Portobello community competition seeks fresh ideas from emerging designers to transform seaside site

[Deadline: 8th September 2025]

A new community-led competition is calling for bold and imaginative proposals to reinvent a neglected site along Portobello’s Promenade just outside Edinburgh. At present there is a block of existing toilets which have been the subject of growing local frustration in recent years, as they are frequently locked and under-maintained. This has prompted the community to take action with the aim to transform the site into a vibrant new stop along the much-loved seaside boardwalk.

The competition, launched by Community Competitions, invites entries from architects, artists, designers, students and creatives in the early stages of their careers. It is the first in a planned series of open calls from the platform, aimed at challenging a system where emerging architects struggle to access real building opportunities.

Without change, we risk losing the ideas and energy of new practices. Architecture becomes narrower and less connected to public life. Community Competitions proposes an alternative where new voices shape the built world. A future where design is open, diverse and rooted in place.

According to the organisers:

‘We want to keep the brief open, encouraging everything from playful and provocative visions to grounded, community-focused intervention. You can propose keeping the toilets, transforming them, or replacing them entirely.”

This is a quick ideas competition. Submissions are limited to a single A2 page, with no requirement for technical drawings or working details. Proposals will be judged on their creative potential, community value and clarity of concept.

The winning entrant will be offered the opportunity to lead the potential next stages of the project, including design development and delivery, working closely with the community and key stakeholders to bring the proposal to life. The project is in the process of securing funding, with the ambition that the winning scheme will form the basis for a fully realised seaside development.

Competition details

Project Title Portobello Promenade

Organiser Community Competitions

Location Portobello Promenade, Edinburgh

Deadline 12pm, Monday 8 September 2025

Format 1 x A2 sheet (digital submission)

Eligibility Open to all

Entry Fee None

Prize No cash prizes but Kudos and intention to build (not guaranteed at this stage)

Public Exhibition w/c 15 September, site TBC

Jury
Esther Clayton, Graphic Designer
Malcolm Fraser, Architect
Craig Macintyre, Interior Designer
Frazer McNaughton, Landscape Architect
Rory Olcayto, Writer and Critic

Full brief, site plan and submission details are available at: www.communitycompetitions.org