Awards and scholarships
View the wide variety of scholarships and awards available to students at the Wellington School of Architecture.
Victoria University of Wellington offers many scholarships to students through the Scholarships Office.
The Office maintains the Scholarships Database, a comprehensive list of all available scholarships with criteria, value, tenure and closing dates and the Annual Prizes Database. Most application forms can be downloaded from these databases. For best results when searching the database, keep the search terms broad.
Wellington School of Architecture Scholarships
Averil Brent Scholarship in Science
Peter Preston-Thomas established this scholarship in 2002 as a tribute in honour of his daughter Averil. Its purpose is to support female students pursuing studies in the field of science.
This scholarship is open to female students studying full time at 300 level, BSc (Hons) and Masters by Coursework in any area of Science, including Architecture and Design Innovation.
John Fitzgerald Memorial Scholarship
This Scholarship is for the purpose of supporting studies, research, projects, exhibitions or other similar activities relating to the completion of undergraduate or postgraduate qualifications.
It is open to applicants in their fourth year of study or higher in architecture (including Honours, Masters and PhD students). Undergraduate students can be considered eligible if they are enrolled in their fourth or higher year of study and have successfully completed all third-year core papers or have previously gained equivalent credit or experience and are intending to study at postgraduate level at Victoria University of Wellington.
Keystone Trust Scholarships
With the support of industry sponsors, Keystone Trust provides a range of scholarships for school leavers and existing tertiary students.
Master of Construction Law Scholarship
This scholarship was introduced to raise awareness of the newly launched Master of Construction Law programme, aimed at developing future leaders in construction law and policy.
All applicants to the MConsLaw programme are eligible.
Master of Urban and Regional Planning Scholarship
Eligible to all applicants enrolled in the MURP programme, this scholarship seeks to attract ambitious students who are committed to addressing planning challenges and advancing their knowledge in urban and regional planning.
Megan Wraight Memorial Scholarship for Landscape Architecture
This scholarship is open to applicants in their second year of a Bachelor in Architectural Studies, majoring in Landscape Architecture, that have completed all of their coursework and are intending to enrol in their third year of a Bachelor in Architectural Studies at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington.
PFM Burrows Memorial Scholarship
This scholarship is to assist students in the Wellington School of Architecture at Victoria University of Wellington who have completed their second year of study.
This Scholarship was established through the Victoria University of Wellington Foundation from a bequest by Mrs Carol Rowan, in memory of her grandfather, Pierre Finch Martineau Burrows, who was a former Colonial Architect of New Zealand.
Sir Mark Dunajtschik PhD Scholarship in Construction
This scholarship is part of the establishment of a construction programme at Victoria University, supported by a donation from Sir Mark Dunajtschik. It aims to support PhD research students working with the Sir Mark Dunajtschik Professor (Chair) in Construction, focusing on research in a construction-related field.
Team Architects Scholarship in Architecture
The Team Architects Scholarship is offered to students in their first year of a Master of Architecture (Professional) to assist with the completion of studies in the following year. This scholarship is open to students from Victoria University of Wellington, University of Auckland and UNITEC Institute of Technology.
The Narwhal Design Trust Scholarship
The Narwhal Design Trust Scholarship was established in 2025 by the estate of the Hollins family. The scholarship will support school leavers intending to study in the Faculty of Architecture and Design Innovation at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.
A preference will be given to those who are a part of the rainbow community.
The Studio Pacific Architecture and Design Scholarship
Studio Pacific Architecture have partnered with Wellington Faculty of Architecture and Design, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, to offer this scholarship intended to encourage the uptake of design disciplines including architecture, interior architecture, landscape architecture and design, by gifted students who may need some support to enable their first year of study.
This scholarship is open to applicants intending to undertake their first year of full-time study at Wellington Faculty of Architecture and Design. Applicants must be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident and also be of Māori or Pacific descent.
Warren and Mahoney Māori and Pasifika Scholarship for MIA and Master of Architecture (Professional)
Warren and Mahoney established this award in 2021 to support Māori and Pasifika students who have a passion for Architecture and Design. In addition, this scholarship will provide opportunities for the student to build their skills and have closer ties to Warren and Mahoney, and the industry, in general.
This scholarship is open to applicants of Māori and/or Pasifika ethnicity and in their 4th or 5th year (Part 1 or Part 2) of study in a Master of Interior Architecture or Master of Architecture (Professional) at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.
Wide Trust Scholarships - Undergraduate
Scholarships for students studying towards an undergraduate tertiary qualification that has relevance to a career in the forestry or wood sectors.
Wide Trust Scholarships - Postgraduate
Scholarships for students studying towards a postgraduate tertiary qualification that has relevance to a career in the forestry or wood sectors.
Wellington School of Architecture awards
BRANZ Awards
These awards have been established in the Wellington School of Architecture by BRANZ to encourage postgraduate study and research with the objective of contributing to building research of relevance to New Zealand. They are targeted at projects undertaken in the Part 1 of the Master of Building Science (MBildSc). The awards are open to graduates of any university within or outside New Zealand who intend to enrol in Master of Building Science at Victoria University of Wellington.
New Zealand Architects Co-operative Society Prizes
The New Zealand Architects Co-operative Society prizes are awarded for excellence in management processes, which leads to prudent risk management in architecture.
They are offered to the top third and fourth year students enrolled in SARC362 Introduction to Practice and Management, and SARC461 Professional Practice respectively.
NZIA Student Design awards for first, second, third, and fourth years
These awards are to acknowledge excellence in architectural design projects across first, second and third years of the Bachelor of Architectural Studies (BAS) and fourth year of the Master of Architecture (Professional). The winners are selected from student’s final grades in each of the years.
NZIA Student Design awards for fifth year
The annual Te Kāhui Whaihanga Resene Student Design Awards programme brings together the top four students from each of New Zealand’s three schools of architecture: the University of Auckland, Unitec and Victoria University of Wellington.
Each finalist, a fifth-year student, presents their project to a panel of judges. The jury assesses each work and determines the top student of architecture in New Zealand. The winner receives a $5,000 prize plus a voucher and two Highly Commended Prizes are also awarded.