The Leichtag Foundation announces the launch of the second annual Sukkot at the Ranch Design Competition. Designers of all backgrounds throughout California, as well as Jerusalem, are invited to participate and reimagine the ancient structure known as a Sukkah, which has been built during the Jewish harvest of Sukkot since biblical times. Design submissions are being accepted now through August 18.

A panel of celebrated architects, designers, and critics will select three finalists from the pool of submissions to be constructed by volunteers in a visionary village at The Ranch, located at 441 Saxony Road in Encinitas, Calif., on October 5, 2014. The three structures will serve as center stage for a weeklong celebration of Sukkot at the Ranch from October 8-17, 2014.

Three finalists will be chosen from the pool of submissions. The finalist teams will receive a $2,500 materials budget. Judges will award $3,600 to the winning design team, selected by public vote.

This year’s themes are release and renewal, and the canvas to express these themes is the Sukkah. Each Sukkah is required to adhere to a list of guidelines including the structure must be temporary; it must have at least two-and-a-half walls; it must be big enough to contain a table and most of a person’s body; and it must have a roof made of shade-providing organic materials through which a person can see the stars. For the entry form and full contest details, visit jewishnorthcounty.com/sukkotattheranch/design.

“The Sukkah’s religious function is to honor the temporary structures that the Israelites resided in during their migration from Egypt,” explains Rabbi Andy Kastner, director of the Jewish Food Justice Fellowship, a Leichtag Foundation initiative. “We’re interested in exploring how this space can express and advance ideas of community engagement, social justice, and sustainability.”