The Thirteenth Annual Berkeley Undergraduate Prize for Architectual Design Excellence 2011
Berkeley Prize 2011

Stage 1: Enter

  1. Meet the Eligibility Requirements (see below)
  2. Write a 500-word proposal for an essay on this year's Question, as posted.

This year, we are asking that you include one digital photograph of your selected building(s) or place with your essay. The photograph should be at a minimum 500 pixels wide, and in .jpg format. No more than one photograph 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 photograph 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 and Jurors 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 building in words, rather then pictures or drawings. So, do not assume that just because you have posted the photograph that your responsibility to describe your selected building is completed. As with the readers, use the photograph to continually reference how good a job you have done in describing your selected building(s) or place in words.


There is a total prize of 10,000USD, minimum 4,500USD first prize.
Remaining purse to be allocated at the discretion of the Jury.


  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. This includes Diploma in Architecture students who have not yet completed their Diploma.
  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, 2010, but graduate before the awards are scheduled to be given.

Team Up

Two students who meet the eligibility requirements above may collaborate as authors. An architecture student may also 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.

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.

Registration and Submission

The 2011 competition year is closed.

Additional Help and Information

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