About

Honoring the Chicago Women in Architecture (CWA) founder, Gertrude Lempp Kerbis (1926–2016), this annual prize for female students in their final year of an accredited undergraduate or graduate architecture program is made possible by the Kerbis family with support from the Chicago Women in Architecture Foundation (CWAF). Each fall there is an open call for outstanding design studio projects and applications are reviewed by a jury including CWA Executive Committee members, officers from the CWAF Board of Directors, and other recognized architecture practitioners.

The Gertrude Lempp Kerbis Prize is awarded each year to a winner and, if the jury wishes, honorable mention(s). Both the winner and honorable mention(s) are announced at the CWA Spring Brunch. The awarded projects are also featured on the CWA website. Additionally, Kerbis Prize recipients receive a one-year membership to CWA and two complimentary tickets to the CWA Spring Brunch.

The Chicago Women in Architecture Foundation continues to grow the capacity of this scholarship program. To date, winners of the Gertrude Lempp Kerbis Prize are awarded $3,000 and honorable mention scholarships average $2,000. The awarded scholarship is unrestricted.