HONORS FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

Another semester comes to an end, leaving you another set of projects to file and forget
until it’s time for your portfolio. What happens to uncounted hours hunched behind the
computer screen, or all those sleepless nights bent over the drafting table? Sure, your
design was appreciated by everyone in class, but the resulting backache and dark
circles ought to account for something more – and SCHOLARCHS is your chance to
achieve the glory you deserve.

Ever wondered how your work would hold up when compared to the rest of the world?
Now you can find out what the community would have to say about your design. So
don’t put away those sheets just yet! If you’re a student of Architecture above 1st year,
dust off your concept models and keep this semester’s presentation sheets ready –
because we’re selecting the best from the rest. SCHOLARCHS is acknowledging the
finest academic design projects of 2017!

The intent is to provide students with a sense of pride and accomplishment above and
beyond recognition within their immediate academic circles, by hosting a regular
platform to compare their semesters' work with students from across the country.

Every year, countless academic design projects go unchallenged and underappreciated

when their audience is restricted by proximity. The sheer number of students
documenting, analysing, designing and presenting innovative solutions to existing
architectural/urban design problems year after year should result in a staggering
collective and cumulative wealth of information – often lost in obscurity due to the lack
of a strong peer-reviewed publishing culture. With SCHOLARCHS, the prime of the
participants gain the advantage of having their work shared with the community and
recognized by esteemed judges, in addition to gaining an official accolade to embellish
their portfolio and add value to their career journey.

 “SCHOLARCHS” presented by Vowels is a recurring competition open to

architecture students in their 2nd year or above, from institutions in India officially
recognized by COA (Council of Architecture)

 Employees, representatives or agents of Vowels, their sponsors, subsidiaries,

affiliates and advertising/promotion agencies are prohibited from entering the
competition.

 Registration is completely free. You may participate in the competition only if you
have registered beforehand.

 Registration can be done online at www.vowelsindia.com/idealeague before the

stipulated deadline.

 Eligible entrants will be required to fill in their details and limited personal
information.

 Upon successful registration, you will receive a Unique Registration Code via
email. Kindly use this code while submitting your entries.

 In case of academic design projects of collaborative or group-design nature

(such as rural studies, urban design and group projects), one member of the
group/team is allowed to register on behalf of the team.

 In case of confusion whereby multiple registrations from the same group-design

team occur, kindly ensure that only the first Unique Registration Code
(dispatched to the first member of the group to register) is used while submitting,
else your submission is liable to disqualification.
  Along with the Unique Registration Code, successfully registered participants will
also receive a blank digital copy of the Bonafide Certificate to be signed by
relevant authorities as stipulated below.

Competitors are required to submit the following material digitally within one email
(attachment sizes 25MB or less):

 Scanned and signed digital copy of the Bonafide Certificate (confirming that the
submission is the work of respective registrants as part of the current semester’s
academic design project) signed by the faculty-in-charge and Head of the
Department as proof of authentication.

 Relevant design brief provided by the participants’ institution for the academic
design project in .PDF or .DOC/.DOCX.

 Presentation sheets in .PDF or image formats (.JPEG/.PNG).

 Photograph(s) of the physical model in .JPEG/.PNG format.

 Video walkthroughs (optional) can be attached in a separate email if the size of

the file exceeds 25MB (email-able size) or uploaded and shared via YouTube
links, as long as there is no personally identifiable information (name of
participants of name of institution) in the video content.

 Competitors are requested to maintain anonymity and only mention their Unique
Registration Code on all material (excluding the Bonafide Certificate).

 Any mention of personally identifiable information (such as name of the

institution or name of participants) in any material (brief, sheets, photos or
walkthrough) renders your submission liable to disqualification.

 Send your work to competitions@vowelsindia.com in a single email with your

submission material as attachments, and the subject as your Unique
Registration Code, any time before the submission deadline expires.
  Submissions shall be excluded from the competition:

 If a Competitor shall disclose his or her identity, or improperly attempt to

influence the decision;
 If received considerably late after the deadline has expired;
 If, in the opinion of the officiated Jury Panel, does not fulfil requirements of
the Competition Brief;
 If any of the mandatory requirements/conditions of the Competition Brief are
disregarded.

Vowels reserves its right to assign any judges, agents or other authorized administrator
to administer its competitions, including making any decision or exercising such as its
discretion.

 Registration and submission opens: 06:00PM, 20th November, 2017

 Deadline for registration and submission: 06:00PM, 20th December, 2017
 Jury period: 20th December, 2017 to 20th January, 2018
 Shortlisted entries announcement: 10th January, 2018
 Concluding result announcement: 20th January, 2018

 DESIGN QUALITY – Overall planning of spaces, pathways and interconnecting

relationships; efficiency in zoning and volumetric analysis.

 SOLVING THE BRIEF – Creativity in interpretation of given requirements to devise

viable solutions.
 INNOVATION – Practicality in execution balanced with imagination. Site context and
integration (if possible).

 PRESENTATION – Clarity and viability of presentation/submitted documents.

 The competition results will be published after all the competitors have been
notified. Please note that any requests for additional feedback should be
submitted within one calendar month of the result being announced.

 Competitors should note that by entering the competition they are expected to
honour the request for confidentiality to prevent information of the winning team
being leaked.

 Vowels reserves the right to publicise the competition, any design submission,
and the result in any and all promotional activity, including all media channels
they consider fit. Illustrations of any design – either separately, or together with
other designs, with or without explanatory text – may be used without cost.

 Once anonymity has been lifted, participants will be credited and recognised in
any associated media and channels of publicity. This information will be taken
from the Bonafide Certificate, so please ensure the details are accurate.

 Vowels is limited to the administration and management of the competition

process and will have no further role once the winner has been selected,
competitors notified and prizes distributed.

 CITATION: One citation trophy will be awarded for each year.

 SPECIAL MENTION: Two special mention trophies will be awarded for each year.

 A predetermined Jury Panel of imminent Indian Architects will be commissioned

to judge the entries in a live/broadcasted event. Each winner is guaranteed
feedback from the esteemed judges – either in-person or via correspondence.
  Each entry that makes it to the final rounds of the competition will be featured in
an exclusive publication, both online (on Vowels’ design magazine – InnoVault)
and a yearly printed publication of the best work in India – of which the winners
will receive a copy.

 Each accolade must be accepted only by the chosen individual/team and is not
transferrable or assignable.

For any questions or queries regarding the competition, feel free to contact us through
any of the below mentioned channels:

 E-Mail – competitions@vowelsindia.com
 Website – www.vowelsindia.com
 Contact – +91 9176981605
 Facebook – www.facebook.com/vowelsindia/
 Instagram – www.instagram.com/vowels_official/

1. How do we submit our design?

Send your work to competitions@vowelsindia.com in a single email with your
submission material as attachments, and the subject as your registration
number, any time before the submission deadline expires.

2. How do I procure a Bonafide Certificate?

As mentioned earlier, a blank digital copy of the Bonafide Certificate will be
emailed to registrants along with their Unique Registration Code. All you need
to do is print this out, fill it in, get it signed by the concerned authorities, and
then scan and attach it along with the rest of your submission material.

3. What are the prizes for this competition?

One Citation trophy and Two Special Mention trophies will be awarded to
winners from each year. Depending on the number of participants a fixed and
unbiased Jury Panel of prominent Indian Architects may be selected to judge
the entries in a live/broadcasted event. Each winner is guaranteed feedback
from the judges – either in-person or via comments in correspondence.
4. Can I submit a previous semester’s design?
Sorry! We only accept current semester academic design projects. For
example, if you’re in third year, you cannot submit a design you did in second
year, or even the previous semester.

5. Can we submit more than one design problem?

Participation is restricted to one proposal per entry (be in individual or team).

6. We had a group-design project this semester. How do I register my team?

In case of academic design projects of collaborative or group-design nature
(such as rural studies, urban design and group projects), one member of the
group/team is allowed to register on behalf of the team.

7. Oops! Two members from my group registered by mistake and we received two
registration codes. Which one do we use to submit our design?
In case of confusion where multiple registrations from the same group-
design team occur, please ensure that only the first Unique Registration Code
(dispatched to the first member of the group to register) is used while
submitting, else your submission is liable to disqualification.

8. Will I receive comprehensive feedback about my design even if I didn’t win?

Upon request and prior notice, we may release additional feedback from our
panel of imminent jurors.

9. Will I be eligible for a participation certificate?

Shortlisted entries will be awarded a participation certificate.

10. Can I improve my presentation for SCHOLARCHS if my final review in college is done?
Of course you can add-on/develop your sheets before submitting – even if
your final review in college is over. However, we advise you to exercise
discretion and stick to the original brief requirements as much as possible,
and obtain approval from the concerned authorities in your institution.

11. How do I attach the walkthrough if my total submission material exceeds 25MB?
You can attach it in a separate email with the subject as your registration
number, or upload it on YouTube and link it to us in the original email. Please
keep in mind that walkthroughs are optional, and if submitted there must be
no personally identifiable information in any presented material, walkthrough
included.