Cambridge, MA — The Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) is
pleased to announce the fourth round of the Wheelwright Prize, an open
international competition that awards $100,000 to a talented
early-career architect to support travel-based research. The 2016
Wheelwright Prize is now accepting applications; the deadline for submissions is February 8, 2016. This annual prize is dedicated to fostering new forms of architectural research informed by cross-cultural engagement.
The Wheelwright Prize is open to emerging architects practicing
anywhere in the world. The primary eligibility requirement is that
applicants must have received a degree from a professionally accredited
architecture program in the past 15 years (after 2001). An affiliation
to the GSD is not required. Applicants are asked to submit a portfolio, a
research proposal, and a travel itinerary that takes them outside their
country of residence.
In 2013, Harvard GSD revamped the Arthur W. Wheelwright
Traveling Fellowship, which was established in 1935 in memory of
Wheelwright, Class of 1887. Intended to encourage the study of
architecture outside the United States at a time when international
travel was difficult, the award was available only to GSD alumni; past
fellows have included Paul Rudolph, Eliot Noyes, William Wurster,
Christopher Tunnard, I. M. Pei, Farès el-Dahdah, Adele Santos, and Linda
Pollak.
“We are pleased to see the enormous response
to the prize over the past three years,” remarked Harvard GSD Dean
Mohsen Mostafavi. “Having reviewed hundreds of applications from every
corner of the globe, it’s clear that, worldwide, there is an emerging
generation of architects with a strong desire to push the boundaries of
this profession, to consider political, social, cultural, and
environmental issues. Beyond giving a boost to talented young
architects, the Wheelwright Prize is helping to define new territories
of concern for the profession.”
The Wheelwright Prize is a $100,000 travel-based research grant that
is awarded annually to early-career architects who have demonstrated
exceptional design talent, produced work of scholarly and professional
merit, and who show promise for continued creative work.
Throughout its history, Harvard GSD has had a strong global
outlook, attracting deans, faculty, and students from all over the
world. Moreover, a mainstay of the Harvard GSD curriculum is its
traveling studio, which emphasizes the acceptance of ideas and practices
with a diversity of origins. The Wheelwright Prize extends the school’s
ethos, encouraging a broad-minded approach to architecture that seeks
inspiration from unexpected quarters.
The Wheelwright Prize is intended to spur innovative research
during the early stage of an architect's professional career. Now open
to applicants from all over the world—no affiliation to Harvard GSD
required—the prize aims to foster new forms of research informed by
cross-cultural engagement. "The idea is not just about travel—the act of
going and seeing the world—but it is about binding the idea of
geography to themes and issues that hold great potential relevance to
contemporary practice," says Harvard GSD Dean Mohsen Mostafavi.
The winner will be selected via an open call for proposals and a
rigorous review process. The winner of the Wheelwright Prize will
receive:
- $100,000 cash prize to support travel and research-related costs
- invitation to lecture at Harvard GSD
- possibility to publish research in a Harvard GSD publication
Eligibility
- Applicant must have graduated from a professionally accredited architecture degree program in the past 15 years. (Graduates prior to 2000 are ineligible.) Holders of multiple degrees may apply, provided they received their professional degrees between 2001 and January 2015. Applicants need not be registered or licensed.
- Applicants may not have received the Arthur Wheelwright Traveling Fellowship previously.
- Winners of the Wheelwright Prize may not hold other fellowships concurrently.
- The Wheelwright Prize is available to individual entrants only; teams or firms will not be considered.
- Current Harvard GSD faculty, instructors, and staff are not eligible.
- Winners are expected to spend a minimum of 6 months (cumulative) outside of their countries of residence in order to conduct their proposed research.
- Proposed research itineraries must not include sites in the United States. Research and travel must commence within 12 months of receiving the Wheelwright Prize and must be completed within two years of receiving the prize.
- The Wheelwright Prize is intended for independent study and may not be applied to university tuition. However, the grant may be applied to fees for workshops and conferences.
Moreinfo:http://wheelwrightprize.org
