How to enter Dubai Municipality’s AI park design competition and win Dh100,000
The challenge invites architects, students, researchers and creatives to submit AI-powered concepts for Al Safa 2 Park.
Dubai: Are you up for the challenge of giving one of the most beloved parks in Dubai a makeover, using artificial intelligence (AI)?
The Dubai Municipality is inviting participants to reimagine Al Safa 2 Park, with AI – now, the ball is in your court.
What is the initiative about?
On June 28, the Dubai Municipality launched the world’s first AI-powered park design challenge, under the directive of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai.
The challenge represents a pioneering pilot initiative to harness the power of AI across urban planning, architecture, and park design. The project explores how an integrated ecosystem of AI tools can augment the entire design journey — from site analysis and user insights to concept generation, scenario testing, and solution development — ultimately elevating design quality while accelerating innovation, creativity, and human-centred outcomes.
What are the objectives of the challenge?
According to Dubai Municipality, the challenge aims to:
- Promote innovative, human-centred, and sustainable approaches to the design of public spaces.
- Encourage the meaningful use of AI tools throughout the design process, including site analysis, ideation, scenario testing, visualisation, and decision-making.
- Foster collaboration between designers, architects, technologists, researchers, and innovators.
- Develop implementable and scalable concepts that can be tested as prototype parks within Dubai.
Who can participate?
According to the Dubai Municipality’s website, the challenge is open to:
- Architects and urban designers
- Landscape architects
- Planners and engineers
- Researchers and academics
- Students and recent graduates
- Multidisciplinary teams and design studios
- Creatives, professionals, and specialists from related disciplines
Participants may apply individually or as part of a multidisciplinary team. One team member must be designated as the team leader and primary point of contact.
What is the submission criteria?
The challenge aims to leverage AI technologies and tools to reimagine the design of Al Safa 2 Park, with innovative concepts that are both visionary and possible to implement.
According to the Dubai Municipality’s website, submissions must include:
- A fully integrated master plan
- Supportive data analysis
- Visualisations that reflect the user experience
- Detailed design proposals, with plans and drawings
- A human-centred design approach
- Practical solutions that enhance sustainability and quality of life
Participants must also demonstrate how AI tools were integrated into various stages of the design process, supporting analysis, iteration, and design-making throughout the project:
- Concept exploration – generating and testing multiple design ideas
- Design iteration – refining layouts and spatial arrangements through AI-assisted workflows
- Environmental response – optimising shade, microclimate, and sustainability strategies
- User experience insights – informing design decisions based on predicted user behaviour
- Design optimisation – improving efficiency, performance, and functionality
- Visualisation – producing AI-assisted visuals to communicate design intent
- Site and user analysis using data (climate, context, behaviour patterns)
- Environmental analysis (shade, heat, solar exposure, wind – at a basic level)
- Demonstration of how AI informed human comfort, usability, and experience
- Data-informed design decisions (linking analysis to spatial outcomes)
- Parametric/generative logic (if applicable, briefly explained)
What is the prize?
The competition offers a total prize pool of Dh200,000, with the following distribution:
First place: Dh100,000
Second place: Dh65,000
Third place: Dh35,000
Who will judge the competition?
A panel comprising government leaders and international experts will assess and shortlist submissions. The panel includes experts from Dubai Municipality, Dubai Future Foundation, the Community Development Authority, and MIT Design Labs, among others.
Judging will then be opened to the community, who can participate in selecting the final winners.
When is the deadline to submit my idea?
Applications are open until August 25, 2026.
How to apply for the challenge
In order to submit your design idea, follow these steps:
- Visit the website: aipark.dm.gov.ae/ai-competition. Click ‘Participate Now’ and sign in with your UAE PASS.
- Complete the application form and upload all required documents and files.
- Review your application and submit it before the submission deadline.