We seek the best student work for these awards: thought-provoking research and forward-thinking design concepts that exemplify EDRA’s principles. The awards program is a fantastic opportunity for students to receive recognition for their work, move forward in their thesis or dissertation writing, and contribute to the body of knowledge and practice that makes EDRA the leader in environmental design research. We seek the best student work for these awards: thought-provoking research and forward-thinking design concepts that exemplify EDRA’s principles. The awards program is a fantastic opportunity for students to receive recognition for their work, move forward in their thesis or dissertation writing, and contribute to the body of knowledge and practice that makes EDRA the leader in environmental design research.

The EDRA 2006 student paper award could not have happened at a better time for me. I couldn't have started my final dissertation writing phase on a better high. The award also convinced my committee that I was ready to defend that semester. The paper I submitted eventually became the first empirical chapter of my dissertation after some revisions and additions, and set the tone for the other five empirical chapters. So thank you EDRA! And to students: just send those entries in, you never know, experts might actually consider your work pretty good!

- Sudeshna Chatterjee, 2006 1st Place Student Paper Award Winner

Student Paper Award

Student submissions of full-length papers are reviewed initially by the same process as other full-length papers. Papers accepted for presentation are reviewed again by the EDRA Awards Committee to select award winners. To be eligible for consideration for a student award you must submit your full-length paper with your abstract by the submission deadline; the work must have been completed within the preceding year; all authors must have been students at the time the work was completed; and faculty, professional, or non-student involvement must have been minimal and limited to that normally expected of work to be graded. Please note: This requirement is not meant to exclude participatory or collaborative projects involving client groups and faculty advisors or coordinators.

Award Requirements:

Papers co-authored by faculty members must have an accompanying letter describing the extent of the faculty member’s involvement in the work and a signed letter of nomination from your advisor. The student must be first author and conference presenter.

First prize for the Student Paper Award includes $500 travel voucher, conference fee paid by EDRA, and a one year EDRA student membership. Second place prize is a one year EDRA student membership. All student award finalists merit recognition in EDRA publications.

2012 EDRA Student Design Awards- Call for Submissions

In keeping with EDRA’s commitment to promote links between design research and design practice, we are launching a re-envisioned student design awards program for 2012. The EDRA Student Design Awards are distinguished by their recognition of environmental designs that respond to human factors in the conception of the full range of environmental scales through the infusion of research findings and users’ inputs on the needs of human’s in the built world. The Student Design Awards criteria are underpinned by EDRA’s mission of advancing and disseminating behavior and design research toward improving understanding of the relationships between people and their environments and seek to recognize student projects that demonstrate excellence in the design of humane environments.

We invite submissions of exemplary environmental design work at a range of scales from urban design, to landscape, to architecture, to interior and industrial design completed by EDRA student members. Design projects should have been completed after January 2011 and should emphasize a link between research and design, demonstrating how an understanding of human interaction, use and experience can inspire excellent environmental design.

Awards Criteria

Submitted projects will be judged in four areas:

1. Quality of the Design Project and Demonstrated links between design and a body of research literature
2. Quality of Graphic Communication and Representation
3. Comprehensive Quality of the Submission
4. Alignment of the Design with EDRA's Mission

Submission Criteria:

All submission must be submitted in electronic format. Please submit a written statement of no more than 500 words addressing each of the points noted below. Entries must also include a PDF document of no more than 10 pages in length and 10mb in file size that provides illustrations of the design project and which substantiates points made in the written statement. File sizes larger than 10mb will not be included in the jurying process.

1. Describe the designed environment and its surroundings, the design process, the outcome and the date of completion.
2. What evidence is there that this design responds to its inhabitants or users?
3. What issues of social importance does the project consider?
4. What research was useful in designing this project, would be pertinent in evaluating it, or would help make future projects even more successful?
5. What research and/or design process was employed that gave voice to people who inhabit the setting?

Deadline (electronic-submissions): Friday, February 3rd, 2012, 5:00pm EST.

Please send all nominations and supporting materials via e-mail to Kate O’Donnell, EDRA Executive Director, at kodonnell@edra.org.

First prize for the Student Design Award includes a $500 travel voucher, conference fee paid by EDRA, and a one year student membership. Second places is a one year EDRA student membership. All student award finalists will receive recognition in EDRA publications and website.