This book provides the reader with a comprehensive overview of architectural competition culture - both from the perspective of the organiser and from the participants' point of view. It features essays on questions of preparation, execution and impact, as well as contributions by internationally renowned judges. It contains a huge selection of planning sketches, images and plans, including work by Zaha Hadid, Sauerbruch Hutton, Martha Schwartz, MVRDV, Coop Himmelb(l)au, Massimiliano Fuksas, and West 8.