The Spot Experiential Scholarship, based on PGAV’s staff mascot Spot the Zebra, will challenge college students graduating between May 2012 and May 2014 to assemble the origami version of the iconic zebra and place him in an environment of their design. Students and recent graduates have neither creative limit on what type of setting they create for Spot nor in what medium they submit it – photos, videos, models, sketches, paintings, or more.
The firm’s top designers and architects will vote for the best display of creativity and design this June, and the creator behind the winning submission will be able to bring one guest to one of four PGAV-designed destinations around the United States. The firm will cover airfare, two nights in a hotel, rental car and insurance, food stipends, and of course admission to the destination. These destinations will include the recipient’s choice of an incredible aquarium, one of America’s most historic and impressive residences, a one-of-a-kind aquatic park and adventure, or the country’s newest space attraction, opening this summer.
“Resumes and portfolios have been the traditional fare in evaluating talent for decades in architecture and design fields, but they can only tell you so much,” says Ned Diestelkamp, PGAV Destinations VP and head of recruiting. “We wanted to devise a program which challenged candidates’ ability to take an existing identity and adapt it in a new, creative way in a specific time-frame, something very common in our destination design practice.”
This year’s PGAV college recruiting circuit will include the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Notre Dame School of Architecture, Washington University, the Savannah College of Art and Design, Kansas State University, and the University of Kansas. However, applicants do not need to be present at those institutions or be architecture or design students to participate – follow this link for complete instructions and scholarship rules. The winner will be announced via social media and a follow-up release later this summer.