“OH THINK TWICE, ‘CAUSE ITS ANOTHER DAY FOR YOU AND ME…IN PARADISE”- PHIL COLLINS in this heartfelt song beautifies the agonies of homeless and the lack of compassion in the rest. The essence of humanity lies in the ability to communicate feelings and the desire to work to reach the zenith of one’s potential. Knowingly or unknowingly, we have been pursuing the latter with a lot more enthusiasm and have left out on the former. We might achieve our goals doing as we have done for long, but our existence is incomplete without ‘feelings’.
If we could just start to feel again…
In a humble attempt to revive The Feeling, a modest motivation by the name of ‘Sparsha’ is being proposed. In doing so, we hope to bring together the community to feel the frustrations of the underprivileged, homeless, roadside dwellers and help improve their existence.
’Sparsha’- the Sanskrit word for the act of ‘a touch’ is an outreach to the community to tie up with the future architects of the nation in bringing smiles to the hardened face of the homeless Indian.
This competition will be organized by students of S.M.V.D.U with infrastructural support from the university authorities.

In this process ‘Sparsha’ rekindles the social and moral responsibilities of the vivacious youth of the country reinstating the feeling of belongingness and spontaneity- the truly human qualities fading away in humans today.
“OH THINK TWICE, ‘CAUSE IT’S ANOTHER DAY…FOR YOU AND ME IN PARADISE.”
Memories like these are hard to come by and are once-in-a-lifetime so to say.

The Berkeley Undergraduate Prize for Design Excellence endowment was established in the Department of Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley to promote architecture as a social art through research, writing, and criticism: traditionally under-represented aspects of the architecture curriculum. Each year, the Prize Committee selects a topic important to the understanding of the interaction of people and the built world that becomes the focus of the Essay Competition. This year the topic is: Competing to Serve.

The Committee poses a Question on their website related to the topic. Students enrolled in any undergraduate architecture program throughout the world are invited to submit a 500-word essay proposal responding to the Question. Undergraduate architecture students may team up with undergraduates from Allied Arts and Social Sciences programs.

From the pool of essay proposals received, approximately 25 are selected by the Prize Committee as particularly promising. The 25 selected individual students, or student teams, become Semifinalists

These Semifinalists are invited to submit a 2,500-word essay expanding on their proposals. A group of readers, composed of Committee members and invited colleagues, selects five-to-eight of the best essays and sends these Finalist essays to a jury of international academics and architects to select the winners.

To celebrate the Tenth anniversary of THE BERKELEY PRIZE, this year Berkeley is sponsoring a third competition: The BERKELEY PRIZE Social Art of Architecture Design Competition. As an added incentive, not only were the top Semi Finalists invited to compete for the 2008 BERKELEY PRIZE Travel Fellowship , but, also the 2008 BERKELY PRIZE Architectural Design Fellowshop wherein,, one school represented by one of the Semi Finalists will be offered the opportunity to actually hold the proposed competition.

We, the student were to decide what the Competition shall be and how it might be implemented. The BERKELEY PRIZE Endowment gives the chosen school additional prize money to encourage students to compete in the selected Social Art of Architecture Design Competition. Details for the Design Competition were announced in the Spring, 2008( in the month of April).

Architectural history, theory and practice are rich with ideas and actual buildings that exemplify the importance of architecture as a social art. In addressing the Question posed by the BERKELEY PRIZE 2008 Essay Competition, we considered this legacy and its relevance to us as future architects.

This year’s prize essay competition question:

COMPETING TO SERVE

This year's Essay Competition not only poses a QUESTION, but is also an invitation for you to think about -- and perhaps have the opportunity to test -- the use of architectural competitions to foster the study and implementation of the social art of architecture.

QUESTION

Make a proposal for a Social Art of Architecture Design Competition for undergraduate students in your school and potentially, other undergraduate academic disciplines. As a general goal, this Design Competition will ask students to address the most important social issue in your country that should be addressed by architects. Tell us what you believe this social issue is and why. Then, tell us how exactly your design competition will help address this issue.

Stage 2:

2008 BERKELEY PRIZE Essay Competition Semifinalists identified a particular social issue that was seen as vital to the student. In their Essay, the Semifinalist suggested an idea for a design competition in their own school that would help foster a better understanding of the problem and, perhaps, offer some solutions. Based on the original essay and the answers to the following points, the BERKELEY PRIZE Committee identified the proposed competition that the Committee felt is most likely to be held and to succeed.

Groundrules:

1) The competition must address the social issue identified in the author’s BERKELEY PRIZE essay.

2) Integral to the competition is the notion that the winning design could be potentially built and/or assembled.

3) The competition must be organized and completed in calendar year 2008.

4) Only full-time undergraduate students of architecture, or teams of students with at least one architecture student member, may participate in the competition.

Submission requirements:

A 1250-word written Proposal giving specific details about the following items (these are “guiding questions” and should not be answered as a questionnaire)

(a) What is the title of the competition?

(b) Is the competition an essay, a sketch or design problem, a combination of the two, or something entirely different?

(c) How many hours/days/weeks will students have to complete the competition?

(d) Will students work alone or in teams? Explain your decision.

(e) How would you publicize the competition?

(f) Whom would you invite to serve on the Jury? At least two members of the Jury must be on the Faculty of your school. Provide names, titles and e-mail addresses for each proposed jury member.

(g) What should be the criteria for evaluating the entries?

(h) If the competition is a design problem, specify the size and number of any required drawings and/or models.

(i) What is the schedule for the competition?

(j) How would you interest the local community, including design professionals, in your competition?

(k) How would you distribute the prize money?

(l) How would you document the competition for the BERKELEY PRIZE web site?

(m) What else can you tell us about implementing your competition?

THE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN FELLOWSHIP
”As a Semifinalist you have identified a particular social issue that is vital to you and those around you. You have also suggested an idea for a design competition that will help foster a better understanding of the problem and, perhaps, offer some solutions. Based on your original essay and the answers to the following points, the BERKELEY PRIZE Committee will identify the proposed competition that the Committee feels is most likely to be held and to succeed.
Here are the ground rules:
1) Your competition must address the social issue you identified in your BERKELEY PRIZE essay.
2) Integral to the competition is the notion that the winning design could be potentially built and/or assembled.
3) Your competition must be organized and completed in calendar year 2008.
4) Only full-time undergraduate students of architecture, or teams of students with at least one architecture student member, may participate in the competition.

Submission requirements:
1) A 1250-word written Proposal giving specific details about the following items (these are “guiding questions” and should not be answered as a questionnaire)
(a) What is the title of the competition? (b) Is the competition an essay, a sketch or design problem, a combination of the two, or something entirely different? (c) How many hours/days/weeks will students have to complete the competition? (d) Will students work alone or in teams? Explain your decision. (e) How would you publicize the competition? (f) Whom would you invite to serve on the Jury? At least two members of the Jury must be on the Faculty of your school. Provide names, titles and e-mail addresses for each proposed jury member. (g) What should be the criteria for evaluating the entries? (h) If the competition is a design problem, specify the size and number of any required drawings and/or models. (i) What is the schedule for the competition? (j) How would you interest the local community, including design professionals, in your competition? (k) How would you distribute the prize money (see, Awards, below)? (l) How would you document the competition for the BERKELEY PRIZE web site? (m) What else can you tell us about implementing your competition?
2) Two letters:
(a) One from the faculty member at your school who endorses your competition and who would serve as the Faculty advisor. Your proposal should include the name(s) of that person(s), their title and their e-mail address. (b) One letter from an appropriate official at your school endorsing the competition on behalf of the school.
Awards:
1) The BERKELEY PRIZE will award the student whose competition proposal is selected an honorarium of 2500USD.
2) The BERKELEY PRIZE will provide 3500USD in prize money for the winners of the selected competition, to be distributed directly to the student winners in the amounts determined by the competition rules. (Funds will be dispensed upon receiving from the winning designer(s) a digital portfolio and a 1,000-word report on how the winning design is to be viewed.)” –Berkeley prize competition official website.

Architectural Design fellowship 2008 has been awarded to us..Anusha Narayanan And Avikal Somvanshi,S.M.V.D.U.

please see UPDATES for more clarity regarding the contest itself...wherein the tentative as well as the final rules are stated.

the poster design contest is a totally different contest and has no relation with the on going "Sparsha"-shelter design contest. the shelter design contest is going ahead as it was announced,
i.e.- 7th july is the end of registration
and 14th july end of entries,
as mentioned in the brief.
poster design contest is a fun activity open to everybody.
sorry for causing any misunderstanding if any.

Friends, Fellows, Country men... we call unto all to take part in this insane celebration of innovation & genius.
Immerse in Sparsha's Poster Mania, a prelude to Sparsha:The Design Contest and let your creation speak of your passion for a cause: Humanity.
(the winning poster shall be awarded a prize money and be declared the official poster for the Sparsha: the design contest nationally.)

“ SPARSHA"
Poster Design Contest

Prelude
The Shelter for Homeless Design Contest

Life seldom offers opportunities to make a difference to the world around us. And it takes meteoric courage not to turn a blind eye to it. We did our part, now we ask you to join us. Help evoke the feeling, awareness of the social inequality in our country, and bring a smile back to the hardened face of HOMELESS Indian.

"Sparsha" calls you to be a part of this movement and make your voice heard. We announce a Poster Design Contest, where we ask India to design a poster for the noble endeavor of "Sparsha".

Theme – "Sparsha"- A Shelter for Homeless in Junkyard
(Read about Sparsha on the site: www.sparsha2008.com and understand the theme better.)

Compulsory Text – ' "Sparsha"- a touch of assurance A Shelter for Homeless Host- S.M.V.D.U. '

We leave the rest to your imagination and creativity…
Poster will be judged on the basis of its appeal and relevance to the theme.

Purse – Winner- 1000 INR
Last Date For Entries - 1st July, 2008
Send us your poster at sparshathecontest@gmail.com
(The poster should be in digital format easy for upload on the internet. Include information about your name, institute of study, course of study, city, and an alternative email id separately in the e-mail. )
All rights to the contest are reserved with organizers. All posters shall be properties of S.M.V.D.U