The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian will begin accepting submissions Nov. 11 for design of a National Native American Veterans Memorial.

The first stage of the international design competition closes Jan. 9, when a panel of veterans, designers and scholars will pick five finalists to build a memorial on museum grounds on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

In a statement, the Smithsonian said, “The international competition is open to all; students, architects, artists, designers and anyone else who wants to can submit a design.”

Full details on the competition won’t be available until Nov. 11, but the memorial is part of an effort involving Native American communities and organizations, supported by the National Congress of American Indians and by tribal leaders. An advisory committee spent most of last year visiting American Indian tribes across the U.S. seeking input.

About 24,000 American Indian and Alaska Natives are on active duty and there are about 150,000 who are veterans.

More information on this competition will be available on the museum’s site Nov. 11 at: https://nmai.si.edu/nnavm/. In the interest of fair and equal access, the museum and advisory committee will not respond to phone calls or email inquiries regarding the application process.