The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) is hosting an open international design competition for ideas responding to sea level rise in San Francisco Bay and beyond.

Nearly every day, we learn more about sea level rise – one of the most critical impacts of global warming. Individually and collectively, people are seeking solutions to this climate challenge. The issue of sea level rise is clearly of global importance, and both simple and complex design interventions will be needed to sustain quality of life, preserve the environment and ensure continued economic vitality of shoreline communities throughout the world. Challenges include:

• Rethinking how to build new communities in areas susceptible to future inundation
• Retrofitting valuable public shoreline infrastructure
• Protecting existing communities from flooding
• Protecting wetlands
• Anticipating changing shoreline configurations

At the intersection of rising seas and our coastal human settlements, your ideas are needed. The Rising Tides ideas competition is open to everyone. All are encouraged to bring forward their vision of a future estuarine shoreline that is applicable to San Francisco Bay and beyond.

Eligibility
The competition is open to everyone wishing to enter, including architects, ecologists, coastal engineers, civil engineers, biologists, landscape architects, planners, artists, developers, builders, and even ordinary citizens. Professionals, academics, researchers, students and innovators of all types are encouraged to generate proposals for consideration. Online registration is required for entry. Those wishing to find team members in other disciplines may visit the competition bulletin board.

Competition Format
This is a single board competition. All entries are to be submitted anonymously with no competitor information visible. A pre-jury screening process will disqualify any entries that violate this requirement. It is recommended that entrants focus on one unique idea per submission board.

Number of Submissions
Competitors may enter as many unique ideas as they wish, but each submission must have a separate registration number and fee.

Ideas from Other Efforts
Since one of the goals of this competition is to share and make visible good ideas, entrants may enter work from other competitions, research and development efforts, unrealized projects and for fee work, as long as the reproduction rights are able to be assigned to BCDC in order to promote and publish the ideas. Entrants submitting prior projects must include the project history in a sealed envelope as described in submission requirements.

Original Work
By registering and submitting an entry, the entrant confirms that the submitted work is the original work of that entrant.

Prizes
First place will receive a $10,000 USD prize. Up to $15,000 USD in additional prizes will be used to recognize other valuable ideas as determined by the jury.

Exhibition
There will be a public exhibition of the entries at the historic San Francisco Ferry Building on San Francisco Bay, from July 14-19, 2009.

Registration Fee
Before May 15 $45 (USD)
May 15 and after $75 (USD)