Professional Practice
Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) Challenge: Landscapes of Roadside America
Date: 1/5/2025 - 7/31/2025
Type: Competitions / Awards
Description:
The annual HALS Challenge competition encourages landscape architects, students, and other interested parties to document historic landscapes in their communities. To enter the competition, participants must complete a historical report that highlights the history, significance, and character-defining features of the surveyed landscape. This report can be supplemented with optional measured drawings or large-format photographs. All competition entries are archived in the HALS collection at the Library of Congress where they contribute to the nation’s largest repository of documentation on American architecture, engineering, and landscapes.
The theme of the 16th annual HALS Challenge competition is Landscapes of Roadside America. Throughout American history, many unique landscapes have emerged along the nation’s expanding road and highway networks. These landscapes—which include roadside attractions, scenic overlooks, rest stops, service stations, campgrounds, motor courts, and other sites developed to accommodate travelers—are quintessentially American places. However, due to shifts in traffic and commercial patterns, many of these places are now threatened by redevelopment or neglect.
For more about the HALS Challenge, there will be an informational webinar on June 2, 2025.