2026 Steedman Fellowship

In today’s increasingly complex and fragmented world, architecture must rethink its role beyond designing isolated buildings. The 2026 Steedman Fellowship invites architects and researchers globally to explore the critical theme of Collective Form / Forums — a concept deeply rooted in the seminal writings of architect Fumihiko Maki. His original idea of collective form focused on how buildings come together to form assemblies larger than the sum of their parts, reflecting social and spatial unity.

Now, with accelerating technological change, political fragmentation, and the urgent climate crisis, the notion of collective form has expanded. It asks how architecture can foster new forums for engagement—physical and conceptual spaces where communities gather, dialogue, and take political action. The fellowship challenges applicants to research and propose architectural strategies that address these urgent collective questions, emphasizing inclusivity, sustainability, and political agency.

With a generous award of $100,000, the fellowship supports 18 months of in-depth research aimed at shaping architecture as a tool for social and ecological change. Emerging architects with innovative ideas will find this an unparalleled opportunity to contribute to the future of collective spatial practices.

Why You Should Participate

The Steedman Fellowship 2026 is a rare opportunity to critically engage with architecture’s evolving social role. Participants will deepen their research skills, benefit from institutional support by Washington University in St. Louis, and gain access to a distinguished jury including academics and practitioners.

The fellowship supports innovative proposals that investigate how architectural forms can produce political engagement and new forums for collective life. With an emphasis on sustainability, proposals that minimize carbon footprints will receive extra consideration. The program also facilitates dissemination of research findings through lectures, exhibitions, or workshops, connecting fellows with architectural communities locally and internationally.

For emerging architects aiming to expand their influence beyond conventional design work, this fellowship offers critical funding and visibility to develop ambitious research projects that engage urgent global challenges through architectural inquiry.

Key Highlights

Theme: Collective Form / Forums — inspired by Fumihiko Maki’s work but expanded to contemporary socio-political and ecological contexts.

Eligibility: Open to anyone worldwide with an accredited architecture degree earned within the last eight years.

Award: $100,000 to support an 18-month research project.

Jury: Includes leading figures such as Neeraj Bhatia (chair), Patty Heyda, Nahyun Hwang, Jack Self, and Peter Tao.

Submission: Portfolio, research proposal, budget, timeline, bio, and CV required.

Special Consideration: Proposals with creative methods for reducing carbon footprints.

Entry Fees

Important Dates

Prizes and Recognition

Submission Details

Applicants must submit their application online via Slideroom in English. Required materials include a project title and 200-word abstract, a 1500-word research proposal, budget and timeline summary, portfolio (10–15 images), short bio, and CV — all in PDF or Word format. The jury evaluates proposals for originality, relevance to the theme, portfolio quality, and applicant’s capacity to complete the project.

Architectural Analysis

The 2026 Steedman Fellowship challenges the traditional view of architecture as static, unified objects, encouraging instead an understanding of form as a dynamic collective process. Inspired by Maki’s classification of compositional, megastructural, and group forms, the fellowship pushes designers to reinterpret these categories through contemporary lenses of political agency, climate urgency, and pluralism.

Materially, proposals may explore modularity, temporality, and responsiveness—creating forums that evolve and adapt. The focus shifts from aesthetics to spatial systems that host multiplicity and participation. This opens architecture to hybridity and contradiction, breaking from the ideal of formal unity toward fragmented and inclusive assemblages.

Project Importance

This fellowship arrives at a critical moment as societies face overlapping crises: climate change, political polarization, and social inequity. Architecture’s role in shaping spaces that gather diverse publics, encourage dialogue, and promote collective action is more urgent than ever.

By funding in-depth research on collective forms and forums, the fellowship expands architectural typologies beyond permanent monuments toward flexible, politically engaged, and ecologically sensitive assemblies. It cultivates interdisciplinary approaches and prioritizes sustainability, offering a model for future architectural inquiry that integrates social, political, and environmental concerns.

This work contributes directly to contemporary architectural discourse by redefining the potential of space as a medium for collective agency and democratic engagement.

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

The Steedman Fellowship’s 2026 theme reflects a significant evolution in architectural thinking, emphasizing collective form as a dynamic and political spatial strategy rather than solely a formal condition. The accompanying graphic—crowds forming the ground plane beneath abstract shapes against a moonlit sky—visually evokes tensions between unity and fragmentation, presence and absence.

Critically, the fellowship challenges architects to reconsider if architecture can foster true collectivity without erasing difference or imposing uniformity. It invites reflection on whether forums today must extend beyond physical space into conceptual and digital realms.

While ambitious in scope, the focus on sustainability and inclusivity positions the fellowship as a forward-looking platform that encourages thoughtful, relevant, and innovative architectural research.

Conclusion

The 2026 Steedman Fellowship stands as a vital invitation to rethink architecture’s social role at a time of global uncertainty. It calls for proposals that not only imagine new spatial forms but also actively engage political and ecological realities.

For emerging architects, this is a unique chance to develop a research project with substantial funding, expert support, and broad dissemination. The fellowship not only fosters new architectural knowledge but also inspires more engaged and responsive design practices.

By embracing collective form and forums, this fellowship helps shape architecture’s future as a participatory, dynamic force capable of addressing the pressing challenges of our time.

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