2026 AIA Phoenix Metro Ideas Competition Registration Deadline

AIA Phoenix Metro, in partnership with the City of Phoenix Aviation Department (AVN), invites design professionals and students to envision the future of transportation through an ideas competition focused on Advanced Air Mobility (AAM).

AAM is an emerging frontier in aviation, centered on electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and innovative approaches to moving people and goods through the air. As this technology evolves, so too must the places that support it.

Located at Deer Valley Airport (DVT) Innovation Park, the competition challenges participants to design a forward-thinking vertiport that integrates sustainability, urban connectivity, and the airport experience—creating a vision for how AAM can seamlessly connect people, communities, and destinations across the Valley.

With Phoenix among the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the United States, the region provides an ideal living laboratory for imagining how emerging aviation technologies can shape a more connected and sustainable future.

View the design brief PDF at this link, which you can download for your reference.

Register by the early registration deadline here. Once entry fee is paid, you will receive your entry number.

Timeline:

• September 29 – Registration Deadline
• October 15 – Extended Registration Deadline (with $50 fee)
• October 30 – Entries DUE
• December 2026 (Date TBD) – Winners Announced