OFFICIAL Contest Rules
250 Years of American Style
1. SPONSOR. The sponsor of the 250 Years of Style contest (the “Contest”) is CCDC Common Area Association (the “Sponsor”), 825 10th Street NW, Washington, DC 2000. (202) 289-9000 (the “Sponsor Address”).
2. ELIGIBILITY. The Contest is open to professional artists, designers, architects, and creative teams who are legal residents of the United States and its territories who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry. Submissions by multidisciplinary and collaborative teams are encouraged. Employees and contractors of Sponsor, the Selection Panel (defined below), and each of their respective parent companies, owners, affiliates, subsidiaries, and immediate family members of Sponsor and the Selection Panel’s ownership or management (defined as mother, father, brother, sister, son, daughter, or spouse, regardless of residence) or persons living in the same household of such individuals are not eligible to participate in the Contest. The Contest entrant shall be the individual or team that provides a Submission (as defined in Section 4) (the “Entrant”), and references to Entrant throughout include all members of a team, unless the expressly indicated otherwise. By entering a Submission, each Entrant is deemed to have read and accepts and agrees to be bound by these contest rules (the “Official Rules”) and to Sponsor’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to the Contest. Acceptance of Award (as defined in Section 7) is subject to the policies and rules set out in the Official Rules. No purchase or payment of any kind is necessary to enter or win. Contest is void where prohibited. The Contest, and your Submission, is subject to all federal, state and local laws, regulations, and ordinances.
3. CONTEST Period. The Contest begins February 24, 2026, at 12:01 AM eastern standard time (“EST”) and ends on April 15, 2026, at 11:59 PM eastern daylight time (“EDT”) (the “Contest Period”). Sponsor’s computer is the official timekeeping device for the Contest. During the Contest Period, Entrant must complete the steps under Section 4 (“How to Enter”) to be eligible and officially entered for the Contest.
4. HOW TO ENTER. To enter the Contest, upload the Submission to the portal available at https://www.citycenterdc.com/250style (“Portal”), during the Contest Period. Entrant will be asked to create an account and must agree to all terms and conditions of the Portal.Limit one (1) entry per Entrant per account throughout the Contest Period. All entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be returned. For team Entrants, each Entrant should designate a contact person and provide the contact information of that person to Sponsor via the Portal.
Materials Required for Submission (“Submission”)
CityCenterDC is a civic, cultural, and mixed use development located in Washington, D.C. combining retail, dining, residential, hospitality, and public space (the “Project”). The Contest seeks concepts for a temporary, site-specific hanging art installation within Palmer Alley at the Project (the “Installation Site”). The Installation Site is owned by CCDC Residential Rental LLC, The Unit Owners Association of H Street Condominium, The Unit Owners Association of I Street Condominium, and CCDC Retail LLC (collectively, the “Owner”). Submissions should respond to the Installation Site’s architectural character, pedestrian flow, and role as a gathering place and consider how the installed installation will activate public space, engage diverse audiences, and enhance the everyday experience of the Project for residents, visitors, and the surrounding community.
Each Submission must include the following materials:
Concept overview: A brief written description (not to exceed 300 words) outlining the idea, intent, and relevance to the Project (the “Concept”).
Visual representation: Renderings, sketches, diagrams, or other visual materials sufficient to communicate the Concept. A folder of source materials and renderings, feasibility guidance, and general technical specifications are provided to help craft your visual representation.
Artist or team background: Resume or CV and 3–5 examples of relevant past work
Preliminary considerations: High-level thoughts on materials, scale, and installation approach (final engineering not required at this stage) that follows/meets the provided guidance in the asset download.
Considerations for the Concept: Concepts contained in the Submissions should be adaptable to an urban, outdoor environment and withstand normal public interaction and weather conditions.
Each Submission must meet the following requirements:
• The Submission must be in English;
• The Submission must meet all requirements specified by the Portal;
• The Submission must be the original work of the Entrant or Entrant team;
• The Submission cannot have been submitted previously in a promotion or contest of any kind; and
Additional requirements, such as specific locations, footprints, power access, and technical constraints may be shared with Shortlist Submissions (as defined in Section 5).
By providing a Submission, each Entrant (i) warrants that the Submission is owned by the Entrant, that all content contained in the Submission is the original work of Entrant and that the Entrant has all rights in and to all artwork, artistic concepts, and designs; (ii) warrants that Entrant has all necessary rights to build, complete, fabricate and install the artwork, artistic concepts, and designs contained in the Submission; (iii) represents and warrants that the Submission does not infringe or misappropriate the intellectual property right of any person; (iv) represents and warrants that the Concept, if and when installed, will not infringe or misappropriates the intellectual property right of any person; (v) acknowledges and agrees that the Submission does not create a contractual relationship between Entrant and Sponsor; and (vi) agrees not to post, publish, display, discuss, comment on their Submission on a public forum, or build, fabricate, or install their Concept anywhere before the announcement of the Winner (as defined in Section 5). Notwithstanding the foregoing, each non-Winner retains all rights in and to the Submission not granted to Sponsor under these Official Rules, including, for example, the right to fabricate and build artwork derivative of the Concept after the Contest Period.
To be eligible and defined as a Submission, the Submission must: (1) be Entrant’s own original work that is solely owned by Entrant and has not been submitted to any other third party, including any other contest or promotion; (2) be non-confidential; (3) have been legally created; (4) not infringe upon the copyrights, trademarks, rights of privacy, publicity or other intellectual property or other legal or moral rights of any person or entity; (5) not disparage any person or entity, including Sponsor; (6) not contain brand names or trademarks; (7) not include any private information of a third party such as name, address, phone number, or e-mail address; (8) not contain any reference to identifiable third parties, unless consent has been obtained from all such individuals and his/her parent or legal guardian of any person under the age of majority in his/her jurisdiction of residence; (9) not contain material that promotes bigotry, racism, hatred or harm against any group or individual or promotes discrimination based on race, gender, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age; (10) not contain material that is unlawful, in violation of or contrary to the laws or regulations in any jurisdiction where Submission is created; and (11) not include any material that Sponsor deems, in its sole discretion, to be inappropriate, indecent, obscene, lewd, hateful, tortious, defamatory, slanderous or libelous, including without limitation depictions, discussions or any material involving nudity, alcohol/drug consumption or smoking, crude, vulgar or offensive language and explicit or graphic sexual activity, or sexual innuendo. If the Submission includes the image of a child under the age of 13, the Submission must also include an image of his/her parent/legal guardian. By providing a Submission, you attest that you have made all those depicted in the Submission aware that you are providing the Submission to the Contest and all depicted have agreed that you may provide such Submission. If your Submission includes the image of any person, you may be required to submit signed release forms from each of the people appearing in your Submission at Sponsor’s request.
Entrants agree not to upload, post or transmit any materials which contain any computer viruses, Easter eggs, worms, Trojan Horses or other harmful component or programming routines that are intended to or may damage, detrimentally interfere with, surreptitiously intercept or expropriate any system, data or personal information. Submissions that have been tampered with or altered are void. Any questions regarding the number of Submissions submitted by an Entrant or the authorized account holder of the Portal shall be determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion, and Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any Submission by persons determined to be tampering with or abusing any aspect of the Contest.
Sponsor may disqualify or reject a Submission at any time, in its sole discretion. Sponsor is not responsible for the content of the Submission. You are solely responsible for the content of your Submission.
In order to enter the Contest, Entrants must comply with all registration instructions when providing their Submission. No information regarding Submissions or judging, other than as otherwise set forth in the Official Rules will be disclosed.
5. SELECTION OF THE WINNER; JUDGING AND NOTIFICATION. On or around April 24, 2026, a group assembled by Sponsor, in Sponsor’s sole discretion, of representatives from Sponsor, Sponsor’s owners, Sponsor’s parent company, design professionals, and external advisors (the “Selection Panel”) will evaluate the Submissions. The Selection Panel will evaluate the Submissions based on (i) conceptual strength and originality; (ii) appropriateness for the Project’s context and audience; and (iii) visual impact and experiential quality (collectively, the “Shortlist Criteria”). Based on the Shortlist Criteria, the Selection Panel will select three Entrants based on their Submissions for further discussions (each a “Shortlist Candidate”). Each Shortlist Candidate will be notified by e-mail. The Selection Panel, or a portion thereof, will meet with each Shortlist Candidate to discuss feasibility for temporary installation and refinement of each Concept on or about April 27, 2026. Following discussions, the Selection Panel will evaluate the Submissions of each Shortlist Candidate based on (i) feasibility for temporary installation; and (ii) the Shortlist Criteria (collectively, (i) and (ii), the “Selection Criteria”). On or about April 30, 2026, the Selection Panel will select the winning Submission (the “Winning Concept”) from the Shortlist Candidates (the “Winner”).
Selection of the Winning Concept will be based on which Submission best meets the Selection Criteria, in the sole discretion of the Selection Panel, from among all Submissions that comply with the terms of these Official Rules received as of April 15, 2026. In the event the Selection Panel selects two Shortlist Candidates as equal in the Selection Criteria, Sponsor’s designee shall select the Winner.
Winner will be notified by e-mail. Final selection of the Winner is at Sponsor’s sole discretion and all decisions by Sponsor are final. If, following the determination of the Winner, such Winner is found to be ineligible, or if he or she has not complied with these Official Rules, or if the selected Winner and Sponsor cannot reach agreement on an Artist Contract (as defined in Section 8), or the selected Winner declines the Award (as defined in Section 7) for any reason prior to grant, such selected Winner may be disqualified and an alternate winner may be selected, in Sponsor’s sole discretion.
6. ODDS OF WINNING. The odds of winning depend on the number of entries.
7. AWARD. The Winner will be awarded $10,000 (the “Award”) and a budget of up to $100,000 toward the fees and costs to perform design development, fabrication, materials installation, maintenance, and de-installation of the Winning Concept (the “Design Costs”).
No refund or compensation will be made in the event of cancellation of the Contest. The Award cannot be transferred, substituted, or assigned. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute the Award, in which case a prize of equal or greater value will be awarded. Estimated retail value of the Award is $ 10,000 USD. Winner will not receive difference between actual and approximate retail value. All applicable federal, state, and local taxes and all fees and expenses related to acceptance of the Award not specifically stated herein are the sole responsibility of the Winner and Winner agrees to sign any forms or other documentation required by Sponsor. The Sponsor will not be responsible if factors beyond its reasonable control prevent the Award or any components thereof from being awarded or redeemed.
8. CONDITIONS OF ACCEPTANCE OF AWARD. Sponsor reserves the right to modify, suspend, or cancel the Contest at any time. Winner’s receipt of the Award and Design Costs is subject to execution of a contract between Sponsor and Winner covering the design, build, and install of the Winning Concept (“Artist Contract”). Consummation of an Artist Contract between the Winner and Sponsor is subject to agreement on scope, budget, Design Costs, and implementation details. Fabrication and installation will be coordinated in partnership with Sponsor and its designated fabricator. Final installation is contingent upon Owner approval, engineering review, permitting and regulatory approvals, and final budget alignment (“Final Approvals”). Sponsor reserves the right to request reasonable modifications of the Winning Concept to obtain Final Approvals, to meet safety, operational, or regulatory requirements, or as otherwise set out in the Artist Contract.
In the event Winner and Sponsor do not enter into an Artist Contract, Sponsor can withdraw the Award and select a new Winner. Winner must continue to comply with all terms and conditions of these Official Rules, and winning is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements.
Sponsor may perform a background check on any potential Contest winner resident in the United States and each Entrant agrees to cooperate with Sponsor and to provide all information to Sponsor to enable Sponsor to perform the background check. Sponsor also reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to disqualify any potential winner based on the results of such background check, if the Sponsor determines, in its sole and absolute discretion, that awarding the Award to such potential winner might reflect negatively on Sponsor. Factors that may result in disqualification of a potential winner include, without limitation, the potential winner having been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, moving violations, or any other criminal or civil offense as determined in the sole and absolute discretion of the Sponsor, or if Sponsor determines, in its sole and absolute discretion, that awarding a Award to such individual may subject Sponsor to liability or reflect unfavorably on the Contest or on Sponsor. An Entrant is not a Winner unless and until Entrant’s eligibility has been verified and Entrant has been notified by Sponsor that verification is complete. In the event that Winner is determined to be ineligible, the Award will be forfeited and Sponsor reserves the right to randomly select an alternate winner from among the remaining eligible entries.
9. RIGHT TO USE SUBMISSIONS; Publicity. By providing a Submission, each Entrant grants the Owner, the Owner’s property manager, Sponsor, and each of the foregoing parties’ subsidiaries, affiliates, members, partners, retailers, distributors, advertising and promotion agencies, suppliers, and those acting pursuant to its authority (collectively, the “Licensee Parties”) a perpetual, unlimited, non-exclusive, worldwide, fully transferable, sub-licensable and irrevocable right and license to reproduce, modify, display, publicly perform, transmit, distribute, and broadcast, create derivative works from, edit, post, publish and/or otherwise use the Submission and any and all elements embodied therein, including any names and likenesses, in any manner, and in any and all media and formats now known or hereafter developed, without further compensation, notification or permission, for the purpose of reviewing and evaluating the Submission, publicizing the Contest, publicizing the Submission, promoting the Submission, announcing the winners, and advertising and promoting the Project. If requested, Entrant will sign any documentation that may be required for the Licensee Parties to make use of the non-exclusive rights Entrant is granting to use the Submission.
10. REPRESENTATION, WARRANTY, INDEMNIFICATION AND LIMITATION OF LIABILTY: By submitting a Submission, you warrant and represent that: (a) your Submission complies with the submission criteria set forth above; and (b) you will indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Sponsor, the Owner, the Owner’s property manager, Hines Interests Limited Partnership, each of their respective affiliates, direct and indirect owners, and each of their respective officers, directors, employees, agents, contractors, successors, owners, and assigns (collectively, the “Indemnified Parties”) from and against any loss, damage, liability, cost, or expense of any kind (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) (“Losses”) that any of the Indemnified Parties may incur in connection with a third party claim, suit, or demand (“Claim”), arising from or relating to (1) your Submission or Concept; (2) any breach or alleged breach of your representations, warranties, or other obligations hereunder; (3) any violation of these Official Rules; (4) alleged or actual infringement or misappropriation of intellectual property in your Submission; (5) bodily injury, death of any person, or damage to real or personal property resulting from your acts or omissions; and (6) alleged or actual invasion of privacy (whether under appropriation, intrusion, public disclosure of private facts, false light in the public eye or other legal theory).
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall any of the Indemnified Parties be liable for any damages arising out of or relating to these Official Rules, your participation in the Contest, your Submission, or your Concept, including, without limitation, any incidental, special, indirect, consequential, or punitive damages, OR FOR any damages for lost profits, loss of data, loss of use, business interruption, procurement of substitute goods or substitute services, or any other commercial damages or losses however caused, regardless of the theory of liability (contract, tort, or otherwise), regardless of whether such damages are characterized as direct damages or incidental, special, indirect, consequential, or punitive damages, and even if any of the Indemnified parties are aware of the possibility of such damages. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR PERSONAL INJURY CAUSED DIRECTLY BY NEGLIGENCE, GROSS NEGLIGENCE, OR WILLFUL MISCONDUCT, THE LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR LOSS OR DAMAGE CAUSED BY FRAUDULENT MISREPRESENTATION, OR THE EXCLUSION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO ALL OR A PORTION OF THIS LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
EXCEPT AS PROHIBITED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL ANY OF THE INDEMNIFIED PARTIES’ TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OR RELATED TO these Official Rules, your participation in the Contest, your Submission, or your Concept EXCEED FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($500.00). THE FOREGOING LIMITATIONS WILL APPLY EVEN IF THE ABOVE STATED REMEDY FAILS OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE.
CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY YOU TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE THIS SITE, THE PORTAL OR ANY CONTEST SITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST IS A VIOLATION OF APPLICABLE CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAW. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, THE SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW AND TO DISQUALIFY THAT PERSON FROM THE CONTEST.
This Section 10 shall survive the completion or earlier termination of the Contest.
11. SPONSOR’S RESERVATION OF RIGHTS. These Official Rules are subject to modification by Sponsor. In the event of a dispute, all decisions made by Sponsor are final and binding. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any person who tampers with the entry process or the operation of the Contest, or who otherwise acts in violation of these Official Rules. Sponsor further reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to rescind, cancel, terminate, or modify the Contest in whole or in part, at any time, including to select the winners, from the Submissions prior to the action taken or in other such manner as deemed fair and appropriate by Sponsor, without notice or liability, for any reason, including, but not limited to, if the Contest is not capable of completion as planned due to infection by computer virus, technical corruption, force majeure, or non-authorized human intervention that compromises or affects the administration, fairness, integrity, security, or proper conduct of the Contest.
12. NAME OF WINNER. For the name of winner, send a self-addressed stamped envelope after April 30, 2026 to 825 10th Street NW, Washington, DC 2000. Requests received more than sixty (60) days after April 30, 2026 will not be honored.
13. DISPUTES. You and Sponsor shall exclusively and finally resolve any dispute, claim or obligation arising out of or in connection with the Contest, your Submission, or these Official Rules, including the breach, termination, or validity thereof, (a “Dispute”) by arbitration in accordance with the 2018 Non-Administered Arbitration Rules (the “Rules”) of the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (“CPR”) by a sole arbitrator. The place and seat of the arbitration shall be Washington, D.C. The arbitrator shall have the broadest powers allowable under applicable law, including that the arbitrator, and not any federal, state, or local court or agency, shall have the exclusive power to rule on the arbitrator’s own jurisdiction, including any objections with respect to the existence, scope, or validity of the Contest or these Official Rules or whether any particular dispute is subject to arbitration under this agreement to arbitrate. The arbitrator will not have the power to conduct any form of class or collective arbitration nor to join or consolidate Disputes against Sponsor with Disputes brought against Sponsor by any other persons unless Sponsor gives its written consent. The arbitrator shall award the prevailing party its reasonable and documented attorneys’ fees, expert fees, and costs, and the non-prevailing party shall bear all the costs of arbitration as defined in Rule 17.2 of the CPR Rules. The arbitration award is final and binding. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, you and Sponsor each waive irrevocably your right to any form of appeal, review, or recourse to any court or other judicial authority under any applicable law except as permitted by the FAA (as defined below). Proceedings to (1) compel arbitration, (2) preserve property or seek injunctive relief, or (3) enforce an award under this section, shall be brought only in the federal courts in the District of Columbia or the local courts in the District of Columbia if such federal courts lack jurisdiction unless such action is to preserve, or enforce an arbitration award against, real or personal property located outside the jurisdiction of such courts, in which case, such action can be brought in a court having competent jurisdiction over such property. The agreement to arbitrate set forth above, including the breach, interpretation, validity, or enforceability thereof, the arbitration, and the enforcement of any award or decision of the arbitrator pursuant to the Contest and these Official Rules, shall be governed by the United States Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. §§ 1 et seq. (“FAA”), to the exclusion of any provision of law inconsistent therewith or which would produce a different result. If it is determined that the FAA does not apply to any of the foregoing, then the laws of the District of Columbia shall apply without regard to choice of law principles. In resolving a Dispute, the arbitrator shall apply, without regard to choice of law principles, the applicable federal laws and the substantive laws of the District of Columbia.
This Section 13 shall survive the completion or earlier termination of the Contest.
- 14. WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL, COURT TRIAL, AND CLASS ACTION RIGHTS. YOU KNOWINGLY, VOLUNTARILY, AND INTENTIONALLY WAIVE, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT THAT YOU MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY WITH RESPECT TO ANY ACTION, SUIT, PROCEEDING, OR COUNTERCLAIM RELATING TO A DISPUTE SUBJECT TO EXCLUSIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION OR THE ENFORCEMENT OF ANY Arbitration AWARD. YOU ALSO WAIVE ANY RIGHT YOU MAY HAVE TO A COURT TRIAL OR TO SERVE AS A REPRESENTATIVE, AS A PRIVATE ATTORNEY GENERAL, OR IN ANY OTHER REPRESENTATIVE CAPACITY, OR TO PARTICIPATE AS A MEMBER OF A CLASS OF CLAIMANTS, IN ANY LAWSUIT, ARBITRATION, OR OTHER PROCEEDING AGAINST US OR RELATED THIRD PARTIES ARISING OUT OF, RELATING TO, OR CONNECTED WITH THE Contest or these Official Rules.
This Section 14 shall survive the completion or earlier termination of the Contest.
