The COVID-19 pandemic had been a stark reminder of the inequalities existing in our social fabric. It has made us to pause and rethink about a multitude of areas of schism that prompt a bias such as gender, age, physical and cognitive ability and a plethora of barriers. In recent times, we have also witnessed many civil movements that are a reaction to societal inequality – Black Lives Matter, The Global Climate Movement, The Movement, The Movements against NRC and CAA in India.
Hence, the challenge for this year’s Writing Architecture Trophy is to make a case for / against the idea of architecture / design as an implement of positive change. How can we, as creative professionals be more empathetic towards the large issues that challenge our society and how can we confront them through our work?
Link to the brief: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14H4eurBCxO1vUYiVZboaNoF7RlacqJIq
Link to the poster: https://www.instagram.com/p/CG3z9Lchx9V/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
The brief for this trophy was released on 21 October, 2020. The registrations closed on 10 November 2020 and the submission portal closed on 30 November, 2020 with a total of 215 entries.

Studio Matter was the moderator for the trophy. Ruturaj Parikh and Studio Matter as the jury members provided their valuable time in selecting the most outstanding essays.

The winning entries comprised of:
SPECIAL MENTION 3 - Z504, BMS College of Architecture
SPECIAL MENTION 2 - Z116, Faculty of Architecture & Ekistics, Jamia Millia Islamia
SPECIAL MENTION 1 - Z253, Institute of Architecture & Planning
CITATION 2 - Z112, Faculty of Architecture, Malaviya National Institute of Technology
CITATION 1 - Z310, Dr. Bhanuben Nanavati College of Architecture for Women