Design Competition: A Twenty-first Century Symbol Of Accessibility

The International Symbol of Accessibility, since 1969. (Photo, UIA) 

The International Union of Architects (UIA) and Rehabilitation International (RI) are jointly inviting submissions for a twenty-first century symbol of accessibility to represent their core values of rights and inclusion, independence, physical and virtual accessibility for all, including people with disabilities.

Submission date: 25 March 2022. 

The challenge is to develop a new symbol of accessibility that better represents the variety of people who use buildings and other types of built environments.

The competition invites professional architects and graphic designers as well as architectural and graphic design students to design a new graphic symbol of accessibility, to be proposed to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for adoption as the new international symbol of accessibility.

Eligibility

• Entries will be accepted from individuals as well as teams.
• Each individual/team can submit only one entry.

Prizes

First, Second and Third Prize Winners will be awarded, in addition to up to three (3) Honorable Mentions, at the discretion of the Jury.

• First Prize: US$5,000.00 and certificate;
• Second Prize: US$2,500.00 and certificate;
• Third Prize: US$1,500.00 and certificate,
• Up to 3 Honorable Mentions US$500.00 and certificates

Jury

• Zhang Haidi (China), Rehabilitation International President
• Anna Crider (USA), Past President of the Society for Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD)
• Barry Gray (UK), ISO/TC 145/SC 1/WG/4 "Graphical Symbols”, Convenor and BSI Committee PH/8 Graphical Symbols and Signs, Chair
• Mikhail Terentiev (Russia), Chairperson of the All-Russian Society of Disabled People (ARSDP)
• Allen Kong (Australia), Work Programme Director UIA Architecture for All (AfA)
• Safaa Issa Abdou (Egypt), Alternate Jury Member, Professor of Architecture, faculty of Engineering, Menofia University, Egypt

Timeline

• Competition announced and launched: 18 January 2022
• Deadline for the receipt of questions: 14 February 2022
• Answers for the questions: 25 February 2022
• Submission Deadline: 25 March 2022, 17:00, Paris time
• Jury Meeting 07 April 2022
• Winners Announcement: 18 April 2022
• Award Ceremony: To be held virtual/in-person in conjunction with UIA Forum in Madrid

Procedure

Please submit your submission on the UIA Submission Platform.
Submissions made by email or post will not be accepted.
The language of the competition is English.
Participation in the competition is free of charge.

Information

See the competition brief.
Competitors may direct questions to e.bonin@uia-architectes.org with the subject line “International Accessibility Symbol Design Competition".