Design Baltimore: Gateways Competition

The competition invites architects, urban designers, artists, landscape architects, engineers, planners, students, and creative teams to develop visionary concepts for Baltimore’s gateway corridors along Russell Street, Conway Street and President Street, major gateways for residents, visitors, sports fans, tourists, business travelers, convention attendees, and investors.

A citywide design challenge seeking bold, innovative, and implementable ideas that transform Baltimore’s primary vehicular gateways into iconic arrival experiences that celebrate the city’s identity, history, culture, and future.

The gateways include three corridors:

I-83 / President Street / Jonestown

I-295 / I-95 / Russell Street

I-395 / Conway Street / Howard Street

Participants may submit proposals for one or more of the following gateway corridors. Teams may submit separate concepts for multiple corridors or develop one unified citywide gateway strategy.

The submission deadline is August 23, 2026. The competition is supported by a $450,000 prize pool, underscoring the City’s commitment to investing in innovative ideas and design excellence. Twelve finalist teams will each receive a $25,000 stipend to further develop their proposals. One winning team will then be selected for each of the three gateway corridors and awarded an additional $50,000.

Design Baltimore: Gateways is administered by the Baltimore Development Corporation at the request of Mayor Brandon M. Scott and is made possible through a collaborative partnership with the Baltimore City Department of Transportation, Baltimore City Department of Planning, the South Baltimore Gateway Partnership, Visit Baltimore, the Baltimore Orioles, the Baltimore Ravens, the Mayor’s Office, the Mayor’s Office of Arts, Culture and Entertainment (MOACE), the Maryland Stadium Authority, the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, and Create Baltimore. Together, these partners are helping advance a shared vision for welcoming residents and visitors through gateway spaces that reflect Baltimore’s identity, creativity, and continued investment in its future.

Competition details, eligibility requirements and submission information are available at designbaltimoregateways.com