Meet the winners of the 2022 Moira Gemmill Prize for Emerging Architecture and MJ Long Prize for Excellence in Practice

The W Awards, formerly known as the Women in Architecture Awards, announced this year's recipients of the Moira Gemmill Prize for Emerging Architecture and MJ Long Prize for Excellence in Practice. Both awards recognize the work of female and non-binary architects for their commitment to design excellence. 

According to the publications hosting the initiative since 2012, The Architectural Review and the Architect's Journal, the award program has aimed to "inspire change as a united voice of this global call for respect, diversity, and equality."

View this year's award winners below.

2022 Moira Gemmill Prize for Emerging Architecture: Swati Janu 

The Delhi-based architect, writer, and community artist is the founder of Social Design Collaborative. Her practice focuses on integrating architectural activism and community engagement with design and policy advocacy, specifically in the city of Delhi and territories around the Yamuna River.

Upon reviewing the work of this year's shortlisted candidates, the judges expressed that Janu's work along with the work of Social Design Collaborative is "evidence that it is okay for architects not always to build but to support people who are already building."

2022 MJ Long Prize for Excellence in Practice: Fiona Monkman of Islington Architects

Monkman is the design team leader at Islington Architects, which is part of the architecture department at Islington Council. A site that was deemed "unviable for developers" was transformed thanks to the leadership of Monkman and her team. The housing project added eight two-bedroom council flats to the existing estate, helping address much-needed housing solutions within inner London. 

Comments from the judges focus on how the project "is able to infiltrate the nooks and crannies of Caledonian Road" and how "this work could and should be replicated elsewhere." Commenting on Monkman's role and leadership, the judges added: "Fiona Monkman shows that tenacity is the way to do it and get things done."

To learn more about the W Awards and this year's winners click here.