2024 Donald and Joanna Sunshine Architecture Fellow Alumni Award
The School of Architecture is pleased to announce the call for applications for the 2024 Donald and Joanna Sunshine Architecture Fellow Alumni Award.
The purpose of the Donald and Joanna Sunshine Architecture Fellow Alumni Award is to provide a selected alumnus of the Virginia Tech School of Architecture graduate or undergraduate programs with a special opportunity for substantial time for further study of Architecture during the early stages of his/her professional career. The biennial award currently carries a stipend of $8,000 to be used for independent study and travel in the US or abroad. *
As a young practicing architect, Professor Sunshine was afforded a similar opportunity by being selected as a Francis J. Plym Fellow in Architecture from the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This experience was a defining moment in Professor Sunshine’s life as an architect and one that Donald and Joanna would like to make permanently available to our alumni.
Who should apply?
This award is currently open to alumni of the school who graduated between 2013 and 2023 with preference given to those who graduated at least three years ago, but not more than 10 years ago. The selection will be based on professional accomplishment since graduation as well as on the proposed study and duration. In order to be considered for the award, applicants should send an electronic application package that includes a letter of intent describing the travel study proposal, itinerary specifying the length of time for the proposed study, budget, résumé, and a portfolio (8-1⁄2” × 11” format) of their professional accomplishments as an intern architect or as a practicing architect. The application package should be in the form of a pdf containing a maximum of 20 pages with a file size no greater than 10mb. The application is due by 11:59p EST on March 25, 2024 and emailed to pdoan@vt.edu.
Only individual submissions will be considered. Joint submissions will not be considered. Portfolios, which include work produced in collaboration with others, should clearly articulate the applicant’s responsibilities. Questions regarding the fellowship may be directed to Patrick Doan, Chair of the Core Architecture Undergraduate Program, School of Architecture, at pdoan@vt.edu.
The recipient of the Donald and Joanna Sunshine Architecture Fellow Alumni Award will be announced at the School of Architecture’s annual awards ceremony held in April.
2000 Gregory Luhan (B.Arch. 1991)
2001 Mason White (B.Arch. 1996)
2002 Danielle DiLeo (B.Arch. 1996)
2004 Troy Schaum (B.Arch. 1999)
2006 Travis Hanks (B.Arch. 2000)
2008 James Ruhland (M.Arch. 2006)
2010 Luis Véléz-Alvaréz (M.Arch. 2007)
2012 Christian Wopperer (B.Arch. 2004)
2014 Kalin Cannady (B.Arch. 2011)
2016 Dylan Fuller (B.Arch. 2011)
2018 Ashton Hamm (B.Arch. 2014)
2020 Garrett Reynolds (B.Arch. 2011)
*The study and travel must occur no later than six months after receiving the award. The recipient, if employed, should be on a leave of absence during the study period, and not otherwise employed in order to devote full time to this study. Upon selection the recipient is to submit a detailed travel itinerary and budget for approval. Upon completion of the study/travel period the recipient will be required to submit a final document of the study as well as give a public lecture at the University in a format of his/her choice. The first 2/3 of the stipend will be awarded within 30 days of the study approval, and the final 1/3 of the stipend upon completion of the public lecture and acceptance of two sets of the final study report.