This is a bi-annual essay competition open to students in accredited schools of architecture in Canada and Hong Kong. It will be available in the 2026-27 academic year. Bing Thom (1940-2016) was a Vancouver-based architect of international renown, whose cultural, educational and commercial work has benefited communities in major cities across Canada, as well as the United States, China and Spain.
Over his career, Bing Thom was honoured with many awards and accolades, notably being made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1995 and as the recipient of the RAIC Gold Medal in 2011. His career highlights are listed below)
The Bing Thom Endowment Fund was established in 2024, funded by a 2022 donation from the Bing Thom Foundation (formerly known as the Transcendence Foundation), for the purpose of awarding scholarships, called the Bing Thom Awards, to students registered in a Canadian School of Architecture, in the RAIC Syllabus program or in architecture programs at the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
The essay competition reflects Bing Thom’s personal values and his belief in the higher power of architecture. These values and beliefs were inspired by Henry Elder who, as Head of the UBC School of Architecture from 1962 – 1974., moved its focus from ‘the production of architects’ to ‘the understanding of architecture’. He firmly believed that "students should not lose sight of their real purpose in changing civilization".
Crediting Elder’s influence, Bing Thom later stated: “I feel that architecture really has the potential to transform communities… makes people realize that they’re bigger than they are, that they’re able to do more than they do.” This belief also inspires the call for proposals for the Bing Thom Award, and the subject of the essay.
Eligibility
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS - 2027
To learn more about the RAIC Foundation, go to their website: https://www.raicf.ca/en/