Online registration is now open for those wanting to submit ideas for the formal memorial to the February 2011 Canterbury Earthquake – the first step in a three-stage process for choosing the memorial design.

The Canterbury Earthquake Memorial will honour the lives of those who died in the earthquake, acknowledge the trauma of people who experienced the earthquake and recognise those who helped in the rescue and recovery operation in the hours and days following the 22 February quake.

Registration is open to anyone of any age with submissions closing at noon on 12 August. A shortlist of six submissions will be selected and those shortlisted will then be invited to further develop their design ideas.

The favoured design at the end of that process will become the Canterbury Earthquake Memorial to be erected at a site along the Avon River close to the Bridge of Remembrance.

The government has set aside up to $10 million for the memorial, along with a further $1 million from the Mayoral Relief Fund.

More details on how to register can be found here.