The 2016 Berkeley Prize essay winners address homelessness

The winners of the 18th annual international Berkeley Prize Competition were revealed! The University of California, Berkeley created the Berkeley Prize to encourage undergraduate architecture students to critically think and write about issues focused on “the understanding of the social art of architecture”. Current undergraduate students worldwide are challenged to pen their best 2,500-word English essay in response to that year's competition Question.

Students are first asked to submit a 500-word proposal. If they make the cut as one of the 25 semifinalists, they are invited to write a 2,500-word essay. The essay jurors then pick around eight finalists, and after rigorous evaluation, the four prize winners are selected.

Competition is tough every year, without a doubt. Focusing on the ever-pressing issue of homelessness, the 2016 edition attracted submissions from 102 students based in 20 countries. In response to this year's theme, “SHELTERING THOSE IN NEED: Architects Confront Homelessness”, students — who were also allowed to participate with students in other relevant disciplines — had to respond to this two-part question:

“Who is doing what in your community to confront the issue of the men, women, young people, and children without any shelter? As both an individual and as a professional, how do you see yourself assisting in providing shelter to those in need?”

The winners are:

1st place (US$6,000): VishnuPriya Viswanathan | Faculty of Architecture, Manipal University - Manipal, Karnataka, India
“Paving Better Paths for Little Feet." Proposal | Essay

2nd place (US$5,000 shared): Zahra Mosaddegh Akrami and Ali Tabatabaei Ghomi | Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tehran University of Art - Keraj, Iran
“When Local Architecture Provides a Shelter.” Proposal | Essay

3rd place (US$3,000): Ayushman Kedia | School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal - Madhya Pradesh, India
“From Squatters of Threat to Homes of Hope.” Proposal | Essay

4th place (US$2,000 shared): Julian Daly and Rebecca Sherouse | Department of Architecture, College of Environmental Design, University of California, Berkeley - Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.
“Without a Home – Migrant Farmworkers in California." Proposal | Essay