Congratulations to the Winners of the 2025 Gertrude Lempp Kerbis Prize

CWA and CWAF are thrilled to announce the winners of 2025’s Gertrude Lempp Kerbis Prize— three winners!


First Place – Jayden Anderson

Jaydn will be receiving her Master of Architecture II degree from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee in May 2025. Thanks to many mentors, educators, and friends who have shown her what women in architecture can do, Jaydn has felt unstoppable and invigorated in her passion to uplift others inside and outside of the profession. With the support, knowledge, and time they have extended to her, she has had the honor of bringing back the Women in Design Students organization at UWM to its fullest potential, as well writing a book titled When in Doubt, that encourages women to stay in the profession.

See her winning project here: The Neighborhood



Second Place – Emma Wynn

Emma Wynn is completing her fifth year in Ball State University’s Bachelor of Architecture program. After school, she will join krM Architecture’s team, helping advocate for innovative design at every scale and for every community.

See their winning project here: Veolia Market



Third Place – Angela Li

Angela is in her final year of her Bachelor of Architecture degree at the University of Notre Dame. Throughout her architectural education, Angela has been interested in exploring the meanings of contextualism and the intersection between tradition and modernity. Her current thesis project poses solutions for food insecurity in South Bend while developing a model for how the city can heal its post-industrial urban fabric. In her free time, Angela enjoys drawing/painting, playing piano, and listening to the No Stupid Questions podcast.

See her winning project here: Collective Memory

About the CWA Scholarship

Each year Chicago Women in Architecture awards a prize to a female student in her the last year of studies with an outstanding Design Studio Project. The Prize is awarded at the annual CWA Spring Brunch.

Eligibility

Applicants must be female architecture students with a M. Arch or a five-year B. Arch Degree from a NAAB Accredited Architecture Program in the State of Illinois or Wisconsin. There is no limit of student submission per school.

Eligible Institutions

  • Illinois Institute of Technology
  • Judson University
  • The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
  • Southern Illinois University Carbondale
  • University of Illinois at Chicago
  • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
  • University of Notre Dame

Schedule

Details of 2026 Scholarship schedule coming soon.

Jury

Jury team will be composed by CWA Executive Board members, Board of Directors members, and recognized architecture practitioners.

Awards

CWA will award $7,000 in Scholarships this year; Winners will also receive a one-year membership to Chicago Women in Architecture, along with tickets for the award celebration. The winning project(s) will be featured in detail at the CWA website.