The recommended site for the project is a location on the Salk Institute campus, which holds a connection to the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture (ANFA) and boasts international recognition in the field of architecture. As part of the competition, students will be asked to identify the building function and the anticipated user demographics, while ensuring that the project demonstrates how the users are being educated on the neuroscience topics. The activities conducted in the building must align with neuroscience principles or the study of neuroscience. The project must accommodate an “artist/architect-” and “scientist-” inresidence, demonstrating the collaborative efforts between these building users to achieve the objectives above as well as activities that encompass the intersection or mash-up of architecture and neuroscience fields and/or professionals. These activities should align with the principles of neuroscience and promote the education of users on neuroscience topics. Participants are encouraged to suggest additional activities that bring neuroscience and architecture into conversation with each other. More detailed information to be distributed at the launch of the competition on January 1, 2024.

The competition will have two entry categories: Architecture Category and an Interior Design Category. The Architectural category will ask students for a standalone solution, while the Interior Design Category will ask students to design a space within a structure provided by the competition. Both categories will be judged with the same criteria based in the understanding and utilization of the research provided.