The SOM Foundation has recently announced the call for submissions for an opportunity that may appeal to you or your colleagues, the 2024 European Research Prize.
The €20,000 prize will be awarded to a faculty-led interdisciplinary team based in Europe to conduct original research that contributes to this year’s topic, “Advancing Toward a Water-Secure Future.”
The deadline to apply is November 11, 2024. More details about this award can be found in the press release below. We would be grateful if you are able to share this information with your community.
Feel free to contact me and/or the SOM Foundation’s Executive Director Iker Gil (info@somfoundation.com) with any questions.
Thank you!
Molly Hanse
Editorial Consultant
SOM Foundation
Lake Verret, Louisiana, 2017. © Virginia Hanusik.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE SOM FOUNDATION OPENS THE 2024 RESEARCH PRIZE, THE 2024 EUROPEAN RESEARCH PRIZE, AND THE 2024 ROBERT L. WESLEY AWARD
CHICAGO, September 3, 2024—The SOM Foundation is pleased to announce the opening of the 2024 Research Prize, the 2024 European Research Prize, and the 2024 Robert L. Wesley Award.
Applications to this year’s Research Prize and European Research Prize should conduct original research that contributes to the topic, “Advancing Toward a Water-Secure Future.”
Advancing Toward a Water-Secure Future
As shared during the United Nations 2023 Water Conference, two billion people lack access to safe drinking water; 40 percent of the world’s population is affected by water scarcity; agriculture demands alone account for 70 percent of water usage; more than 90 percent of disasters are water-related; and pressure on freshwater is projected to increase by more than 40 percent by 2050.
From macro multinational ecosystems to microclimates, there is an urgent need for bold and collaborative solutions to a myriad of existing and future water-related challenges. This year, the SOM Foundation will direct its support toward proposals that address the complex relationship between water, people, and the built environment. Creating a sustainable, equitable, and water-secure future will require innovative and multidisciplinary ideas that shape long-term policies, define comprehensive plans, and identify immediate actions.
2024 Research Prize
Two $30,000 prizes will be awarded to faculty-led interdisciplinary teams based in the United States to conduct original research that contributes to this year’s topic. The deadline to apply is November 11, 2024.
In 2023, “A Taxonomy of Vacancy: Are Underutilized Commercial Strips the Answer to San Antonio’s Housing Shortage?” and “Block by Block: Advancing New American Dreams and Housing Justice by Aligning Design with Zoning Reform” were the recipients of the Research Prize.
The 2024 Research Prize jury will be led by Iker Gil (Executive Director of the SOM Foundation) and will include:
· Carson Chan, Director, Emilio Ambasz Institute for the Joint Study of the Built and Natural Environment; Curator, MoMA’s Department of Architecture and Design, New York City
· Carol Coletta, President and CEO, Memphis River Parks Partnership, Memphis
· Alex Krieger, Professor in Practice of Urban Design, Emeritus, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Cambridge; SOM Foundation fellow
· Shannon Nichol, Cofounder, GGN, Seattle
Links:
2024 Research Prize
https://somfoundation.com/awards/research-prize/
2024 Research Prize application
https://somfoundation.com/awards/research-prize/apply/
2024 Research Prize jury
https://somfoundation.com/news/som-foundation-announces-jury-for-the-2024-research-prize/
2024 European Research Prize
The €20,000 prize will be awarded to a faculty-led interdisciplinary team based in Europe to conduct original research that contributes to this year’s topic. The deadline to apply is November 11, 2024.
The European Research Prize was created in 2021 as an expansion of the US-based Research Prize to cultivate new ideas and meaningful research that addresses the critical issues of our time. In 2023, “Open System for the Urban Regeneration of Housing Estates: A Case Study in Barcelona” was the recipient of the European Research Prize.
The 2024 European Research Prize jury will be led by Iker Gil (Executive Director of the SOM Foundation) and will include:
· Montserrat Bonvehi Rosich, Visiting Assistant Professor of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, Sam Fox School of Design at Washington University in St. Louis; SOM Foundation fellow
· Margarita Jover, Professor in Architecture, Program Co-Director of Landscape + Engineering, Tulane University; cofounder aldayjover, Barcelona and New Orleans
· Henk Ovink, Executive Director and founding Commissioner, Global Commission on the Economics of Water, New York City
· Jane Withers, Director, Jane Withers Studio; Curator of Water Pressure: Designing for the Future, London
Links:
2024 European Research Prize
https://somfoundation.com/awards/european-research-prize/
2024 European Research Prize application
https://somfoundation.com/awards/european-research-prize/apply/
2024 European Research Prize jury
https://somfoundation.com/news/som-foundation-announces-jury-for-the-2024-european-research-prize/
2024 Robert L. Wesley Award
The Robert L. Wesley Award supports BIPOC undergraduate students enrolled in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, or engineering programs in the United States. This year, three students will receive a $10,000 award in addition to a yearlong mentorship program that connects the students with leading BIPOC practitioners and educators. The award is named in honor of Robert L. Wesley, the first Black partner at SOM.
In 2023, Lauren Jian, Antonia Pacheco, William Pyle, Noelle Robinson, and Emmelea Schatz were the recipients of the Robert L Wesley Award.
The 2024 Robert L. Wesley Award jury will be led by Robert L. Wesley (Retired Partner, SOM, Chicago) and will include:
· Monica Chada, Founder and Principal, Civic Projects Architecture, Chicago
· Andrew Santa Lucia, Founder, Office Andorus; Associate Professor of Practice, Portland State University’s School of Architecture, Portland
· Stephen Slaughter, Chairperson of Undergraduate Architecture, Pratt Institute’s School of Architecture, New York City
The deadline to apply is November 14, 2024.
Links:
2024 Robert L. Wesley Award
https://somfoundation.com/awards/robert-l-wesley-award/
2024 Robert L. Wesley Award application
https://somfoundation.com/awards/robert-l-wesley-award/apply/
2024 Robert L. Wesley Award jury
https://somfoundation.com/news/som-foundation-announces-jury-for-the-2024-robert-l-wesley-award/
Images
High resolution images for the 2024 topic and awards are available for download here.
About the SOM Foundation
Founded in 1979, the SOM Foundation’s goal is to advance the design profession’s ability to address the key topics of our time by bringing together and supporting groups and individuals, each with the highest possible design aspirations. The Foundation’s award programming was established in 1981 and currently offers six annual awards across the United States, Europe, and China. The awards support students and faculty of architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, urban design, and engineering to undertake rigorous interdisciplinary research that can help shape our future.
For more information, contact:
Iker Gil
Executive Director
SOM Foundation
224 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60604
