International Award in memory of Claudia Trillo
Professor Claudia Trillo (1972-2023) was an architect who specialised in cities and heritage and taught sustainable design with the aim of contributing to the fight against the socio-environmental crisis. She developed innovative models, methods, and tools to support advancements in urban environments, sustainable housing, cultural capital, and local identity. She was driven to pursue an academic career in order to uphold the highest professional standards without compromising independent and critical thinking.
Overcoming numerous barriers, particularly those associated with being a working mother made her even more determined to demonstrate the value of perseverance to her family. Her inspiration was Zaha Hadid, who once said: “I’m an architect, not just a woman architect.”
The International Award The City of My Future honours the legacy of Professor Claudia Trillo, recognising her remarkable international contributions to urban design as an architect, researcher, and educator.
This call for proposals invites young professionals and researchers to reflect on the development of future cities, inspired by key themes that defined Professor Trillo’s work: the city, youth, internationalisation, creativity, sustainability, and contemporary design practice.
The award aims to promote forward-thinking, multidisciplinary approaches to urban development, encouraging entries that consider the influence of digital technologies, societal challenges, and intersectoral collaboration.
The object of this competition is to present a “vision of the city of the future” from the specific point of view of each participant. This vision can explore the themes of environmental sustainability, urban regeneration, recovery of existing cultural heritage, new technologies, circular economy, etc.
The competition aims to gather innovative contributions that do not re-propose thesis work, but solicit a collective reflection on the shape of the city of the future, the role that each young professional can play in its construction, the areas in which young people can find space for action, and the languages and tools deemed most effective according to the specific vision of the city, tools that are already in common use, experimental, perhaps still never used.
Scientific and organising committee
Maria Cerreta (University of Naples “Federico II”, IT), Victoria Cotella (University of Naples “Federico II”, IT), Giuseppe De Luca (University of Florence, IT), Gabriella Esposito De Vita (CNR, IT), Daniela Mello (Urban Planner, IT), Athena Moustaka (University of Salford, UK), Ali Parsa (University of Westminster, UK), Valeria Saiu (University of Cagliari, IT), Stefano Stanghellini (INU, IT).
Who can apply
Students, professionals, and researchers under 35 from any country and disciplines such as architecture, urban planning, engineering, sociology, economics, environmental sciences, and more.
How to apply
Stage 1:
Download the application form and paper template from this webpage and submit to green@urbit.it
Stage 2:
Selected finalists will be invited to submit a full paper
Prizes
a. Monetary Awards
- First prize (Winner): 3.000 €
- Second prize: 2.000 €
- Third prize: 1.000 €
b. Publication
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The 15 selected papers will be published in a prestigious international journal indexed in Scopus. Futher details will be announced soon.
- The top 3 awarded papers will also be published in URBANISTICA, the biannual journal of INU – Istituto Nazionale di Urbanistica.
Timeline
June 5th, 2025 – Open call for applicants
October 15th, 2025 – Applications and Long Abstracts submission deadline
November 2025 – Long Abstracts evaluation process
December 2025 – Long Abstracts selected announcement
March 15th, 2026 – Full Papers submission deadline
April 2026 – Full Papers evaluation process
May 2026 – Winners announcement
The call, the application form and paper template can be downloaded in the side column of this page.