Sponsored by Scott Tallon Walker Architects

1. Introduction

The RIAI in association with Scott Tallon Walker Architects present the RIAI Scott Tallon Walker Student Excellence Award for Architecture 2022. Scott Tallon Walker Architects sponsor the competition in memory of the firm’s three founding partners, Dr. Michael Scott, Dr. Ronald Tallon and Robin Walker. 

Scott Tallon Walker fully supports the RIAI’s overall aims for the RIAI Scott Tallon Walker Student Excellence Award for Architecture 2022 and has undertaken to donate a prize fund.

This award is free to enter.

2. History of the RIAI Travelling Scholarship

In 2016, the RIAI relaunched the RIAI Travelling Scholarship as the RIAI Scott Tallon Walker Student Excellence Award for Architecture. The RIAI Travelling Scholarship competition existed in a number of guises since 1935.  From 1955 to 1970 the RIAI offered a scholarship annually to enable the winner to undertake a two-week study tour of Rome at Easter.  From 1971 to 1980 the Scholarship was awarded to the best portfolio of post-intermediate students nominated by UCD and DIT. From 1981 a formal architectural competition was held for fourth year students of architecture at DIT, QUB and UCD. The Scholarship was expanded to include students of architecture from WIT, CCAE, SAUL and UU as these programmes were launched.

3. Aim of the Scott Tallon Walker Student Excellence Award

The competition has four general aims:

1. To promote the study of contemporary architecture.
2. To encourage and foster architectural excellence among the student body.
3. To encourage and facilitate communication between the schools.
4. To provide a basis for growing awareness of architecture in society, through exhibitions and publications supported by RIAI.

4. The Brief

Entrants are invited to submit a collage on a single A1 board illustrating the work they have completed during Fifth (final thesis) Year. The collage will include a combination of hand-drawn sketches, concept ideas, technical investigations, final design solutions, 3-D representations, and photographs of models, arranged a way that fully represents the body of work produced during that academic year. The submission may include the entrant’s thesis project and should feature a short, relevant narrative describing the work displayed (300 word max., text size 10pt min.).

5. Eligibility

The award is open to students currently enrolled in Fifth (final thesis) Year in the following programmes of architecture:

6. Assessment Criteria

• All entries will be evaluated in an anonymous manner by the jury.
• The composition of the jury is included in section 10. The competition convenor shall also participate in the jury evaluations. A representative of Scott Tallon Walker Architects will serve on the adjudication panel.

7. Award Timeline

8. Registration

Students intending to submit an entry are required to first register their interest by completing the RIAI Scott Tallon Walker Student Excellence Award for Architecture 2022 Registration Form at the end of this page and returning it by email education@riai.ie for the attention of Carol Curran, RIAI Education Officer, no later than Friday 24 June 2022. On receipt of this form, the RIAI will issue each participant with an individual Submission ID Number.

9. Submission Requirements

• Each individual to submit a single A1 drawing electronically in pdf format presented as a collage illustrating the work the student has completed during their final thesis (Fifth) year. The A1 drawing should feature a short relevant narrative describing the work displayed (300 word max., text size 10pt min.).
• Entries must be anonymous and identified by the entrant’s Submission ID Number only.
• The submission shall feature the participant’s individual Submission ID Number in the top right hand corner. Submissions shall be free from any markings that may identify either the student or their School of Architecture.

10. Submission Date

Entries from students of all Schools of Architecture can be sent electronically in pdf format to education@riai.ie from Friday 3 June 2022 to Friday 16 September 2022.

11. Composition of the Jury

• Convenor; a member of the RIAI Board of Architectural Education (BAE).
• A representative of Scott Tallon Walker Architects.
• Up to 4 other Jury Members to be agreed by the BAE. The final Jury will be announced by the BAE before the Final Registration date on Friday 3 June 2022.

12. The Prize

A prize fund is available for this award. Division or not of the prize fund will reflect the standard and diversity of entries.

13. Presentation / Exhibition

It is intended that the winning, commended and other entries selected for exhibition will be exhibited at the 2022 RIAI Student Award Ceremony and Exhibition to take place at the RIAI Conference 2022. The exhibition of selected entries will clearly display the student’s name and their School of Architecture. The copyright of all award entries for the purpose of publicity and exhibition rests with the RIAI.  The copyright for all other purposes rests with the entrants.  Students whose entries are short-listed for a prize/exhibition may be requested to submit a hard copy A1 Board of the image of their entry.

14. Terms and Conditions

• No submissions shall be accepted after the final submission deadline on Friday 16 September 2022.
• Only students currently enrolled in Fifth (final thesis) Year in the Schools of Architecture listed in section 5 above are eligible to participate in this award. Students are required to submit a copy of their student card as evidence when registering for this award.
• Group submissions will not be accepted and will be disqualified.
• Only one submission shall be permitted from each student and variant options will not be accepted.
• Participants will be assigned a Submission ID Number by the RIAI after registration.
• Submissions should be free from any markings that may identify either the student or their School of Architecture so that projects can be judged anonymously.
• The RIAI acknowledges the collaborative nature of architecture but the student submitting the entry must be responsible for the work submitted. 
• Entries will not be returned to competitors.
• The RIAI Council reserves the right to permit or refuse the presentation of the Award.
• The RIAI Council may direct the Jury on any matter relating to the Award.
• It is the function of the RIAI to ensure that only eligible projects are considered.
• The Jury may recommend that no award be made or that the prize fund be divided to reflect the standard and diversity of entries.
• The decisions of the jury and RIAI Council are final and conclusive. No discussion or correspondence will be entered into.