Harvard Graduate School of Design announces the launch of the Wheelwright Prize, a $100,000 traveling fellowship awarded annually to talented early-career architects worldwide proposing exceptional itineraries for research and discovery. With an open application process (deadline February 28, 2013), the Wheelwright Prize recognizes the importance of field research to professional development, and reinforces Harvard GSD’s dedication to fostering investigative approaches to contemporary design.

Since 1935, Harvard GSD has awarded the annual Arthur W. Wheelwright Traveling Fellowship, established in memory of Wheelwright, Class of 1887. Intended to encourage the study of architecture outside the United States, the prize was formerly available only to GSD alumni; past fellows include Paul Rudolph, Eliot Noyes, William Wurster, Christopher Tunnard, I. M. Pei, John Haro, Klaus Herdeg, Farès el-Dahdah, Adele Santos, and Linda Pollak.

Under the leadership of Dean Mohsen Mostafavi, Harvard GSD is pleased to broaden the scope of the competition by inviting architects practicing anywhere in the world to apply, proposing research agendas outside one’s country of residence. An affiliation to the GSD is no longer required. “The GSD is a truly global design school, based at one of the leading research universities in the world,” Dean Mostafavi remarked. “It is clear that today's fluid movement of people and ideas necessitates new approaches towards the understanding of architecture and urbanization. I am excited that in the coming years the Wheelwright Fellowship will be able to have a significant impact on the intellectual projects of young architects and, in turn, on the future of architecture and the built environment.”

The Wheelwright Prize is unique among architecture prizes with its focus on early-career architects and its sizable purse, $100,000, equivalent to that of the Pritzker Prize, which honors an architect’s lifetime achievements. The Wheelwright Prize is directed at architects who have graduated from a professionally accredited degree program in the past 15 years. (Graduates prior to 1998 are ineligible.)

Applicants will be asked to submit a portfolio as well as a proposal for a research project accompanied by a travel itinerary. The Wheelwright Prize’s organizing committee includes Harvard GSD Dean Mohsen Mostafavi, Professors K. Michael Hays and Jorge Silvetti, and Assistant Dean Benjamin Prosky. An international jury will be announced in January 2013. Applications will be accepted online from January 10 to February 28 at www.wheelwrightprize.org. A winner will be named on May 15, 2013.

Eligibility

• Applicant must have graduated from a professionally accredited architecture degree program in the past 15 years. (Graduates prior to 1998 are ineligible.)
• Applicants may not have received the Arthur Wheelwright Traveling Fellowship previously.
• Winners of the Wheelwright Prize may not hold other fellowships concurrently.
• Winners are expected to spend a minimum of 6 months (cumulative) outside their countries of residence in order to conduct their proposed research. 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 fees.

Application

Applicants will be asked to submit:

1) Current CV.
2) Portfolio (maximum of 10 jpegs, each not to exceed 2.5 megabytes); each image must be captioned and applicant’s contribution to shown work (particularly if generated by a firm) must be clearly credited.
3) Portfolio may also include published articles or research papers written by applicant; files should be saved as low-resolution PDFs (maximum 3, each file not to exceed 3 megabytes).
4) A written description of proposed research project (maximum 700 words). Applicants should articulate the relevance of their project to contemporary practice, the need for direct or hands-on research (i.e., justification for travel), and the benefits they anticipate for their personal development.
5) A travel itinerary, including list of sites to visit, contacts, and other resources that support the proposed research agenda.
6) List of three professional references (name, affiliation, and contact information only).

Deadlines:

• Online application process opens January 10, 2013.
• Registration for applications closes February 15, 2013.
• Deadline for submissions is February 28, 2013.

Contact

For more information, please contact:
Cathy Lang Ho
cathy@CLHoffice.com
917-257-2727