Berkeley Undergraduate Prize for Design Excellence

Win Berkley Prize

The Berkeley Undergraduate Prize for Design Excellence endowment was established in the Department of Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley College of Environmental Design to promote the investigation of architecture as a social art.

Each year the prize committee selects a topic important to the understanding of the interaction of people and the built world that becomes the focus of the Essay Competition.

Students enrolled in any accredited undergraduate architecture program or diploma in architecture program throughout the world are invited to submit a 500-word essay proposal in English responding to the following question:

As a future architect, what is the best way you can serve the needs of your local community?

Qualified students may also team up with undergraduates from allied arts and social sciences programs and submit proposals in teams of two.

Around 25-28 semifinalists are invited to submit a 2,500-word essay, again in English, expanding on their proposals.

Judging for the essay competition is on a numeric system. Essays are evaluated on creativity, logic, writing style, and social significance.

The deadline is on 1 November 2020.

Main criteria

The competition is open to all current full-time registered students in an undergraduate architecture degree program or undergraduates majoring in architecture in accredited schools of architecture worldwide.

Diploma in Architecture students who have not yet completed their Diploma are also eligible. Essays must be submitted in English.

Find out more about Berkeley Undergraduate Prize. 

Photo: Shutterstock / Edited by: Martina Advaney

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