait orientation as a PDF (up to 10 MB, 300 dpi). This is your team’s canvas—use it to tell the full story of your design.
Your poster should include:
- At least two images of your design, including the design superimposed on your selected site
- Shade analysis
- Material selection, structural design, and construction sequence
- Diagrams, sketches, and design development
You’ll also submit:
- One 5″ x 5″ “hero” image
- An individual and/or team photo
- A 90-second introductory video
- A post-submission feedback form from each team member
- An AI disclosure and prompt summary, if AI-generated images are used
Keep it anonymous: Do not include names, school affiliations, or other identifying information on your poster. Each submission will receive an identification number for judging.
Keep it clear, compelling, and ready to wow.
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Yes. AI-generated images are allowed; however, they must be watermarked and captioned “Rendering was generated by AI Program [insert AI software/browser name],” indicating what program was used. Teams must also provide a separate summary describing the prompt used to generate the image to reflect their creative input.
Meet the Organizers
Dr. Bhavna Sharma is the Director of the Chase L. Leavitt Master of Building Science Program in the USC School of Architecture. She is the Director of Initiatives for the Keck USC Sustainable Healthcare Initiative that explores the intersection of resilience and healthcare. She also serves on USC’s Presidential Working Group (PWG) on Sustainability and co-chairs the PWG Operations Committee, which supports implementation of USC’s sustainability framework, Assignment: Earth. Dr. Sharma is the lead faculty organizer for the Shade Zones Design Competition.
Max Teirstein is a Project Manager with USC Dornsife Public Exchange, where he develops and manages public impact partnerships focused on climate resilience and environmental health. As part of ShadeLA, Max serves as project manager and co-organizer of the Shade Zones Design Competition, leading project strategy, partnerships, and operations for the annual competition. In his work at USC Public Exchange, Max manages climate and sustainability projects like the CLEAN Project, a free soil testing project for communities impacted by the 2025 LA fires.
More questions?
We’ve got you covered. Reach out and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.