XR Agency × HARLEM CLX · for Design Baltimore: Gateways

Great ideas don't pay. Owned ones do.

You're designing Baltimore's front door — don't give the idea away for free. The Gateways competition lets you keep ownership of your concept; the city gets only a non-exclusive license, and being picked doesn't hand you a contract. XR Agency turns that ownership into leverage: proof of authorship the moment you submit, a revenue split every collaborator signs, and a licensing agreement ready the day your gateway gets built. Enter with an idea. Leave with an asset.

Protect my concept → What it takes to enter
Pipeline owned byXRAGENCY
In collaboration withHARLEM CLX — Create. Learn. Xperience.
For the competitionDesign Baltimore: Gateways

XR Agency is an independent service for entrants. This page is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the Baltimore Development Corporation. Always follow the official rules and application.

The programOpen ideas competitionThree downtown Baltimore arrival corridors, convened by the City & administered by BDC.
Who can enterDesigners · Architects · Artists · Planners · StudentsEmerging or established. Free to enter; 18+ (or under academic/guardian supervision).
Submissions closeSep 25, 2026 · 11:59 PM ETVia the official competition website.
Your rightsYou keep your IPEntrants retain ownership; BDC receives a non-exclusive license to display & publish.
The opportunity most entrants miss

You keep the rights. We make them worth something.

Three lines buried in the official terms change the whole game. Read them — then see what XRA builds on top.

1

You retain ownership

Per the submission terms, entrants keep the intellectual property in their submissions and grant BDC only a perpetual, royalty-free, non-exclusive license to display, publish and exhibit. Your concept stays yours to license elsewhere.

2

Selection isn't a contract

The rules state that recognition of a concept "does not guarantee any subsequent contract, commission, or implementation" — that requires a separate agreement. XRA prepares that agreement and the split behind it in advance.

3

Authorship must be warranted

You must represent the work is your team's original work, with rights from every collaborator. XRA registers a timestamped, tamper-proof record of your boards and narrative — provable authorship, before you hand over the license.

Choose your gateway

Three gateways. Pick your stage — one or several.

Millions arrive through these three entries into downtown Baltimore every year. Choose the corridor your concept transforms; your choice is recorded in your authorship registration and on the submission form.

Southern Gateway — Russell Street

The ceremonial entrance through the Stadium District along Russell Street (I-295 / I-95). A high-visibility arrival experience tied to Baltimore's sporting identity and the millions who pass on game days.

Design focus

Gateway-scale placemaking, pedestrian safety and multimodal integration, and a welcome that signals civic pride at the stadium threshold.

Ceremonial arrivalStadium DistrictMultimodal

Western Gateway — Conway Street

The tourism-and-sports corridor near Camden Yards along Conway Street (I-395 / I-95), carrying visitors into the heart of downtown's attractions.

Design focus

Wayfinding and identity for visitors, connection between attractions, and an inviting, safe pedestrian realm.

Tourism corridorCamden YardsWayfinding

Northern Gateway — President Street

The historic civic-heritage corridor at the Shot Tower along President Street (I-83), where Baltimore's history meets its downtown core.

Design focus

Cultural representation and heritage, neighborhood connectivity, and a gateway that tells Baltimore's story.

Historic Shot TowerCivic heritageConnectivity
What you submit · straight from the official rules

Exactly what it takes to win — and how XRA preps every piece.

These are the competition's stated requirements, nothing added or removed. XRA registers and structures the IP inside them so your work is protected the moment it's ready. Always confirm against the official application.

Design Narrative

Required
  • Vision, design concept, community impact, gateway strategy, implementation approach and team background
Maximum 500 words

Design Boards

Required
  • Site plans, renderings, perspectives, diagrams, materials and precedent images
Max 2 boards · 24″ × 36″ · Landscape · PDF

Corridor Selection

Required
  • Identify the gateway: Russell St (Southern), Conway St (Western), President St (Northern) — or multiple

Team Information Form

Required
  • Applicant & team details, experience (250 words max), Baltimore participation status, corridor interest, vision statements (300 words each)

Qualifications

Required doc
  • Resume / CV — one PDF or DOC per team member, or a combined team-qualifications PDF

Optional Materials

Optional
  • Cost estimates, phasing strategy, a 2-minute video, community support letters

Accepted file formats

PDF, JPG, PNG, PPT / PPTX, DOC / DOCX — 10 MB per file. The proposed concept accepts up to 5 files at 10 MB each. XRA hashes and timestamps whatever you register, in these same formats, so your authorship record matches exactly what you submit to BDC.

Whatever you make

Your craft. Your gateway. Your IP.

The eligible field spans architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, public art, engineering, planning and community design. Below are three common entrant profiles — the IP pipeline is identical whatever you make.

Designers & Urban Designers

Identity, wayfinding, graphics, environmental and experiential design for the corridor. Your concept boards translate Baltimore's story into a legible arrival experience.

Wayfinding systemEnvironmental graphicsRenderings on boardsPrecedent imagery

What XRA registers

Your two boards and 500-word narrative are hashed and timestamped as your authorship record, with your team's credit split attached — provable priority over your design language.

Authorship timestampCredit splitLicense-ready

Architects & Landscape Architects

Site plans, sections, renderings and axonometrics for the gateway structures and public realm — the feasibility and multimodal-safety substance the jury weights heavily.

Site plan & sectionsRenderings / axoMaterials & phasingFeasibility notes

What XRA registers

Because implementation needs a separate agreement, XRA pre-structures the commission split and licensing terms — so if your gateway advances, ownership and payment are already provable.

Commission-ready splitLicensing agreementProvable authorship

Public Artists

Cultural representation, heritage and civic-pride concepts — murals, installations, sculptural gateways documented across your two boards and narrative.

Installation conceptCultural narrativeDocumentation boardsCommunity engagement

What XRA registers

Your original artwork and its concept are registered as a tamper-proof authorship record with your collaborators' shares written in — satisfying the original-work warranty and protecting resale or licensing later.

Original-work proofCollaborator sharesFuture licensing
The journey · step by step

Six steps from sketch to owned, revenue-sharing asset.

You focus on the work; XRA handles the rest. Steps marked XRA are on us. Steps marked BDC happen on the official competition site.

1
You

Develop your concept

Prepare your two 24″×36″ landscape boards (PDF) and your 500-word narrative for your chosen corridor. This is your creative work — exactly what the competition asks for.

2
You + XRA

Register provable authorship

Before you submit, XRA hashes and timestamps your boards and narrative into a tamper-proof record — establishing your team as the authors, on the record, dated.

3
All participants

Agree the split

Confirm how revenue and IP divide across the originating artist/community, HCLxR, the City and the Education Fund — the canonical model in the calculator below. XRA encodes it so payouts are automatic and provable.

4
XRA

Generate the agreement + contract

XRA produces the plain-language IP & licensing agreement co-signed by the team, plus the on-chain split logic — the "separate agreement" the rules require for any commission.

5
You · BDC

Submit to the competition

Upload your narrative, boards, corridor selection, team form and CVs to the official site by Sep 25, 2026, 11:59 PM ET. You grant BDC its non-exclusive license — and keep your ownership.

6
XRA

Hold provenance for what's next

Your authorship record and split stay ready. If your concept is exhibited, licensed, or advances to a commission, ownership and payment are already settled and provable.

Set up the authorship record · an XRA service

Three rails. One managed setup.

The proof-of-authorship record and split logic sit on an on-chain rail. You don't choose a vendor or write any code — XR Agency consults on which of three rail types fits your goals, then configures, registers and hands you the record as a service. Compare what each offers below. Costs are indicative and confirmed at setup.

Specialty
Fastest dated, tamper-proof record of your work
You own the smart contract holding the record & split
The same record on a rail that can also sell editions
What you get
A certificate of authenticity for your boards + narrative
A branded contract you control, on a low-fee network
An authorship record + a route to release limited editions
Ownership
Record held on a managed registry; XRA administers it
Fully yours — you hold the keys to the contract
You retain the IP; the rail adds a resale market
Setup effort
None for you — XRA configures it, no developer
One-time technical setup — XRA handles it end to end
Low–moderate — XRA sets up your storefront
Typical cost
Low — free tier up to a modest flat monthly
A one-time deployment cost; optional production plan
Free to start — nothing until you sell
Ongoing fee
A small flat or small % per record
Network fees only — a fraction of a cent per action
A fee on each sale, if and when you sell
Physical certificate
Optional QR / NFC card
Add your own certificate card
Optional — including print options
Choose when
You only need to prove authorship — the default for entrants
Control matters, or you're registering many concepts / teams
You expect to sell studies or editions of your concept later
Pick a rail to continue Choose the rail that fits — or leave it to XRA. Advising and setup are part of the service; most entrants only need proof of authorship.
Have XRA set it up →
Revenue & IP split · fixed in the agreement

Everyone who builds it shares in it.

These percentages are set — not negotiable per entry. They're the canonical HCLxR split written into the agreement and the on-chain payout logic, so every participant is paid automatically and provably. The Baltimore Education Fund's 20% is deducted from the City's net share. On-chain code moves the money; the signed agreement governs the rights.

🔒 Fixed split · locked in the agreement
Total revenue distribution 100%
Future licensing & resale
Any later commercial use follows this same fixed split — in the same proportions.
4participants
Register your concept

Lock in your authorship — before anyone else sees it.

This mirrors the official Design Baltimore: Gateways application, field for field, so XRA can register your authorship and hand you a submission-ready package. Fill it once here; XRA timestamps your work and attaches the fixed split. It does not submit you to the competition — do that on the official site.

Your authorship rail
Fixed revenue & IP split
1

Applicant Information

2

Team Information

3

Interest & Eligibility

4

Vision & Approach

5

Community & Impact

6

Submission Materials

Drop your concept files here

or click to browse · larger files can be delivered by secure link

7

Optional Evaluation Questions

8

Certification

Submit on the official site ↗
This form mirrors the official Design Baltimore: Gateways application so XRA can register your authorship and prepare a submission-ready package — it does not submit you to the competition; do that on the official site. On submit: your files upload to submit.php, which stores each entrant's materials in a folder named by their email address and emails a copy to info@xragency.org. If the endpoint is ever unavailable, it falls back to a pre-filled email so nothing is lost.
Online visualization · your authorship record

What XRA registers for you.

A tamper-proof, dated certificate of authorship — the hash of your exact submission, your corridor, your team and your split, verifiable on-chain. Not a competition entry: proof that the concept is yours, ready for any licensing or commission that follows.

Proof of Authorship · XR Agency
Gateway Concept
CorridorSouthern · Russell St
Submission hash0x8f3a…c21d
Registered—
Split60·15·10·15
Verified on-chain · Base network

What's inside the record

Type your concept title to see the certificate update. The hash uniquely fingerprints your boards and narrative — change one pixel and the hash changes, so the record proves exactly what existed, when.

Tamper-proof hashTimestampedCorridor + teamAuto-split logicLicense-ready
Timeline · official dates

The clock is running.

Countdown to the official close on September 25, 2026, 11:59 PM ET. Confirm all dates on the official timeline.

—days
—hours
—minutes
—seconds
Jul 30, 2026

Virtual information session

1:00–2:00 PM EDT · Zoom. Program overview and Q&A.

Aug 4, 2026

In-person site tour

1:00–4:00 PM EDT · Baltimore. Walk the corridors.

Sep 25, 2026 · 11:59 PM ET

Submissions close

Narrative, boards, corridor selection, team form & CVs via the official site.

Through Sep 17, 2026

Jury review

Evaluated on design excellence, Baltimore identity, pedestrian safety & multimodal integration, implementability, and community benefit.

Oct – Nov 2026

Public exhibition & winners

Selected concepts exhibited (physical and digital); winners recognized. Confirm exact dates on the official site.

Good to know

Questions entrants ask.

Do I have to use XRA to enter?
No. You can enter Design Baltimore: Gateways directly on the official site for free. XRA is an independent, optional layer that makes your retained IP provable and structures your team's split and licensing — useful if your concept could be licensed or commissioned later.
Does registering with XRA affect my BDC submission?
No. XRA's authorship record is separate from your competition entry. You still submit on the official site and grant BDC its non-exclusive license. The XRA record simply proves the concept is yours and settles your team's split.
Who owns my concept?
You do. The submission terms state entrants retain ownership; BDC receives a perpetual, royalty-free, non-exclusive license to display and publish. Nothing about entering transfers ownership away from your team.
What are the exact deliverables?
A design narrative (max 500 words), a maximum of two 24″×36″ landscape boards in PDF, your corridor selection, a team information form, and a resume/CV per member. Optional: cost estimates, phasing, a 2-minute video, community support letters. Accepted formats are PDF, JPG, PNG, PPT/PPTX, DOC/DOCX at 10 MB per file.
Is a prize the same as a commission?
No — and this is why XRA exists. The rules state that recognition "does not guarantee any subsequent contract, commission, or implementation"; that requires a separate agreement. XRA prepares that agreement and the revenue split ahead of time.
How is revenue and IP split?
Per the canonical HCLxR model: Originating Artist/Community 30%, HarlemCLX + XRAgency (HCLxR) 30%, BDC/City of Baltimore 20% (net), Baltimore Education Fund 20% — the Education share is deducted from the City's. XRA encodes whatever is agreed into the payout logic so revenue divides automatically and provably. Any prize the City awards to a winner is separate and governed by the official rules.
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