The Sixteenth Annual Berkeley Undergraduate Prize for Architectural Design Excellence 2014
Berkeley Prize 2014

Stage 1: Enter

Steps to Enter

  1. Meet the Eligibility Requirements.
  2. Write a 500-word proposal for an essay on this year's Essay Question, as posted.
  3. Provide one photograph of each of the two places or buildings you have decided to describe.
  4. Submit the essay and photographs online.

Eligibility

  1. 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.
  2. Essays must be submitted in English.
  3. Finalists will be required to provide proof of current registration in the form of copies of actual school transcripts. You are still eligible to compete if you were an undergraduate student on September 15, 2013, but graduate before the awards are scheduled to be given.

Team Up

Two students (maximum) who meet the eligibility requirements above may collaborate as authors. An architecture student may team up with another undergraduate in architecture, landscape architecture, urban studies, arts and humanities, the social sciences, or engineering. If two students collaborate, then both names must appear on their essay and if awarded a prize, the prize is to be equally shared.


Photograph Requirement

You are asked to include a digital photograph of each of your selected building(s) or place(s) with your essay. The photographs should be at a minimum 500 pixels wide, and in .jpg format. No more than two photographs will be accepted. You can use a digital camera, a film camera (and scan the printed image), or even capture the image on a cell phone. The photographs should be as informative as possible in order to enable those reading the essays to determine how well you have described your subject matter. The Readers are instructed NOT to add or detract points from their evaluation because of the quality of the photograph itself. To the contrary, one of the primary purposes of the essay format is to test your skill in describing a place or building in words, rather then pictures or drawings.  As with the Readers, use the photographs to continually review how good a job you have done in describing your selected building(s) or places in words.


Judging Criteria

Judging for the essay competition is on a numeric system. The members of the BERKELEY PRIZE Committee are asked to evaluate each essay in terms of the following criteria:

  1. Does the Proposal address the Question?
  2. How creative, or creatively developed, is the Proposal?
  3. Would the Proposal be clear to a broad audience?
  4. How does the Proposal rank in terms of writing style?
  5. How socially significant is the Proposal?
  6. What is the potential for developing this Proposal into a strong essay?

Each Proposal is given a score of 1 to 5 (5 being the highest). The top 25 scoring Proposals become Semifinalists.


Purse

There is a total prize of 15,000USD, minimum 5,000USD first prize.  The remaining purse is to be allocated at the discretion of the Jury.


Calendar

September 15, 2013 Launch of 2014 Essay Competition.
November 1, 2013 (Stage One) 500-word essay proposal due.
Mid-December, 2013 Essay Semifinalists announced.
February 1, 2014 (Stage Two) Essay Semifinalists' 2,500-word essays due.
February 8, 2014 Launch of Travel Fellowship Competition for Essay Semifinalists.
Early-March, 2014 Essay Finalists announced.
March 12, 2014 Travel Fellowship Entries Due.
Mid-April, 2014 Essay winners and Travel Fellowship winners Announced.
Early Spring, 2014 Launch of Teaching Fellowship Competition for undergraduate architecture faculty).

Registration and Submission

You will be asked to complete a short registration form which will not be seen by members of the BERKELEY PRIZE Committee or Jury.

REGISTER HERE.


Additional Help and Information

Are you in need of assistance? Please email info@berkeleyprize.org.
Brookfield Zoo, Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield, Illinois, USA
Brookfield Zoo, Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield, Illinois, USA
Chase Palm Park, Santa Barbara, California, USA
Chase Palm Park, Santa Barbara, California, USA
Davis Central Park, Davis, California, USA
Davis Central Park, Davis, California, USA
Davis Central Park, Davis, California, USA
Davis Commons, Davis, California, USA
Davis Commons, Davis, California, USA
Edelman Childrens Courthouse, Monterey Park, California, USA
Edelman Childrens Courthouse, Monterey Park, California, USA
Glendale Edison Elementary School and Park, Glendale, California, USA
Glendale Edison Elementary School and Park, Glendale, California, USA
Presidio Park Trails & Bikeways, San Francisco, California, USA
Presidio Park Trails & Bikeways, San Francisco, California, USA
Tule Elk Child Development Center, San Francisco, California, USA
“R” Street Corridor Urban Design and Development Plan, Sacramento, California, USA
“R” Street Corridor Urban Design and Development Plan, Sacramento, California, USA
“R” Street Corridor Urban Design and Development Plan, Sacramento, California, USA
“R” Street Corridor Urban Design and Development Plan, Sacramento, California, USA
“R” Street Corridor Urban Design and Development Plan, Sacramento, California, USA
Musée des beaux-arts de Calais, Calais, France
Davis Central Park, Davis, California, USA
Brookfield Zoo, Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield, Illinois, USA
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