2009 Berkeley Prize Competition

Sponsor: Each year the BERKELEY PRIZE, whose primary goal is to foster a larger awareness and understanding of the social art of architecture, sponsors an Essay Competition, a Travel Fellowship Competition, and an Architectural Design Fellowship Competition open to undergraduates studying architecture throughout the world.
Type: Essay competition, open, international, 2-stage
Language: English
Timetable:
1 November 2008 – Launch date
Awards: US$9500 (total)
First prize of $4000. The Travel Fellow(s) is given round-trip air-fare and a stipend to attend a major international architectural event in the Summer of 2009. The Architectural Design Fellow(s) is given a cash award.
Challenge:
Students are asked to submit a 500-word Essay Proposal in response to a posted Question. The 2009 PRIZE Question explores the concept of “Sustainable Architecture/Traditional Wisdom”. The Proposals are due in December 1, 2008.
Approximately 25 student semifinalists are invited to expand their proposal into a 2500-word essay due in mid-February, 2009. From this pool, 5-7 Finalist essays are forwarded to the 2009 BERKELEY PRIZE Jury, who will select First, Second, and Third place winners.
Jury:
• Gail Brager, Professor of Architecture, Building Science and Associate Director, Center for the Built Environment, UC Berkeley
• Chuck Davis, Senior Principal at EHDD Architecture, San Francisco, California; Fellow, American Institute of Architects
• Tom Fisher, Professor and Dean, College of Design, University of Minnesota
• Ahmad Hamid, Principal/Founder, Ahmad Hamid Architects, Cairo, Egypt; Professor of Architecture and Design at Modern Sciences and Arts University, Cairo; Faculty Member, American University, Cairo
• John Ochsendorf, Associate Professor of Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; MacArthur Foundation Fellow
The full agenda and history of the BERKELEY PRIZE are best explained by visiting the website: www.berkeleyprize.org