In order to identify the upcoming generation of European architects, the European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design, and Urban Studies has announced that the 2009 submissions deadline for the "Europe 40 under 40" program is Sept. 1.

Sponsored by KONE Corporation and presented with The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design, the program is open to all young architects, landscape architects, interior architects, and urban planners who are under the age of 40 as of Dec. 31, 2008, working independently, or in a firm or on a specific project where they are the lead designer.

Architectural designers are invited to submit one to three projects (built or unbuilt) to be judged by a panel of architectural practitioners, developers, architectural journalists, educators, and critics. Invited projects include skyscrapers, religious buildings, civic and political structures, among others. They are judged on the merit of design innovation with the emphasis on pushing the envelope beyond conventional methods, as well as the use of the latest building technologies, new materials, sensitivity to the environment, and the incorporation of energy conservation.

The results of "Europe 40 Under 40" are announced in early 2009 and are showcased in an exhibition that will open and travel around Europe, and is also presented in the US by The Chicago Athenaeum. A catalogue accompanies the exhibition and documents the work of the selected 40 architects.

Application forms are available at www.europeanarch.eu