The Margolese Design for Living Prize recognizes a Canadian designer in early to mid-career whose work and advocacy in the built environment addresses the pressing human and environmental challenges of our time and improves peoples’ lives and communities.
The Prize is awarded by the University of British Columbia School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA) whose commitment is to educate the next generation of architects, landscape architects and urban designers to become creative leaders, advocates, effective collaborators and progressive agents of change through design.
The winners of the prize exemplify this commitment.
You are welcome to nominate yourself or someone else, however we recommend connecting with the nominee to complete the nomination package. Nominations will be accepted until May 31, 2026.
Eligibility
Candidates for the prize are Canadian citizens and early to mid-career practitioners whose design work demonstrates wide environmental and social impact across a diversity of design disciplines and geographies.
For example, a candidate’s design work may have impact at any scale in any of the following areas:
- Affordable housing and social infrastructure
- Community design and public space
- Ecological design and biodiversity
- Climate change and resilience
- Human health and well-being
- Food security and water quality
- Social equity, diversity and environmental & social justice
- Mobility and transportation
- Disaster and pandemic relief
- Universal design and accessibility
Selection Process
Following the nomination period, a shortlist of candidates will be selected by a steering committee. These shortlisted candidates or their nominators will be notified and invited to submit additional supporting information via the Margolese Prize website for consideration by a selection committee.
Supporting materials will be due in June with selection committee deliberations to follow. The successful candidate will be announced publicly in September. An award ceremony and related events will be held in fall 2026. The format of this event will be dependent on the nature of the prize winner.
For more information, see our Terms & Conditions.