Organizer

Shade LA (in partnership with LA Metro)

Location

Los Angeles County, USA

Deadline

• Registration Deadline: October 15, 2025
• Submission Deadline: January 15, 2026

Competition Category

Design (Modular, temporary shade structure design) . Submissions consist of a single 36″ x 48″ poster that includes the concept, images, structural strategy, material selection, and sustainability strategy .

Eligibility

Students (Open to all graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in Los Angeles County colleges and universities) . Students must form teams of up to 4 members and name a mentor or supervisor from their school’s faculty or staff .

Entry Fee

Free

Prizes/Awards

• Award of Excellence (Top 3 submissions)
• Award for Innovation
• Award for Sustainability
• Honourable Mention Awards (1 per scale category)
• Fan Favourite Award
• Winning designs could be used by partner LA Metro to shape their next projects .
• An exhibition of selected works will be held during LA Climate Week.

Core Introduction

Shade Zones is an annual design competition that calls for bold, inventive solutions to cool LA’s hottest neighborhoods . The 2025 challenge is to design modular, temporary shade that can be quickly installed around public hot spots like bus stops, event spaces, and parks to protect vulnerable street users like pedestrians and bicyclists from extreme heat . The competition is open to all undergraduate and graduate students in LA County, with a focus on creating designs that are climate-resilient, easy to install, durable, and sustainable .