SCholarships

The Association for Women in Architecture Foundation offers annual cash awards to women students studying Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban Design and/or Land Planning, Interior Design, Historic Preservation or Environmental Design leading to a college degree.

See application for details - click here.

Applicants must meet the following qualifications to be eligible (see application form for details):

• Applicants must be female residents of California or attending a California school, and must be enrolled in one of the qualifying majors for the current school term.

• Applicants must have completed a minimum of 18 units in their major by the application due date, OR current community college students shall have a minimum of 10 units completed in their major.

Applications are available annually at the beginning of the year and must be completed by Friday, April 25, 2025 (please note that this is an extension from the original deadline of April 4, and then the subsequent deadline of April 18!). Current forms will be posted to this site. Download our flier.

Join us for a panel discussion and Q&A session on Thursday November 21st, 2024 from 5:30pm-7pm! This hybrid session will be hosted in person at Studio MLA in the Arts District, and held virtually via Zoom. Sign up here to attend! Learn more about this scholarship and other available scholarships and grants directly from AWA Foundation (AWAF), in collaboration with the AAa/e Foundation, NationalAMLA (NAMLA), and SoCalNOMA - Southern California Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects. This event will be recorded and link posted to our website.

go to scholarship application

For questions, contact Isa Mattia, Scholarship Chair at awards@awa-foundation.org

Sponsoring an AWAF Scholarship reflects a commitment to supporting and encouraging female students as they strive to achieve their educational goals and enter the design professions. For information on becoming a sponsor and gaining a unique opportunity to be involved, please contact our Foundation President.

Empowering Emerging Women Designers

Thanks to the support of our amazing donors and underwriters, the AWA Foundation awarded eight scholarships this year to outstanding women shaping the future of our profession. Their efforts and passions highlight diversity, creativity, and the power of design to uplift and transform.

AWA Foundation Scholarship ($5,000)
Raquel Vera‑Mijares – an Academy of Art senior bridging communities with inclusive architectural practice.

AWAF Wena Dows Scholarship ($5,000)
Mariella Cajina – a Cal Poly SLO student and structural engineer passionate about sustainable, equitable housing.

Helms Design District Scholarship ($3,000)
Alana Abuchaibe – a Colombian‑American interdisciplinary designer advancing cultural preservation through storytelling.

AWAF Board Scholarship ($3,000)
Mary Dilanchian – a Woodbury senior weaving memory and emotional resonance into architectural narratives.

Commons at NHM Team Scholarship ($3,000)
Claire Guo – a Syracuse University undergraduate exploring political and cultural forces in design as a catalyst for change. 

The Sarah Hays Winners

The AWA Foundation is proud to continue Sarah Hays’s legacy of design excellence and social engagement. Her transformative bequest in 2021 has allowed us to offer awards that recognize community-minded leadership and exceptional resilience, and begin a grant program affecting change outside the bounds of our own award programs.

Sarah Hays Social Impact Award ($7,500)
Georgie Ampudia (UCLA)
Passionate about addressing housing insecurity, the reviewers were highly impressed by Georgie as the student lead on the LuminOCity Project, her already impressive impacts on the profession and community, and her work in sustainable, affordable design.

Sarah Hays Community College Awards ($3,000 each)
Esperanza Herrera (ELAC → USC)
Andrea Factor (El Camino College → Cal Poly Pomona)
Both recipients shine through their storytelling, sketching, and commitment to inclusive, sustainable design as they transition to four-year architecture programs.

Thank you to our 2025 Scholarship jurors

Scholarship Jury:
Angela Ball, Ashley Morales Diaz, Ashley Margo, Eden Ferry, Jana Wehby, Jeanmarie Zimmerman, JT Chieh-Ting Chuang, Karin Najarian, Mehrnoosh Mojallali, Murjani Oseguera , Naoko Miyano, Simone Drucker, Yifei Yan

Committee Member Reviewers:
Christina Monti, Diana Perez, Isa Mattia

Thank you to our 2024 Scholarship jurors

Scholarship Jury:
Danielle Deyoung, Michelle Frier, Sona Gevorkyan, Pamela Leone, Ashley Margot, Naoko Miyano, Astrid Theeuwes

Awards Committee Co-chairs:
Natasha Harkison, Megan Horn, Isa Mattia

 Awards Committee members:  
Julissa Lopez, Christina Monti

2024 Scholarship recipients

2023 Scholarship recipients

2023 Scholarship Recipients from left to right

Madelene Javier Dailey
Sarah Hays Social Impact Award
Master of Architecture; University of Southern California

Peiju (Peipei) Wu
Arizona State University California Center Scholarship
Bachelor of Architecture; California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Tessa Wiley
Monti Family Scholarship
Master of Landscape Architecture; California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Adriana Herrera
Sarah Hays Community College Award
Associate in Science for Architecture; West Valley College

Daniela Velazco
Helms Bakery Architecture + Design Scholarship
Master of Landscape Architecture and Master of Heritage Conservation Dual Degree;
University of Southern California

Raneem Awad
KFA Architecture Award
Bachelor of Architecture; California Polytechnic State University,Pomona

Aryana Leland
Peggy Bowman Scholarship
Bachelor of Architecture; California Polytechnic State University, Pomona

2022 Scholarship recipients

2022 Scholarship Winners, from left to right:

Karin Najarian 
2022 Inaugural Sarah Hayes Social Impact Award
Bachelor of Architecture, Woodbury University School of Architecture, 2023

Maya Amyx 
2022 Centennial Award
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, California Polytechnic, San Luis Obispo, 2024

Nehali Doshi
AWAF 25th Anniversary Award (2022)
Master of Landscape Architecture + Urbanis, University of Southern California, 2022

Adeline Leung
2022 Peggy Bowman Scholarship
Bachelor of Architecture, University of California at Berkeley, 2022 

Tathya Abe
2022 KFA Architecture Award
Master of Architecture, University of California at Berkeley, 2022

Nevi Gruskin
2022 Helms Bakery Architecture + Design Scholarship
Bachelor of Fine Arts, CSU Long Beach, 2023

2021 Scholarship recipients

2021 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:

Lauren Ashley
2021 Peggy Bowman Scholarship Recipient
University of Michigan Ann Arbor
Master of Urban and Regional Planning; Juris Doctor

Khor-Mei Han
2021 Helms Bakery Architecture + Design Scholarship
California State University, Long Beach; Interior Architecture

Ashley Morales
2021 Social Impact Award, sponsored by KFA
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; Architecture

Adrian Tenney
2020 Peggy Bowman Scholarship Recipient
Cal Poly Pomona, Landscape Architecture

Farshchiha Paniz
2020 KFA Architecture Scholarship Recipient
University of Southern California, Architecture

katarina Richter Lunn
2020 Helms Bakery Architecture + Design Scholarship
Harvard University; Masters of Design-Technology

Linepei Cheng
2020 Honorable Mention Design Award
University of Southern California,; Landscape Architecture

Monique Barajas
2020 Honorable Mention Social Impact Award
California State University, Northridge; Urban Studies and Planning

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