Announcing the 2026 Student Design Competition Winners!
The Student Design Competition, an event designed to inspire students from Architecture, Engineering, Physics, and related fields, highlighted the power of acoustical design. This year, student teams were challenged to design a performance space where acoustics take center stage—both literally and figuratively.
The 2026 design scenario invited students to create a13,000-seat music pavilion with covered and lawn audience seating to serve as its summer venue. The music pavilion would have a variety of programing acts, with the orchestra as a resident company during the summer season. Review the complete design scenario here.
Held during the 190th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, the competition featured 15 compelling submissions across 5 different countries. Each entry showcased exceptional technical merit, design vision, innovation, and presentation effectiveness, demonstrating the depth of creativity and rigor among future professionals in the field.
Thanks to the generous support of Wenger, the competition awarded a First Honors prize of $3000 USD and four Commendation Awards of $1000 USD each.
We are excited to announce this year’s winners:
First HonorsLeaf |
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Commendation Awards
| The Groovy Grotto by Melchior Käppel, Nicolas D’Oria, & Sergio de las Heras Pérez Advised by: Lukas Aspoeck, PhD RWTH Aachen University & Aalto University |
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| Karner Blue Amphitheater by Mansi Airen, Casey Hanauer, & Oscar Peterson-Veatch Advised by: David Kahn Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
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| Capitol Pavilion by Veronika Pavlova Vorel & Noel Gutierrez Advised by: David Kahn Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
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| Sound in Motion by Iain Hermansson, Alice Palmgren, & Adam Skoglund Advised by: Wolfgang Kropp, Morten Lund, & Peter Christensson Chalmers University of Technology |
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A big thanks to this year’s judges, Damian Doria, FASA (Partner at Stages Consultants), and John Strong (Principal at Threshold Acoustics & AV) for their time; our sponsor, Wenger, for their continuing generous financial support; and Felicia Doggett (President & CEO at Metropolitan Acoustics) for our local holding ground for mailed posters.
2025 Student Design Competition
Announcing the 2025 Student Design Competition Winners!
The Student Design Competition, an event designed to inspire students from Architecture, Engineering, Physics, and related fields, highlighted the power of acoustical design. This year, student teams were challenged to design a performance space where acoustics take center stage—both literally and figuratively.
The 2025 design scenario invited students to create a 700-seat theatre for a college with strong programs in drama, vocal performance, and dance. The theatre would serve primarily for dramatic productions and musicals but would also host speaking engagements. Review the complete design scenario here.
Held during the 188th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, in conjunction with the 25th International Congress on Acoustics, the competition featured 12 compelling submissions. Each entry showcased exceptional technical merit, design vision, innovation, and presentation effectiveness, demonstrating the depth of creativity and rigor among future professionals in the field.
Thanks to the generous support of the Wenger Foundation through the Newman Student Award Fund, the competition awarded a First Honors prize of $3000 USD and four Commendation Awards of $1000 USD each.
We are excited to announce this year’s winners:
First HonorsLOPEZ THEATER |
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Commendation Awards
| ORB Tilda Johansson, Madeleine Järlbrink, Avijah Neumann – Chalmers University of Technology Advisors: Wolfgang Kropp, Morten Lund, Peter Christensson |
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| DRAPERY THEATRE Ida Jansson, Tea Johansson, Shko Mirza – Chalmers University of Technology Advisors: Wolfgang Kropp, Morten Lund, Peter Christensson |
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| STAGE B Lukas Holmberg, Dimitri Rampotas, Alva Fährlin – Chalmers University of Technology Advisors: Wolfgang Kropp, Morten Lund, Peter Christensson |
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| THE GRID Erik Moberg, Arvid Sigurdsson – Chalmers University of Technology Advisors: Wolfgang Kropp, Morten Lund, Peter Christensson |
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We extend heartfelt thanks to our distinguished judges, Clemeth Abercrombie (Lead Design Principal, Charcoalblue) and Carlos Rivera (Associate Principal Consultant, Jaffe Holden), for their generous time and insightful evaluations of each project.
Congratulations once again to all participants!