About

 #Time2Sketch is a national drawing competition where participants take an hour out of their day to take a break and draw around a set theme – all whilst raising money to support members of the architectural community. The theme will be released at 12pm on Thursday 7th September 2023. There is an hour to sketch and submit competition entries. These will be reviewed by our panel of Judges with prizes sponsored by the Gallery at Green & Stone, the official arts supplier of #Time2Sketch, awarded to the top 3 most imaginative and creative sketches. A selection of sketches will be used to create the iconic #Time2Sketch colouring book, designed by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris. 

New for this year – either sign up as an individual or gather your colleagues together on a team ticket to get creative! 

#Time2Sketch encourages practices and organisations to create the space for participants to come together and sketch. Sketching can be a powerful tool to lower stress levels and promote relaxation. 

How to enter

1. Sign up for your team or individual ticket. 
2. On Thursday 7th September at 12pm, all participants will receive an email with this year’s theme.
3. You have one hour to create your sketch to the theme – remember that they could be included in a colouring book! Submissions must be black and white. Digital sketches are accepted. 
4. Email it to events@absnet.org.uk. Please include the name you use to register for tickets in the file name.
5. Submissions will be accepted until 1:30pm.
6. The Judges will then select their top 3 for the prizes, and we will contact all 3 winners within 2 weeks. 

Download terms and conditions. 

We’d love for you to share your work with us on Instagram or Twitter and to see how you, your practice or organisation has taken part! Use #Time2Sketch and tag @ArchBenSoc. 

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Supporting our Housing Advice Service  

#Time2Sketch will be highlighting the advice and support that we offer with a range of housing issues. As well as being able to signpost to high quality online advice and resources, we are able to make referrals to Shelter’s specialist Helpline Plus service. In some situations, we can provide short-term grants to support people to remain in their own homes.   

You don’t have to be facing eviction or on the street to have a housing difficulty; a member of our Welfare Team will be able to discuss individual circumstances and see what support we can provide to ensure people’s living conditions are safe and secure.  Find our more here.

Introducing our 2023 Judges

This year’s competition judges are: Sumita Singha, Willie Watt and David Gilhooley.

Sumita Singha
Sumita is an award winning architect, teacher and writer. She founded Architects For Change, the Equality forum at RIBA. She has served on many RIBA committees for over 25 years and on the NHS Board for nine years. Sumita is a trustee of four built environment charities including Architects Benevolent Society, and the founding director of Charushila, an environmental design charity. Sumita is the RIBA Board Trustee for Education and has taught architecture for over 25 years. Sumita received an OBE for services to architecture in 2021.

Willie Watt

I am an architect. I fundamentally believe that the act of drawing catalyses architectural thought allowing an architect to analyse a landscape, a site or a building so that they can respond creatively to it in order to create a solution which is appropriate and fits the locale. I also believe sketching outdoors is good for the soul, and when done on foot or by bike offers benefits in terms of health and well-being. My work has been exhibited in a number of galleries and my sketchbooks won the Sir Robert Lorimer Award for drawing.

David Gilhooley Judge, #Time2Sketch Judge and creator, Senior Technician David Gilhooley holds the World Record for Sketch Portraits, recently won Channel 5’s ‘Watercolour Challenge’ Yorkshire Region and is a Judge for the Denis Mason Jones Award for Architectural Sketching, having won it several times.