NYC2012, the committee spearheading New York's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games, announced five finalists to design an Olympic Village in Queens. The finalists, selected out of more than 130 entries from 20 countries, are: Smith-Miller + Hawkinson Architects from Manhattan, which is leading an international team; MVRDV from Rotterdam, which is working with Leeser Architecture of Brooklyn and Stoss Landscape Architects of Boston; Henning Larsens Tegnestue A/S from Copenhagen; Morphosis from Santa Monica; and Zaha Hadid Architects from London. The finalists will now take part in a 14-week planning and design study. In March, their submissions will be presented to the public, and after an evaluation and a public comment period, the winner will be announced in May. The final design will be submitted to the International Olympic Committee on Nov. 15, 2004. The proposed site of the Olympic Village is Queens West, across the East River from the United Nations. During the 2012 games, it would house 16,000 athletes and coaches, and following the event, it would provide housing for up to 18,000 New Yorkers. The project is expected to cost about $1.5 billion, most of it funded by developers; NYC2012 would contribute $50 million to $100 million. New York City is vying with Havana, Istanbul, Leipzig, London, Paris, Madrid, Moscow, and Rio de Janeiro to host the games.