2024 Writing Awards: An Overview
Responding to the prompt ‘The building told a story...’, the 2024 Warren Trust Awards for Architectural Writing resulted in a high level of engagement, with more than 90 entries submitted to this annual competition.
“Vivid and beautifully controlled, effortlessly combining small moments with sweeping global developments,” said judge Jeremy Hansen of ‘Of Belonging and Loss’ by Tessa Forde, the winning entry, which was submitted into the Open category. With her structurally experimental piece, Tessa’s intent was to capture the tangibility of belonging and loss through poetry and architectural language.
The Open category received the majority of the competition’s entries and three highly commended winners were also awarded in this category. Two entries in the Tamariki category were jointly awarded as winners, while no entries were awarded in the Rangatahi category.
This year’s panel brought formidable talent to the task of judging, with their collective skills combining experience as writers, editors, educators, critics, mentors and architects. The panel included Jeremy Hansen, journalist, author, architecture podcaster, literary mentor and Britomart’s Director of Communications and Community; Katie Braatvedt, an architecture graduate at Glamuzina Architects, educator and 2023 Highly Commended winner for ‘This is Not a Gender Issue’; and Danyl McLauchlan, author, book reviewer and political commentator.
The Warren Trust Awards for Architectural Writing was established in 2015 and is a joint venture between The Warren Trust and Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects. The Warren Trust, founded in honour of celebrated architect Sir Miles Warren, promotes architectural education to the profession and public.
The Winners
Open category
Winner Of Belonging and Loss by Tessa Forde
Highly Commended Honour and Control: New Plymouth Barrett Street Nurses’ Home by Elizabeth Cox
Highly Commended Kōrero Kamaka by André Prichard
Highly Commended Ode to a House by Ross Keane
Tamariki category
Joint Winner The Grand Ocean by Alara Holland
Joint Winner A Terminal of Memories by Rudy Keane
The Judges
Jeremy Hansen, journalist, author, architecture podcaster, literary mentor and the guy who puts the art into Britomart
Danyl McLauchlan, author, book reviewer and political commentator
Katie Braatvedt, an architecture graduate at Glamuzina Architects, teacher at AUT School of Future Environments and occasional contributor to Island magazine – in last year's Warren Trust Writing Awards, Katie won Highly Commended for ‘This is Not a Gender Issue’.
Buy the book
We have published our winning writing and illustrations in a book, available for purchase at our Shop.