IDEAthon 2026

IDEAthon 2026: (Re)Imagine Spaces

The 2026 ReROW IDEAthon is co-hosted with NOMAS, ITE UBC and CAPACity.

This event is open to all UBC Undergraduate Students, regardless of their department or major.

Registration is now closed.

The IDEAthon is a free, interdisciplinary design competition for undergraduate students at UBC. Teams collaborate to reimagine a prominent campus public space through creative, practical, and research-informed design ideas.

The IDEAthon will focus on Flagpole Plaza near the Rose Garden, exploring how this central campus space can better support people, movement, and everyday campus life. Students from all disciplines are encouraged to participate, including engineering, architecture, planning, environmental sciences, arts, and social sciences.

Participants will work collaboratively to address social, environmental, aesthetic, safety, and transportation dimensions of public space design. Whether you’re studying engineering, architecture, urban planning, environmental science, or any other discipline, your perspective matters!

Top three teams will win cash prizes ($500, $300, $200). A People’s Choice Award ($100) will be chosen by all of the IDEAthon student participants. All participants enjoy free lunch & snacks. 

For questions or updates, contact: info.rerow@ubc.ca

During the IDEAthon, teams will:

  • Develop practical and innovative solutions to challenges facing public right-of-way spaces
  • Explore how social, environmental, commercial, aesthetic, safety, and transportation systems interact
  • Incorporate multidisciplinary perspectives and user experiences
  • Present their ideas to faculty and invited reviewers

Teams will deliver a three-minute presentation, supported by visuals such as site plans, diagrams, and sketches.

Event Schedule*

*Subject to minor changes.

Research Notice

During IDEAthon, ReROW is conducting a research study on interdisciplinary systems thinking. Participation is optional and involves completing two short surveys during the event, and will not affect competition outcomes or awards. Students may withdraw from the research at any time during the Ideathon event and up to two weeks after the event. All data will be used for research purposes only, in accordance with UBC research ethics requirements. Principal Investigator: Dr. Theo Lim, Associate Professor, SCARP. (H26-00235).