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Betting on a win can be a big risk for design firms. Photo courtesy Bercy Chen Studio After dedicating time and money (which the principals value at around $50,000) to an entry, Bercy Chen Studio lost a competition for a Dallas development. Markus Dochantschi is ticking off the costs of entering a competition. “Say they want a model–that can be anywhere from 5 to 15 thousand dollars. If they want high-res renderings, that could be between 5 and 10 thousand. You're up to $20,000 fast.” Photo courtesy of StudioMDA StudioMDA principal Markus Dochantschi attributes winning a competition for a mobility-studies

Getting on the short list of an invited design competition is one thing. Nailing it is another. Photo courtesy MVRDV/Wieland & Gouwens MVRDV's animation for the China Comic and Animation Museum in Hangzhou helped get the commission in 2011. Does the best design always win a competition? Not necessarily. Vying for a commission is a tricky process, especially when you're up against a short list of your peers. Who can forget the impression that Daniel Libeskind made in the public presentation a decade ago for plans to rebuild Ground Zero? With less experience than the other six contending teams, he

The economy is having a devastating effect on architectural talent. PHOTOGRAPHY: © Antonio Rull Sparked by the crumbling economy, peaceful protests began taking place in Spain, such as one on May 19, 2011, at the Plaza de la Encarnación in Seville. The Metropol Parasol designed by J. Mayer H. Architects framed the occasion. Can Spain's architects survive the nation's deepening economic downturn, now in its fourth year? Over the last several decades the country had gained international renown for the quality and innovation of its architecture, designed by both local and international figures. The exhibition "On-Site: New Architecture in Spain"

HOW TO USE THIS TABLE Companies are ranked by revenue (in millions of dollars) for architectural services performed in 2011. This data also appears in the Top 500 Design Firms list produced by our sister publication, Engineering News-Record; unlike our ranking, that list includes engineering-exclusive firms. Data is collected by Dodge Data & Analytics’s Research and Analytics group. To participate in next year’s survey, contact Gary Tulacz at gary.tulacz@construction.com. Key to how firms classify themselves: A = Architect AE = Architect-Engineer AP = Architect Planner EAL = Engineer Architect Landscape AEC = Architect-Engineer-Contractor (not all combinations listed) Top 250: 1-50

Start by reviewing the Architectural Record Submit Your Work page! Beyond that, here are some tips from the panelists distilled into seven points.