Planet Vectorworks

Long nights, early mornings — it’s tough being a student sometimes. On top of the large workload, you have to think about the cost of tuition, materials, and all the other odds and ends that accompany college life. That’s why we want the hard work you put into your projects to be worth more than just a good grade, so we’re launching the third annual Vectorworks Design Scholarship. Now your all-nighters can score you up to $10,000 USD, a major resume booster, and free publicity that will get you noticed by potential employers.

We’ve recognized over 30 of the world’s most outstanding design students over the past two years with Vectorworks Design Scholarships. So to supplement this ongoing program and further our commitment to tomorrow’s visionaries, we’re sponsoring the 2016 Young Talent Architecture Award (YTAA). This inaugural prize supports graduating architects, urban planners, and landscape architects in Europe, helping them to transform the world and create remarkable experiences with their designs.

While many of us were gearing up for the New Year, Germany and Austria experienced a tour like no other – if design is your thing, that is. Our Vectorworks distributor, ComputerWorks GmbH, tackled 20 cities with its "Inside Vectorworks 2016" tour, attracting nearly 1,500 attendees and seizing every chance to share our latest software release through group demos, one-on-one sessions, and workshops that touched upon everything from collaborative workflows and 3D planning in landscape architecture to Spotlight training by one of the program's biggest worldwide users PRG, as well as interesting case studies, and quick tips for architectural design success.

It’s been a monumental year for the design industry, beginning with female architects like Denise Scott Brown receiving the American Institute of Architects' top award, the Gold Medal, along with her husband and partner Robert Venturi. We also witnessed a global commitment toward building a more sustainable world with the European Commission's 2020 Energy Strategy. Then we saw the fulfillment of the "Back to the Future" movie franchise’s prediction that hoverboards would be real.

Earlier this year, student Benno Schmitz of the Beuth University of Applied Sciences Berlin received an assignment with one overarching instruction: merge culture and nature into one structure. Working with his professors over the course of a semester, Schmitz took this mission to heart, designing a building that tied the landscape surrounding Bonn, Germany, which is close to where he grew up, into the city’s urban fabric. After months of work, Schmitz believed his vision for The Museum of Contemporary Arts in Bonn could be worth more than a grade, so he submitted his creation to the Vectorworks Design Scholarship. An esteemed panel of global judges agreed, selecting Schmitz's work as the best among over 2,000 entries submitted to the program and honoring him with its $10,000 grand prize and Richard Diehl Award.

The results are in! After an international panel of design professionals and academics reviewed the over 2,000 submissions to this year’s Vectorworks Design Scholarship, the winning projects have been selected. Benno Schmitz from the Beuth University of Applied Sciences Berlin received the Richard Diehl Award, the scholarship program’s $10,000 grand prize, for his design for The Museum of Contemporary Arts in Bonn.

If the thought of Building Information Modeling (BIM) is keeping you up at night, you don’t have to worry. You’ve already taken the first step toward implementing a BIM workflow by using design software. The second step is attending BIM Camp, a seminar we're offering in cities across the United States over the next few months.

Know a student who'd like to attend a major tradeshow? Through our Conference Pass Giveaway program, three lucky students can win a free registration and hotel stay, as well as have the opportunity to build their resume, network like a pro, and have some fun with us at one of these major industry events:

Want to win $10,000? The deadline for the Vectorworks Design Scholarship is less than a month away. As you finalize your application, get some advice on crafting the perfect project from two of the program’s judges: Michael Klaers, lighting designer and founder of California-based design firm The Small Group, and David Chadwick, editor of CAD User Magazine, a trusted news source for the AEC industry in the United Kingdom.

By Diego Bermudez, Winner of the 2014 Vectorworks Design Scholarship and Richard Diehl Award

Are you a student looking for some financial assistance? Or do you work with students whose designs deserve recognition? The second annual Vectorworks Design Scholarship program is here to help!