Images by Lindsey Krug
2024 Rotch Scholar
How does this work?
The Rotch Travelling Scholarship is an annual two-stage design competition that results in one winner, deemed the Rotch Scholar, who can travel the world for a minimum of three months studying architecture — and we pick up the tab. The first stage design competition is a 72-hour, weekend-long preliminary design competition (running from Friday noon until Monday noon). Finalists from this competition go on to compete in the second stage, a 10-day competition (running from Friday noon, through the next business week, and ends the following Monday noon), and culminating in a design presentation to a distinguished jury.
2026 Competition Theme
Layering
Historic cities reveal the continuous interplay of technology,
economy, and culture through their layered fabric—each era leaving
traces of evolving materials, standards, and social frameworks.
Within this context, innovation in architecture is not a rupture but
a negotiation: bridging new ecological imperatives with established
traditions.
The 2026 Rotch Traveling Scholarship challenges participants to confront the urgent question of circularity in construction and its architectural implications. The theme, Layering, calls for design proposals that advance decarbonization strategies while remaining attentive to existing conditions, changing uses, and cultural expression.
For more information, contact bsa@architects.org.
What are we looking for?
Each Preliminary and Final competition brief is unique, but in general, juries seek:
- Evidence of imaginative capacity
- Cogent conceptual principle or thesis
- Architectural inventiveness
- Effective development of spatial and tectonic organization
- Thoughtful consideration of climate, site, and context
- Quality, clarity, efficacy, and completeness of representation and presentation
Who is this for?
- Emerging professionals who want to learn and advance their knowledge of global architecture through a funded scholarship.
- Candidates must be U.S. citizens who have obtained a professional degree (BArch/MArch) from an accredited school within the last 10 years.
- Candidates must have one year of full-time professional experience in a Massachusetts architecture firm as of January 1 of the competition year — or — an accredited degree from a Massachusetts school of architecture as of January 1 of the competition year.
How much do I receive to travel?
The Rotch Scholar receives a $25,000 stipend to travel and study outside of the United States for a minimum of three months. The stipend will be distributed in four installments:
- 50%, or $12,500, for your initial travel expenses upon approval of your Research Agenda and Travel Itinerary
- 20%, or $5,000, for the first approval by your mentor of your research and travel progress
- 20%, or $5,000, for the second approval by your mentor of your research and travel progress
- 10%, or $2,500, upon the completion and submission of the bound hard copy and digital Final Report
What are my obligations if I win?
The Rotch Scholar must travel for a minimum of three months, and the travel must be completed by the end of the calendar year after the year the Scholar wins the award. The research topic and travel itinerary are at the Scholar’s discretion but is subject to Rotch Committee and the Rotch Board of Trustees approval.
The Rotch Scholar must share verification of their ongoing research and travel progress in drawings, images, and text to receive their stipends during their travel. They are required to maintain and regularly update a digital record of travels that will be linked on the Rotch Travelling Scholarship website, rotch.org. This digital record can be made available on most major social media platforms.
Lastley, the Rotch Scholar must produce a bound hard copy and digital Final Report of their research and travel, which will be stored for posterity at the MIT Archive with all of the historical Rotch Travelling Scholarship materials and final reports.
2026 Competition calendar
| Feb 4, 2026: | Application Deadline |
| Feb 18, 2026: | Qualified Applicants Notified |
| Mar 6, 2026: | Preliminary Competition Begins @ 12:00 noon |
| Mar 9, 2026: | Preliminary Competition Ends @ 12:00 noon |
| Mar 22, 2026: | Preliminary Competition Finalists Notified |
| Apr 10, 2026: | Final Competition Begins @ 12:00 noon |
| Apr 20, 2026: | Final Competition Ends @ 12:00 noon |
| Apr 22, 2026: | Final Competition Jury and Winner Announcement |