FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  1, September 2009

CONTACT: Benjamin Clavan, Ph.D., AIA

info@berkeleyprize.org

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Professor Raymond Lifchez, Chair of the international Berkeley Undergraduate Prize for Architectural Design Excellence announces that the 2010 BERKELEY PRIZE launches on October 1, 2009  ONE MONTH EARLIER THEN USUAL.

Each year the 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. All are open to undergraduates studying architecture throughout the world.

A total of $9500 in prize money is awarded to the Essay Competition winners with a guaranteed $4000 first place prize. The Travel Fellow(s) is given round-trip air-fare and a stipend to attend a significant architectural event in the Summer of 2009. The Architectural Design Fellow(s) is given a $2500 honorarium and money to fund prizes for a local design competition.

Students are asked to submit a 500-word Essay Proposal in response to a posted Question. The 2008 PRIZE Question revolves around the topic of Historic Preservation/Heritage Conservation. The Proposals are due on November 1, 2009.

Approximately 25 student semifinalists are invited to expand their proposal into a 2500-word essay due in mid-February, 2010. From this pool, 5-7 Finalist essays are forwarded to the 2008 BERKELEY PRIZE Essay jury, who will select First, Second, and Third place winners. The entire operations of the Prize, including all submittals and judging are done on-line.

This year the BERKELEY PRIZE Jury includes:

Ms. Maristella Casciato

Chair, DOCOMOMO International (International Committee of Documentation and Conservation of Buildings, Sites and Neighbourhoods of the Modern Movement)

Associate Professor Andrew Dolkart, Columbia University

Director, Historic Preservation Program

Associate Professor Maire ONeill, AIA, Montana State University

Member, BERKELEY PRIZE COMMITTEE

Associate Professor John Stubbs, Columbia University

Vice President for Field Projects, World Monuments Fund

Associate Professor Johannes Widodo, National University of Singapore

Director, CASA (Centre for Advanced Studies in Architecture)

Executive Editor, JSEAA (Journal of Southeast Asian Architecture)

Semifinalists are also offered the opportunity to compete for one of the two 2010 BERKELEY PRIZE Fellowships.

- For the Travel Fellowship, students are asked to propose an architectural destination connected with their Essay response and that reflects some service component.

- For the Design Fellowship, semifinalists are invited to submit proposals for a design competition to be held at their school that further investigates this years Topic and Question.

During the past eleven years, over nine hundred students from forty-six countries have participated in the various competitions. Among the several awards the BERKELEY PRIZE has received, the latest is a national American Institute of Architects Collaborative Achievement Honor Award presented at this years national conference.

The full agenda and history of the BERKELEY PRIZE are best explained by visiting the website: www.berkeleyprize.org . This includes archives of all of the years competitions. A summary article regarding the BERKELEY PRIZE has also appeared in the environmental journal, PLACES (http://www.berkeleyprize.org/downloads/PLAC1701_64-71.pdf ). Other references can be found on the website.

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