$100,000 | 2026 Steedman Fellowship: Collective Form/Forums

Architect Fumihiko Maki (1928-2024), in his seminal text “Investigations in Collective Form,” grapples with architecture’s role in an increasingly pluralistic society, with growing heterogeneity of institutions, and rapidly changing technologies and methods of communication that were affecting regional cultures. For Maki, Collective Form emerged when buildings came together to produce something larger than the sum of their parts. While today many of these same challenges exist, the notion of Collective Form has also expanded to consider how we assemble, produce new forums, engage overlooked subjects (both human and non-human), and provide a venue for design to have increased political agency. This is particularly important as the challenges that loom on the horizon, such as climate change, require us to come together at a moment when what we collectively value and identify with is increasingly difficult to determine. Collective Form / Forums ask us to reckon with what collective is, how it is formed, and architecture’s role in both gathering us together and providing form to our collective arrangement.

The Steedman 2026 jury seeks mindful research proposals on architecture’s role in producing collective forms/ forums that catalyze a more politically engaged discipline and citizenry. The award for the 2026 winning proposal will be $100,000.

Jury and applications

• Jury chair: Neeraj Bhatia, Co-Founder, The Open Workshop; Associate Professor, California College of the Arts; Co-Director, The Urban Works Agency
• Patty Heyda, Professor, WashU Sam Fox School
• Nahyun Hwang, Founding Principal, N H D M; Adjunct Associate Professor, Columbia University
• Jack Self, Architect; Editor-in-Chief, Real Review
• Peter Tao, Founding Principal, Tao + Lee Associates

Application materials will include a portfolio, research proposal, budget and time frame. Extra consideration will be given to creative proposals that minimize carbon footprint. Fellows must be able to complete their projects within 18 months of receiving the award and must be available afterward to share their research with the WashU and AIA St. Louis architectural communities.

Eligibility Requirements

The Steedman Fellowship is open to anyone, anywhere in the world, who has received an accredited degree in architecture within the last eight years. Fellows must be able to complete their proposed projects within 18 months of receiving the award.

Additionally, at the conclusion of their fellowship, Fellows must make arrangements to share their research with the Washington University and local AIA architectural communities. The exact presentation format will be decided between the Fellow and the Governing Committee, but it could take the form of a public lecture, exhibition, or collaborative design workshop.

Submission Guidelines

Submission Deadline: November 1, 2025

The next Steedman Fellow will be selected based upon the following: the merits of the research proposal; its relevance to the theme; its relevance to the practice of architecture in St. Louis, MO, and around the world; the quality of the portfolio; and evidence of the applicant’s promise to the field and ability to complete the work proposed. Extra consideration will be given to creative proposals that minimize carbon footprint.

All applications must be submitted in English online via the Slideroom link. The application fee is $75.

Application materials must include:

• Project title
• Project abstract (200 words max) summarizing the proposed research question/s in reference to the theme and primary location/s for study. This abstract will be used for various purposes, including the announcement of the winner and in web, print, and digital promotions.
• Research proposal (1500 words max uploaded in a PDF or Word Document format) framing the research questions and relationship of proposed research to the broader theme, relevance to the field, and projected outcomes of the study. Describe how research will be conducted in the location/s specified including a rough itinerary, established contacts, and anticipated deliverables. Your proposal may include images or graphics to illustrate your ideas, but these are not required. (10MB max.)
• Budget and time frame for completion (200 words max uploaded in a PDF or Word Document format)
• Portfolio of work formatted into a single high-quality PDF file of 10-15 images (20MB max.).
• Short bio (200 word max uploaded in a PDF or Word Document format) This bio will be used for various purposes, including the announcement of the winner and web, print, and digital promotions.
• CV (uploaded in a PDF or Word Document format)

Applicants will be notified by email of the results, and winners will be announced on steedmanfellowship.washu.edu.