The Annual International Berkeley Undergraduate Prize for Architectural Design Excellence 2023
Berkeley Prize 2023

Winning Essays

Winners of the twenty-fifth annual Berkeley Prize Essay Competition is announced by University of California, Berkeley Professor Emeritus of Architecture and City & Regional Planning Raymond Lifchez, Chair of the international Berkeley Undergraduate Prize for Architectural Design Excellence.

In celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Berkeley Prize, the 2023 Berkeley Prize focuses on the topic: “Architecture Designed for Aging.”Essay Competition proposals of 500 words each, written by undergraduate students collaborating in one- and two-person teams from 22 countries were received in response to this year’s Question.   

This year there was a First Prize; a Second Prize (shared by a two-person team); two Third Prizes; a Fourth Prize (shared by a two-person team), and two Honorable Mentions. These 9 students split a purse totaling 35,000USD.  


First Place Prize 

Hayden Painter studying in the Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Design program in the School of Architecture at Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA for “A Vision for Aging in Rural Appalachia.” (9,000USD)

Read Bio | Read Proposal Read Essay


Second Place Prize (two-person team)

Rashi Karkoon, studying for a Bachelor of Architecture degree in the Department of Architecture and Upasana Patgiri, studying for a Bachelor of Planning degree in the Urban and Regional Planning Department at the School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal, India for “Sab-ki Mandi: Enhancing the Markets of India as an Inclusive Public Space for the Elderly.” (5,500USD each)

Read Bio | Read Proposal | Read Essay


Third Place Prize (#1)

Tushita Basak, studying for a Bachelor of Architecture degree in the Department of Architecture at Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India for “Widows of Varanasi: The Ganga, the gallis and the grizzled.” (3500USD)

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Third Place Prize (#2)

Lizzie Turak, studying for a Bachelor of Science, Major in Architecture degree in the College of Design, School of Architecture at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA for “The Built Environment’s Response to Aging in Place in Metro Atlanta.” (3500USD)   

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Fourth Place Prize 

Ieshika Singh and Ashima Sani, each studying for a Bachelor of Architecture Degree in the Department of Architecture at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, India for Greying Hair and Hopes: Senior Citizens of Mukarimnagar.” (2500USD each)

Read Bio Read Proposal | Read Essay


Honorable Mention

Jerome Kimani, studying for a Bachelor of Architecture degree ibn the Department of Architecture, School of Architecture and Buiilding Sciencees at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Juja, Kenya for “FROM SPARE ROOM TO SPARE CHANGE: Adaptive reuse for economic revitalization of homesteads in Rural Africa.” (1500USD) 

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Honorable Mention

Mulika Stephen, studying for a Bachelor of Architecture degree in the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda for “Environmental Design for the Elderly.” (1500USD)

Read Bio | Read Proposal Read Essay



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