An abstract, often challenging and ultimately thought-provoking piece of creative writing has taken out this year’s top prize in the annual Warren Trust Awards for Architectural Writing. The author Will Martel completed his masters in February 2023 through Waipapa Taumata Rau, The University of Auckland, Te Pare School of Architecture and Planning, and is currently working in Sydney as a graduate with Tribe Studio Architects.
Will, who was awarded a Highly Commended in the 2022 Resene Student Design Awards, described his entry as a series of thought experiments, which he is still contemplating and working on. His entry was chosen from the work of 75 writers who filed their stories from across Aotearoa and engaged with architecture in inventive and compelling ways. From the deeply personal through to exploring the built environment of the past, present and future, their mahi expressed a diversity of talent across the awards’ three categories.
“There were a number of entries that were highly engaging and the quality of submissions was impressive,” said the judges. “The number of tamariki submitting was heart-warming – so many young people care about the future of design. There was a level of sophistication and creativity that pushed the boundaries of what architecture is and could be,” they said.
This year, the competition invited the public to respond to the theme: How has architecture shaped your world? Entries could take the form of original fiction, non-fiction, a comic or poem.
The judging panel drew talent from the architecture, design and writing communities and included Ana Heremaia, co-founder of ĀKAU, a multi-disciplinary, not-for-profit design studio in Kaikohe; Anahera Rawiri (Ngāti Whātua), a cultural strategist and Kaihautū/Principal at Jasmax; and Sam Brooks, a journalist with The Spinoff, critic and award-winning playwright.
The annual competition, which is free to enter, provides a rare opportunity for the public to engage with architecture in inventive, meaningful and compelling ways.
2023 Results
Open Category
WINNER Will Martel for Pandora’s Letter-box
Highly Commended
• Katie Braatvedt for This is Not a Gender Issue
• Christopher Schooler for Te Whare ki te Kāinga
• Ju An Teo for A Simulation of Reality
Rangatahi Category
WINNER Cameron Hartley for Cathedral
Highly Commended
• Oshadha Perera for Shaping Lives
Tamariki Category
WINNER Abby Middleton for A World Shaped by Architecture
Highly Commended
• Amy Gilbert for The Perfect Design
• Charlotte Hodgson for The Ruby Door
• Bianca Losco for My Room Keeps Me Safe
Our sincere gratitude goes to the generous time and talent provided by this year’s judging panel and to The Warren Trust for their continued support of this inspiring initiative. A book of winning and highly commended entries will be published online and in print, which will be available from Te Kāhui Whaihanga.
About the awards
The Warren Trust Awards for Architectural Writing is a joint venture between The Warren Trust and Te Kāhui Whaihanga. The Warren Trust is a charitable organisation established in the honour of celebrated architect Sir Miles Warren and promotes architectural education to the profession and public.