Introduction
The Kiosk Competition’s aim is to question the function and form of a street newspaper shop at the time of media digitization. Do we still need street newsstands? How should they approach customers? What is the purpose of a kiosk in the future?

In the last decade, readers of newspapers and magazines have mostly migrated online, but a significant number of people who prefer to read printed newspapers and magazines is also increasingly noticeable. Paper requires a different approach to both the content and visual form design, but also enables a different contact with readers. Newspapers come to life offline, and readers often come to cherish contact with vendors or even with each other. (Un)expected interactions always hide the potential of the added value. Kiosks are thus a part of the street furniture in the cities – and the common good. At Outsider, we believe that they are relevant again today. They just need to be rediscovered!

Competition task
We are announcing an international competition for the design of a modern kiosk. The competition seeks answers to the question: what is the purpose of the modern kiosk, and how should it be designed as a modern architectural facility?

We are looking for innovative solutions. Can a kiosk be more than just a small building, where newspapers, sweets and drinks are sold, often through an open window? And how can a kiosk of the future connect the digital and analogue worlds?

In Slovenia, there is a rich kiosks heritage, from Plečnik’s kiosk, a small architectural capriccio, to Maechtig’s kiosk K67, an ideal product of industrial design. The success of the K67 was in the combination of mass production (modularity), and completely new material at the time, polyester. What about today? Which technology can meet the modern challenges of environmentally friendly and user-friendly design?

The competition’s task is therefore to consider the importance of the kiosk in the urban space, its content, purpose, and form or architecture. What should the kiosk contain, how should serve its users, and what can it offer to the space where it is located?

Program
The kiosk must provide a minimum internal area (2 m² or more) and basic functions: sales areas, mini-warehouse, space for a cash register, entrance, and sales window. Kiosks are usually without toilets. All other software solutions are entirely up to the contestants. We encourage innovative solutions, which should also be based on economic feasibility or sustainability.

Location
Location is not specified. The kiosk can be either located in a historic center of a town or in a more generic setting. Preferably it should work well in different places. 

Materials
Materials are not specified. However, we wish for the contestants to consider what materials and technologies can answer the modern problem of mass production and sustainable use. Although the implementation of competition’s solutions is not planned, we expect feasible solutions.

Conditions of participation
The competition is open to architects, urban planners, landscape architects, industrial designers, painters, sociologists, philosophers, or students of the listed sciences.

The jury

• Saša Mächtig (honorary member)
• Aleksander Vujović
• Tadej Zupančič
• Mika Cimolini (CzK)
• Nina Granda, President of the Jury

Awards
Three winning competition proposals will be selected, and three awards will be presented. The winners will receive prizes in the total value of EUR 3,300.00:

• first prize: EUR 1,500.00 gross
• second prize: EUR 1,000 gross
• third prize: EUR 500.00 gross
• three honorable mentions: EUR 100.00 gross

The organizers will award plaques to all winners and recipients of awards. The winners will be provided with a media publication, a presentation on the website, and will feature in the winter issue of Outsider magazine.

Registration
Registration is required. The registration fee is 20 EUR. Candidates will receive a six-digit PIN code at the time of registration (for example A15GH3). The assigned PIN code should be used following the competition rules. The registration form is at the bottom of this page.

Questions and answers
Questions are accepted at the e-mail address info@outsider.si until September 15, 2021. Candidates should enter “KIOSK competition – questions” in the subject line. The answers to the questions will be published on the competition website. All applicants will be notified by email.

Contest timeline
Aug 5 2021: start of the competition and receipt of the applications
Sept 15 2021: end of the receipt of questions
Sept 20, 2021: publication of the answers to the questions on the competition website (all applicants will be notified by e-mail)
Oct 20 2021: end of the receipt of applications
Oct 20 2021 at 23:59 CET: deadline for the submission of solutions
December 2021: announcement of the results

Evaluation criteria
Consideration of the role of the kiosk in modern urban circumstances.
Consideration of the purpose of a modern kiosk.
The quality of the architectural solutions.
The flexibility and applicability in different contexts.
Feasibility of the proposal (economy, sustainability).

Prescribed submission material
Competitors must submit the following documents:

1. presentation folder: 1 poster in A3 format (297 x 420 mm) in 300 dpi resolution with portrait orientation in pdf format; each poster must have the candidate’s PIN  in the upper right corner (the height of the text should be about 1 cm); presentation posters must contain:

• at least one (1) floor plan at a scale of 1:50, basically dimensioned,
• sections or facades at the discretion of the competitor in the scale of 1:50, basically dimensioned,
• at least two (2) perspective (or axonometric) views of the object; the type of perspective view is not specified (manual sketch, render, photograph of the physical model, schematic representation, etc.), but the object must be authentically displayed,
• any other material (e.g. conceptual diagrams, details, sketches, etc.),
• textual explanation: text (maximum 1,000 characters with spaces) describing the consideration of the meaning of the kiosk and content solutions and the main design concept;

2. scanned form (available during the competition material – Form.pdf) in pdf format, which contains information about the candidate and a statement of authorship. The form must be signed by all candidates. The name of the file should be PIN Form.pdf (example: A15GH3 Form.pdf).
3. confirmation of payment of registration fee 20€

Notes on submission documents:

• Physical material (including mock-ups) is not subject to evaluation.
• Videos are not subject to evaluation.
• All information submitted by the candidate in writing must be in Slovene or English.
• The presentation folder and explanation should not disclose information regarding the identity of the individual or team.
• All dimensions must be in the metric system, e.g. centimeters (cm) or meters (m).

Submission procedure
The submission procedure is as follows:

1. Compress the file described above into a single zip file named PIN.zip (example: A15GH3.zip). Maximum file size allowed: 20 MB.

2. Upload the zip file to WeTransfer, Dropbox, or a similar online file transfer service.

3. Send an e-mail with a download link to info@outsider.si, subject: KIOSK Competition PIN (example: KIOSK A15GH3 Competition). You must submit a download link email by October 20, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. CET.

If the competition organizers have difficulty transferring or opening files, they will contact the candidates immediately and ask them to resubmit the files. If candidates fail to do so within 24 hours, they will be disqualified.

Anonymity
The information provided by contestants during the application process and the applications received will not be disclosed until the results are announced. To ensure that the review and evaluation of applications are fair, candidates may not disclose information about the application anywhere, not even on social media, until the winners are announced. Candidates who breach this rule will be disqualified.

Evaluation process
The jury will select the winners based on the competition rules and the quality of the competing proposals.

According to the decision of the jury, the organizer of the competition will contact the selected members in the second round and invite them to the awards presentation.

Copyright
All authors retain moral copyright. Outsider has the right to the sole and exclusive publication of copyrighted works. In the case of implementation, the author and the Outsider agree separately on the finalization of the implementation plans and the transfer of rights. The author retains the conceptual authorship and Outsider becomes the owner of the constructed facility and freely disposes of it and uses it.

Registration form