CHICAGO, IL.- Students excelling in architecture, design, art, and math were awarded prizes in the 2009 Chicago Architecture Foundation’s Newhouse Competition today. The winners were chosen from hundreds of entries from Chicago Public School students.

The display of student projects is at CAF, 9 am to 5 pm, 224 S. Michigan Ave. through May 19th, and makes a great, free, field trip for families and budding architects.

New this year: projects that required students to create designs relevant to issues they may see every day in their communities, including:

• Residence for homeless woman made of recycled shipping containers

• Cart to deliver healthy food for sale and distribution on school grounds

• Community center with recreation and education space.

120 prizes were awarded to CPS high school students, from freshman to seniors, at an award ceremony at Symphony Center. The Newhouse Competition, now in its 27th year, teaches students life skills including problem solving, conceptual thinking, decision-making, and skills necessary to work in the fields related to the built environment. Student entries, completed in art and drafting classes, include architectural rendering by hand, perspective drawing, model-making, photography and rendering using AutoCAD software.

“This is clearly where the world is headed- away from the old paradigm of technical workers to the new paradigm of problem solvers with an integrated tool set,” said Kevin Henry, Faculty, Product Design, Columbia College. “The projects in the Newhouse Competition represent the future of design education.”

Judged by members of Chicago’s architectural and philanthropic communities, winning students were awarded paid internships in architecture firms as well as a week-long apprenticeship at Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright’s School of Architecture in Spring Green, WI.

The Newhouse Competition is part of the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s year-round programming for students and teachers in grades K-12 which include student field trips and tours, professional development workshops for teachers and school-based curricula.