What about them?

awacademy.org

Now we're talking. And we're talking big: Great jury (starchitects gathered from all continents: Hadid, Libeskind, Bjarke Ingels, Kengo Kuma) + The theme of the moment (Green Architecture and Urbanism) + extended timeframe (2 years!) + intermediate prizes (media + industrial awards) + 12 great prizes (we'll talk about them in a moment) + online publication (the best 1000 entries) + book/catalogue, travelling exhibition and so on. It screams: we can't miss.
But, Houston, we have a problem (or not?) - absolutely no cash prize. It's all about visibility, networking, status and reputation. According to Mr. Karim Lakhani from the Harvard Business School, participation in a competition is driven either by extrinsic motivations (money, skills development, career concerns), by intrinsic motivations (fun, intellectual challenge, professional identity), or by both. Usually it's about money + signaling (extrinsic) + fun + intellectual challenge (intrinsic) + reputation (somewhere in the middle). But if you take money of the equation (and thus free yourself from all the hustle associated with), you'll have to compensate with some other extrinsic motivations (for example great career / learning opportunities ) and have some great intrinsic ones (good intellectual challenge, highly autonomous, and with great fun). So it's all about equilibrium. And they did it: instead of money, they give away the chance to secure an internship at one of the most notorious architecture studios on the planet. You'll work 6 months with Zaha Hadid, where you'll learn hell of a lot, meet and network with the other brainz in the office, secure a great CV and portfolio and, if you're that good, maybe a long-lasting job. Sounds great. And Zaha will choose you from other 1000+ architecture students and pin you in her brainz collection. It's a win-win scenario. Of course, big starchitects and a huge talented crowd attract big sponsors (Autodesk, Epson, etc) who will get a lot of publicity, and big magazines (Detail, Blueprint, AMC, etc) who will get free quality content and a lot of publicity. Again, a win-win scenario.
I like it a lot. Plus, the model is very clever, so to be 'planetary' attractive!
And who is earning the big bucks? The competition platform.
What to learn from that?
You can get rid of the money, but you'll have to compensate on high value.