Chris Williamson in his own wordsSocial media is a strange beast. There seems to be few nuanced opinions, even on the rarified platform of LinkedIn.I wrote about a recent competition run by the Norman Foster Foundation looking for ideas about how to rebuild Kharkiv and how much I had enjoyed preparing the submission, collaborating with great engineers and learning new skills.I can appreciate how others might take a different view on some competitions and respect their choice not to participate. I am not unaware of different attitudes towards competitions and agree that they need to be better organised.I would like to see all architectural competitions focus on ideas rather than asking for detailed work. And more realistic reimbursement for the time spent on design and presentation.In recent years the RIBA has published guidelines but these are not always implemented. In Australia and elsewhere it seems to be a much fairer system. The City of Brussels has a great guide, too.There seems to be an even split on those who think competitions can be useful and those who hate the very idea. Some of the vitriolic comments lead me to assume that people read what they want to read not what is written.Or maybe its a genuine misunderstanding. I remain open to suggestions on how to improve the way in which architects are commissioned but am not convinced that banning competitions is the best way forward.I'm not convinced banning competitions is the best way forwardPersonally Ive never felt entitled to assume that, because one project was successful for one client, that I should be appointed by an entirely different client with an entirely different problem. It might be nice if the profession was as it was in the 1960s, but its not. And it is changing even more rapidly now.Competitions were important in the formation of Weston Williamson. We didnt have contacts and clients. We had to generate work.We entered the Venice Bus Station Competition in 1989. It was judged by James Stirling and won by Dixon Jones. Our entry was commended and because we had analysed all the bus, coach, taxi, car and pedestrian movements with the help of Arup.It helped us get an interview with the Jubilee Line Chief Architect, who happened to be Italian. Without that competition, we wouldnt have been shortlisted for London Bridge.If there were no suitable competitions Andrew and I used to invent projects to demonstrate ideas. This was at the suggestion of RIBA President Michael Manser. We drew up an entirely spurious scheme for a research laboratory in the Italian Alps and it was accepted into the RA Summer Exhibition and led to a project for English China Clays in Cornwall.Steve Jobs used to talk about his ideas long before he knew how he might realise them. As did da Vinci, Corb, Gropius, Khan, Cedric Price.Architects teach and write (or used to) exciting manifestos but were not accused of giving their ideas away. Were Andrew and I really going to hang on to our ideas until someone commissioned us? We would be waiting a very long time.I can't remember the last time we were commissioned on the evidence of what we had done for others. Clients quite rightly want to know what you can do for them.There are a set of videos on Youtube on the submissions for 425 Park Avenue New York. It is a masterclass by Norman Foster on how to win the work which I advise everyone I mentor to watch.Perhaps we all need to get better at presenting our ideas in a way that avoids excessive work. It is an issue we share with other industries advertising agencies often air similar complaints as do artists.One of the best presentations I have seen was from Rachel Whiteread, when we were interviewing artists for Victoria Station. A few other artists had done a lot of work to explain their proposals. Rachel had done a lot of thinking. She read from a single A4 sheet which explained what she would do. It was a genius proposal.I think competitions allow young architects the opportunity to show their ideas on a level playing field. Young architects need more help now than ever.What I was trying to say on LinkedIn obviously not very well is that competitions need to be well-run, inviting a response to a problem, not a detailed solution, and a conversation with the client. Done properly, it is an opportunity to demonstrate our worth. Not to give it away.But perhaps its time to introduce an Ethical Fee Scale which we should expect no chartered architect to fall beneath if we are to maintain integrity and ensure the right grade of personnel are to be engaged to ensure safety, sustainability and professional competence can be maintained. This would be linked to PI premiums.This should apply to competitions too. So, if an honorarium is 10,000 per entry, that is what you sign up to spend. My conscience would be clear.I was glad to present my ideas to rebuild Kharkiv and grateful for the opportunity to work with brilliant engineers Steve Webb and Andrew Downey. The winning entry, from the UK (Cundall, in collaboration with Gensler) which we should applaud, was wonderful and I hope all the ideas are found to be useful and are implemented soon.Chris Williamson, co-founder of Weston Williamson + Partners (now WW+P), will become RIBA president on 1 September 2025