ULI Hines Student Competition – Asia Pacific

Competition Updates:
Registrations for the 2026 ULI Hines Student Competition Asia Pacific is now open. Register your team using the link below.

Deadline for Registrations: 4 March 2026 11:59 PM HKT
Deadline for Team Verification: 5 March 2026 11:59 PM HKT.

Competition Flyer
Download the 2026 Competition Flyer (last updated 20 November, 2025) for an overview of the competition. Click Here for English and Here for Chinese versions.

For inquiries, please contact [email protected].

2026 ULI Hines Student Competition Asia Pacific

Click here to register your team for the 2026 competition. Deadline for registrations: 4 March 2026 at 11:59 PM HKT. Note: Team leaders must create a ULI account and complete their team information in English.

REGISTER TO THE 2026 COMPETITION

How to Build a Winning Team for the ULI Hines Student Competition Asia Pacific 2026 - Fireside Chat with Jury Co-chair

On 26 November, ULI Asia Pacific hosted a Q&A webinar and Fireside Chat with Jury Co-chair Peter Hyland to learn more about the ULI Hines Student Competition Asia Pacific and what it takes to build a winning team.

Beyond the Brief: Inside the Winning Proposals of the 2025 ULI Hines Student Competition

On 30 Oct 2025, ULI Asia Pacific conducted a webinar celebrating the finalists of the ULI Hines Student Competition Asia Pacific. Participants heard directly from the next generation of city shapers as they presented their award-winning development proposals—crafted through interdisciplinary collaboration and bold urban thinking. Each team shared key highlights of their scheme, the challenges they faced, and how the competition reshaped their perspective on city-building and real-world problem solving. The session concluded with a lively panel discussion featuring jurors and student representatives. Together, they unpacked memorable judging moments, winning strategies, and valuable lessons for future applicants.

Competition Outline

The ULI Hines Student Competition Asia Pacific will be returning for its 4th year in 2026. The competition offers graduate and final-year undergraduate students the opportunity to form their own multidisciplinary teams and engage in a challenging exercise in developing a proposal for a site that reflects the responsible use of land in an effective creative, and sustainable way.   

  • Teams of 3-5 students pursuing degrees in at least 2 different disciplines will have three weeks to propose a development programme for a real site in a large city in Asia Pacific.
  • Teams will provide a strategic overview, graphic boards and narratives of their proposals, including designs and market-feasible financial data.
    The ULI Hines Student Competition Asia Pacific is open to final-year undergraduate and graduate students currently engaged with a university or similar Institution in the Asia Pacific region.
  • The ULI Hines Student Competition Asia Pacific is an ideas competition and be assessed as such. There is no expectation that anyone will apply the submitted schemes to the site.  
  • Up to three teams will be shortlisted as finalists for the competition. Shortlisted finalists will present their proposals in a virtual forum on April 2026. The winner will be announced on May 2026 at the ULI Asia Pacific Summit.
  • All shortlisted finalists shall receive a one-year ULI student membership. The winning team will enjoy a fully paid trip – flight, accommodation and full-access ticket to the ULI Asia Pacific Summit in Shanghai on May 2026. The winning team will be invited to present their winning piece during the Summit. 

2026 Competition – Key Dates

Registration Period* | 20 November 2025 – 4 March 2026
Notification to Eligible Teams | 5 March 2026
Release of Competition Brief w/ Site Information | 6 March 2026
Competition Period | 6 – 26 March 2026
Finalists Announced | 31 March 2026
Virtual Finalist Presentation | 10 April 2026
Winner Announced | 27 May 2026
Winning Team to Join the ULI Asia Pacific Summit 2026 | 25-27 May 2026

*Note: All entries are to be verified by the team’s sponsoring university or faculty.

2026 Competition Prizes

Up to three teams will be shortlisted as finalists for the competition. Shortlisted finalists will virtually present their proposals to a jury panel in April. The winner will be announced on 27 May 2026 at the ULI Asia Pacific Summit in Shanghai.

All finalists will enjoy:

  • A valuable CV boost by gaining practical experience through an immersive case study challenge during the competition.
  • Exceptional networking opportunities with senior industry leaders, expert mentors, and top university peers.
  • A one-year ULI student membership, unlocking resources like research, events, webinars, education, mentorship programmes, and global connections.
  • Discounted rate to attend the ULI Asia Pacific Summit 2026.

The 2026 winning team will be awarded with:

  • A fully paid trip to the ULI Asia Pacific Summit 2026, including flights, accommodation, and a full-access delegate pass.
  • An opportunity to present your winning proposal at the ULI Asia Pacific Summit 2026.
  • Invitation to an intimate networking breakfast with Hines and ULI Asia Pacific senior leaders.
  • One-on-one mentorship with Hines leaders.

Competition Background

The competition is part of the ULI’s ongoing effort to raise interest among young people in creating better communities, improving development patterns, and increasing awareness of the need for multidisciplinary solutions to development and design challenges. 

Long-time ULI leader Gerald D. Hines, the founder of the Hines real estate organization, created the competition with a generous endowment after he received the ULI Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development in 2002. 

At least 10,715 students on over 2,143 teams have participated in the competition since its first year in 2003, including 80 teams (400 students) who have made it to the finalist round. More than 1,000 real estate and design professionals have served as advisers to these teams. In 2022, 93 teams submitted entries from 48 schools. In 2003, the competition’s first year, 49 teams submitted entries from 22 schools. 

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For Inquiries, please contact [email protected].