Participants can register their projects in the following 6 competition categories:

• 1. Built space
• 2. Interior space
• 3. Public space
• 4. Graduation projects
• 5. Initiatives / Experiments / Visions in architecture
• 6. Architecture essays

3.1. General participation conditions

All entries⁴ in the 6 competition categories that abide by the rules below are eligible:
– for the categories 1, 2 and 3: projects finished between July 2016 and July 2018, either situated in the DKMT euroregion or pertaining to authors which have a permanent residence in the DKMT euroregion can be registered.
– for the categories 4 and 5: projects finished between July 2016 and July 2018, either situated throughout Romania, Hungary or Serbia or pertaining to authors which permanently reside anywhere in Romania, Hungary or Serbia can be registered;
– for the category 6: essays finished between 2016-2018, pertaining to authors which permanently reside anywhere in Romania, Hungary or Serbia.

The same project cannot be registered into more categories, except in the case of a project within which one can identify various intervention domains, pertaining to different authors. In the case of an entry present in various categories, the decision to categorise it (either to keep the entry in all categories where it was initially registered or to exclude it from some of them) belongs solely to the organizers.

The participants declare implicitly, through the submission of entries in the competition, that they are the authors of the project and thus assume responsibility for any legal consequences in the case that it is proven that they do not own intellectual rights on all the materials submitted. If it is proven within one year from receiving a prize that the receiver doesn’t own the intellectual rights of the the awarded project, the prize shall be returned to the organizer.

Intellectual rights on the materials submitted in the competition belong to their authors, which, by registering the project in the competition, express their agreement to have the submitted materials and information regarding their authors, without any restriction concerning the content, archived, communicated, published and distributed throughout the biennial, as well as through future events and manifestations, with the purpose of supporting and promoting the project, the author and the creative architectural act.

In order to be included in the BETA 2018 competition exhibition, all entries must abide by the technical conditions mentioned in the 4th chapter, ENTRY SUBMISSION, from the present document. In the case of any deviations from the rules presented in this document, the organizers reserve their right to disqualify the respective entries.

All the registered texts in both phases of the competition have to be bilingual, in English and in the applicant’s native language (meaning Romanian-English, Hungarian-English and Serbian-English). This requirement is mandatory.

The competition organizers do not take any responsibility in the case of any downloads/uses of the materials from the website or other sources by any third parties.

The jury members, as well as their partners, employees or first grade family members are allowed to participate only in competition categories that are not judged by the respective jury members.

Members of the competition organizing team cannot participate in the competition (please refer to chapter 9.Organizer).

3.2. Personal data protection and processing

By registering to the BETA 2018 competition, the participants agree to have their personal data, as it has been provided, processed by the organizer.

The organizer ensures that the participants’ data will be honestly and transparently processed, exclusively in the professional interest of both parties, in accordance with the provisions of the (EU) Regulation no. 679/2016 of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union (GDPR).

By registering entries in the competition, the participants declare that they have read and agree with the entirety of the rules from this present document

3.3. Specific participation conditions

For the category 1. Built space:
– one can register projects finished between July 2016 – July 2018, including interventions⁵ on existing buildings with or without any heritage value, from domains such as housing⁶, commercial⁷, services⁸, institutional⁹, cultural¹⁰ and heritage¹¹;
– architects that have the right to practice in accordance with the laws of the country where they work, as well as collectives coordinated by them are eligible;
– in this category, one can register works located in the DKMT euroregion or works that belong to authors that have a permanent residence in the DKMT euroregion.

For the category 2. Interior space:
– one can submit projects finished between July 2016 – July 2018: interior designs / interior lighting design / scenography (performance spaces);
– graduates from higher education institutions from domains such as architecture, interior design, furniture design, lighting design, decorative arts, scenography, design, with diplomas or certificates approved by their country of origin and domain’s professional organizations are eligible;
– in this category, one can register works located in the DKMT euroregion or works that belong to authors that have a permanent residence in the DKMT euroregion.

For the category 3. Public space:
– one can register projects/works finished between July 2016 – July 2018, including landscape design, masterplan projects, territorial planning, revitalisations/ restructuring of certain urban / rural areas, squares, pedestrian areas, parks, temporary public spaces, installations, pavilions, designed by architects, urbanists or landscape architects which have the right to practice in accordance with the laws of the country where they work, as well as collectives coordinated by them;
– in this category, one can register works of art belonging to the public space, finished between July 2016 – July 2018, made by graduates from higher education institutions from domains such as architecture, plastic arts, visual arts, decorative arts, design, art history & criticism, as well as from domains concerning new media and technologies based on photo-video or image processing with diplomas or certificates approved by their country of origin and domain’s professional organizations;
– one can register infrastructure projects / works, finished between July 2016 – July 2018, including accesibility projects / green infrastructure / technological infrastructure / transportation networks (including depots and garages) / street networks (streets and street profiles, bridges, road passages, walkways), which are done by the professional body¹²;
– in this category, one can register works located in the DKMT euroregion or works that belong to authors that have a permanent residence in the DKMT euroregion.

For the category 4. Graduation projects :
– one can register final projects made for the architecture and/or urbanism diploma, realised during the 2016-2017 or 2017-2018 academic years;
– graduates from Romanian, Hungarian or Serbian higher education institutions: architecture and/or urbanism universities / faculties / departments are eligible.

For the category 5. Initiatives / Experiments / Visions for architecture:
– one can register realised / speculative projects implemented between July 2016 and July 2018, including cultural / architectural education / participative initiatives / public policy projects, made by the professional body¹², administration¹³ or by the civil society¹⁴;
– one can register speculative architectural projects that reinterpret the role of architecture (projections on the future of architecture): visions / strategies / theories / programs / competitions, realised between July 2016 – July 2018 and that are made by architects or urbanists which have the right to practice in accordance with the laws of the country where they work, as well as collectives coordinated by them;
– in this category, one can register either realised / speculative works from Romania, Hungary or Serbia, or works that belong to authors that have a permanent residence in Romania, Hungary or Serbia.

In the context of BETA 2018, the 6th category, Architecture essays encourages a theoretical and critical discourse surrounding this year’s theme ”Collective Housing, between product and process”¹⁵.

Nowadays mass housing has become more and more of a commodity, a marketable and nicely presented product. However, the process that characterizes this product does not end with its mere sale, the process being the result of a complex mechanism, defined by a series of “voices” with different perspectives and interests: the administration, the developer, the architect and the user/ inhabitant.
Through a critical view of its two states (housing as a product and housing as a process), one can derive various transversal debate subjects on collective housing, such as:
– the need and right to housing: diversity vs. segregation, accessibility vs. inaccessibility (prices);
– the project’s quality: individuality within the community, space vs. areas, flexibility, mixed-uses, relationship with nature, general satisfaction with the act of dwelling;
– economic rationality: quality-price ratio; what lies behind an apartment’s price?;
– marketing vs. reality; products that can/cannot be sold presently;
– inhabitant’s profile: types of families then and now, uses in time;
– relationship with the city: isolation vs. opening, periphery vs. centre, old vs. new build environment, density, facilities, neighbourhoods, access;
– housing policies, investments and urban development etc.

Contributors are invited to reflect on the quality of contemporary collective housing, though the idea of housing as product and housing as a process, and to expose their own vision on the matter through an essay.

Those that are active in the domains of architecture and urbanism (architects, urbanists, academics, students / MAs / PhDs of architecture and/or urbanism universities / faculties / departments) or other related fields (sociologists, psychologists, critics, theorists, philosophers etc.), with a permanent residence in Romania, Hungary or Serbia are eligible and encouraged to participate.

Depending on the category, the entry submission procedure and calendar may differ. Hence please consider the following indications for categories 1-5 and for category 6. Architecture essays separately.

4.1. Registration for the categories 1-5

An entry submission consists of the online completion of the registration form, available on the competition page competition.betacity.eu/en/registration, as well as:

a. the attachment of a file that contains the project presentation (the project panel);

b. the attachment of a copy of the participant’s ID card, which proves the participant’s permanent residence in the DKMT euroregion (for categories 1, 2 and 3) or in Romania, Hungary or Serbia (for categories 4 and 5);

c. the attachment of various materials (images, descriptive text and drawings of the work, as well as information about the author / office / collective) for the purpose of promoting and publishing the work in specialty publications.

a.1. The file containing the project presentation will be completed following a layout model, provided on the competition website under the name LAYOUT 1 /  LAYOUT 2 / LAYOUT 3 / LAYOUT 4 / LAYOUT 5 (depending on the category), which can be downloaded from the description of the desired category – competition.betacity.eu/en/categories.

a.2. Using the provided layout for the project’s presentation is mandatory for all participants.

a.3. Failure to comply to the mandatory layout of a project presentation will lead to its disqualification by the organizers.

a.4. The file that contains the project presentation will provide the following information:
– general information, bilingual descriptive text – in English and the native language of the participant (RO, HU, SRB);
– site plan (mandatory for categories 1 and 3);
– plans for all levels with captions;
– characteristic sections;
– optional uploads: facades, details, axonometric representations, perspectives, conceptual sketches, analysis diagrams etc;
– images (photographs or visualisations of the work, model photographs etc);
– identification code.

a.5 Each entry will be identified by an identification code consisting of 3 letters and 2 numbers chosen by the participant (e.g. ABC12, XYZ32, XOY00 etc.) which will be mentioned both in the file that contains the entry’s presentation, as well as in the registration form.

a.6. The file containing the entry presentation will be attached within the online registration form, in 2 versions:
– print version – JPG format, A0 dimension (841 x 1189 mm), 200 dpi, named after the following model: PRINT_ABC12_CATEGORY NAME;
– web version – JPG format, 2000 x 2828 pixels resolution, named after the following model: WEB_ABC12_CATEGORY NAME.

a.7. The files containing the entry presentation will be printed by the organizers on a support material and will take part of the competition exhibition (for the time and place of the exhibition, please refer to chapter 8. Calendar – 8.1 Calendar for categories 1-3).

a.8. The preparation of the file containing the entry description (project panel) will be done by the participants in a manner that presents all kinds of information required for a proper understanding of the work in its entirety, thus facilitating the judging process.

b.1. The file containing the ID card copy will be attached as a JPG, with a maximum dimension of 3MB.

b.2. The attachment of the ID card copy is mandatory. The ID card copy will be used only by the competition organizers, strictly to identify the author and to check the eligibility conditions.

c.1. Handout of the following materials for the promotion and publishing of the project:
– 3 images of the project – photographs or project visualisations, JPG format, dimensions: A4 portrait / A5 landscape (300 dpi, maximum size 3 MB each), named after the model: PUBLICATION_IMG_ABC12_CATEGORY NAME_image number;
– short text describing the work, bilingual (in English and the native language of the applicant – RO/ HU/ SRB), including technical data (maximum 2500 words, spaces included / language);
– plans, sections, facades, sketches, that together offer an overview of the work – PDF format, dimensions: A4 portrait / A3 landscape, at 300 dpi, named after the model: PUBLICATION_DRAWINGS_ABC12_CATEGORY NAME_drawing name;
– a photo of the author / office / collective – JPG format, 15 cm square, 300 dpi, named after the model: PUBLICATION_CV_IMG_ABC12_CATEGORY NAME;
– short text presenting the author / office / collective, bilingual (in English and in the native language of the applicant – RO/ HU/ SRB), maximum 1000 characters, spaces included / language) which will be completed in the online registration form.

All aforementioned materials will be attached to the online registration form – competition.betacity.eu/en/registration.

In case the participants encounter any problems with the registration procedure, they can ask for assistance from the organizers, using the following contacts: e-mail – contact@betacity.eu / tel. +40 728 226 593.

The registration is valid only once the participant has received the confirmation e-mail from the organizers, within maximum 1 hour from the entry submission.

4.2. Registration category 6. Architecture essays
An entry registration in the 6th category consists of the online completion of the registration form specific to the category, available on the competition page – competition.betacity.eu/en/registration, as well as:
a. the attached essay;
b. the attached copy of the participant’s ID, proving the participant has a permanent residence in Romania, Hungary or Serbia.

a.1. The essay will be written using the provided layout (LAYOUT 6), which can be downloaded from the page with the category 6. Architecture essays’ description – competition.betacity.eu/en/categories.

a.2. Using the 6th (Architecture essays) category’s provided layout is mandatory for all participants.

a.3. Failure to comply to the mandatory presentation layout of an essay will lead to its disqualification by the organizers.

a.4. The essay will be registered as a PDF format document, with a maximum dimension of 5MB and will respect the following guidelines:
– the first page will contain the author’s name, the essay’s title and an abstract of maximum 1000 characters (including spaces);
– the text body of the essay will contain a maximum of 20000 characters with spaces included (font size 12, Arial, line spacing 1.15);
– the essay will be mandatorily written in English;
– the „Oxford” citation and reference system will be used – footnotes with the source; participants can find the rules of this system here;
– the text can be enhanced by images (illustrations, diagrams, photos); each image will have its author mentioned; all the copyrights of all the included images fall under the the responsibility of the participants.

a.5. The essay will be identified through a code consisting of 3 letters and 2 numbers of the participant’s choice (e.g. ABC12, XYZ32, XOY00 etc.). The identification code will be included in the essay file’s name, following the model: REGISTRATION_ABC12_ARCHITECTURE ESSAYS.

The registration is valid only once the participant has received the confirmation message from the organizers, within maximum 1 hour from the entry submission.

5.1. Complaints / litigations submission

Participants discontent by the preliminary analysis of the entries can submit complaints/ litigations.

The preliminary analysis refers to an overall check by the competition secretary of the registered entries (attachements verification, notes on any deviations from the competition rules, the publication of a report on all these activities on the competition’s website).

For the complaints/litigations submission timeline, please refer to chapter 8. Calendar.

Complaints/litigations concerning the preliminary analysis by the competition secretary will be submitted online, via email at contact@betacity.eu.

Complaints/litigations will be submitted in the form of a A4 PDF document, written in English.

When formulating the complaint, along with the reasons for it, please specify the participant’s name and the identification code of the respective entry (please refer to chapter 4. Entry registration of the present document).

5.2. Complaints / litigations resolution
Complaints/ litigations submitted within the timeframe announced by the organizer (please refer to chapter 8. Calendar) will be evaluated by a committee of 3 members, one of which shall be chosen as the committee president.

Final results following the complaints/ litigations resolution will be published on the competition website in the News tab, at the announced date (please refer to chapter 8. Calendar).

For the commitee members, as well as the complaint resolution board, please refer to chapter 9. Organizer.

Registered competition entries will be evaluated by 2 juries, grouped according to the 6 competition categories.

The jury structure has been established by the BETA 2018 competition organizing team, taking into account the profession and experience of the jury members in the domains stipulated by the categories.

6.1. Jury members
Jury group 1 will evaluate all registered entries in the categories 1. Built Space, 2. Interior Space, 3. Public Space, 4. Graduation Projects (Diploma) And 5. Initiatives/ Experiments/ Visions in Architecture and will have the following members:
– Attila Kim
– Grozdana Šišović
– Irnia Cristea
– Levente Szabó
– Oana Stănescu

Jury group 2 will evaluate all submitted entries in the category 6. Architecture essays and will have the following members:
– Catherine Slessor
– Ethel Baraona Pohl
– Tamar Shafrir

6.2. Judging process

The judging process will take place with the participation of all the appointed jury members for both of the jury groups.

The deliberation schedule, as well as the judging criteria will be established by each jury group.

Each jury group will assign a president from its members and will evaluate all competition entries in compliance with the criteria and work methodology established by the jury.

During the entire judging process, each jury group will be assisted by a secretary without any voting rights that will countersign all final jury reports and ensure the proper development of the deliberation process.

At the end of the deliberation process, each jury will write and submit a report to the organizers, in which they state the competition results, corelating them with the judging criteria they have previously established.

For the categories 1-5, the judging process will unfold in two stages: online jury activity (which will result in a list of nominations, projects which will be a part of the exhibition) and public jury session (wherein all the nominations will be publicly presented by their authors in front of the jury, in Timișoara). For the public jury session timeline, please refer to chapter 8. Calendar.

The public presentation of the nominated entries aims to facilitate their understanding (from the point of view of their process, decision-making etc.) by the jury (with the purpose of the final evaluation) and by the present public. Details about the presentations will be comunicated on the competition’s website (in the News tab), as well as through emails addressed to the nominees.

In order to facilitate the presentations of the nominated entries, the organizers will cover the transport expenses for the representatives of the nominated projects which do not live in Timișoara and have to travel from the rest of Romania, Hungary or Serbia, to deliver their presentations.

The presentations of the nominated entries, delivered by their authors in front of the jury and public are not mandatory. In the case of nominees which cannot be present for various reasons at the public presentation, said nominees will take full responsibility for all the consequences that may arise during the judging process.

For the categories 1-5, during the online jury activity, the jury also acts as a curator, having the possibility of framing the competition entries into subcategories, to evaluate them on the basis of specific criteria (which the jury will announce), as well as to award them based on these principles: e.g. in the case of a consistent number of entries in category 1. Built space that present single-family housing, the jury may decide to create a subcategory 1.1 Single-family housing, where they frame all the entries that have common characteristics of this subcategory; in this case the rest of the entries may be organized in other subcategories or remain in the large category where they have been initially registered.

For the category 6. Architecture essays, the judging process will take place in one stage only (please refer to chapter 8. Calendar).

The juries reserve their right to not select any winners or nominees for any category, if they find that entries do not correspond with a certain previously established quality level. Furthermore, the juries can decide to share the prize for a category between various competitors, to award a single prize or to only grant honorable mentions.

The jury’s decisions cannot be the subject of any complaints/ litigations, and are definitive and irrevocable.

In exceptional circumstances, when one of the jury members cannot fulfill his/her obligations, regardless of the reasons, the organizers are responsible to find a substitute jury member.

The BETA 2018 competition awards total the amount of 12.000 euro*.

6 awards of 1000 euros each* and 12 honorable mentions of 500 euros each* are considered, meaning 1 award and 2 honorable mentions for each category.

The jury has the final decision regarding the distribution of the awards and honorable mentions, including their number, under the condition that they do not exceed the total amount.

8.1. Competition calendar for categories 1-5

June 6th: Competition launch
June 6th – JULY 2nd: Questions submission
July 3rd – 5th: Elaboration of answers
July 6th: Answers publication
August 1st, 24:00 Romanian time (GMT + 3h): Registrations deadline
August 2nd – 12th: Preliminary analysis (the competition secretary will verify the registered entries – panels verification, notes on any deviations from the competition rules, publication of a report on all these activities on the competition’s website)
August 13th: Preliminary analysis results
August 13th – 17th: Online submission of complaints/litigations to the preliminary analysis results
August 18th – 21st: Complaints/litigations evaluation
August 22nd: Complaints/litigations results; Publication of the final list of entries that will be shown to the jury
August 23rd – September 11th: Preselection; Online jury activity
September 12th: Preselection results, Announcement of each category’s nominees
October 7th: Exhibition opening – Vernissage in the public space of Timișoara
October 7th – 21st: On-going exhibition in the public space
October 25th – 26th: Public presentations of the nominated entries in front of the jury
October 25th – 27th: Final jury session
October 27th: Jury conferences
October 28th: Announcement of the final results, awards ceremony

8.2. Competition calendar for category 6. Architecture essays

June 6th: Competition launch
June 6th – JULY 2nd: Questions submission
July 3rd – 5th: Elaboration of answers
July 6th: Answers publication
September 16th, 24:00 Romanian time (GMT + 3h): Registrations deadline
September 17th: Preliminary analysis (the competition secretary will verify the registered entries: panels verification, notes on any deviations from the competition rules, publication of a report on all these activities on the competition’s website)
September 18th: Preliminary analysis results
September 19th – 21st: Online submission of complaints/litigations to the preliminary analysis results
September 22nd – 23rd: Complaints/litigations consideration
September 24th: Complaints/litigations results; Publication of the final list of entries that will be shown to the jury
September 25th – October 14th: Online jury session
October 15th: Jury activity results; Announcement of the nominees
October 27th: Jury member conference
October 28th: Announcement of the final results, awards ceremony

The competition organizer is the Timiș Territorial Branch of the Romanian Order of Architects.

The organizer’s contacts are listed below:
str. Diaconu Coresi 12, postal code 300558, Timişoara, Romania
tel. +40 728 226 593
e-mail: contact@betacity.eu, secretariat@oartimis.ro

Competition secretary:
Alexandra-Maria Rigler
Oana Simionescu
Sandra Andrei

Complaint/ litigation resolution committee:
Roxana Pătrulescu
Andreea Duminică
Mariana Nedela