The Deller Prize in Sustainable Architecture and Real Estate encourages architecture students to pursue non-traditional career paths, specifically to grow their skills in the specialty of design, construction, and sustainability under the umbrella of the real estate business.
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Carnegie Mellon Architecture is currently accepting applications for the 2026 award. Applications are due on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, at 11:59pm ET. Submit your application at the link below.
Mission
The Deller Prize in Sustainable Architecture and Real Estate was established by the Deller family of Quito, Ecuador, in recognition of the depth and breadth of education that Adriel Deller (B.Arch '13) received at Carnegie Mellon Architecture.
While a student, Adriel learned the importance of integrated design to achieve aesthetic quality, environmental effectiveness, and economic equity. The Deller family created this award to encourage architecture students to pursue non-traditional career paths, specifically to grow their skills in the specialty of design, construction, and sustainability under the umbrella of the real estate business. The award is intended to demonstrate and cultivate through the disciplines of architecture and business the significant positive impact that can be made on environmental sustainability, the design process, and the community.
Awardees receive a non-qualified scholarship to support projects, materials, or other non-tuition expenses to enhance their educational experience.
Evaluation Criteria
To be considered for the Deller Prize in Sustainable Architecture and Real Estate, applicants must submit a complete application that includes the following information:
- A statement (400 words maximum) about their approach to integrating principles of sustainability and design in their work
- A reduced size portfolio (<10 MB) of their most relevant studio project showcasing principles of sustainability and design
Note: Applicants may include collaborative projects but must state which projects were done in collaboration with others. Applicants should only show work examples that they directly contributed to. For each collaborative project, the applicant must indicate the names of all authors and which aspect(s) of the project they worked on.
Spring 2026 Jury: Matthew Huber (Chair), Vicky Achnani, Neal Lucas Hitch, Yiqun Pan
Spring 2026 Award Amount: $3,000 first place (one (1) available) and $1,500 runner-up (one (1) available)
Eligibility & Schedule
The Deller Prize in Sustainable Architecture and Real Estate is open to all fourth-year Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch) students in good academic standing.
Carnegie Mellon Architecture is currently accepting applications for the 2026 award. Applications are due on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, at 11:59pm ET.
Award Recipients
- 2025: not awarded
- 2024: not awarded
- 2023: Gabrielle Benson (B.Arch '24) & Anishwar Tirupathur (B.Arch '24)
- 2022: Ankitha Vasudev (B.Arch '23)
- 2021: Yingying Yan (B.Arch '22)
- 2020: Cassandra Howard (B.Arch '21)
- 2019: Alex Lin (B.Arch '20)
- 2018: Gargi Lagvankar (B.Arch '19)