The Davidson Prize

This year we saw almost 50 teams submit ideas that responded to the theme ‘Somewhere to Call Home’. This first round of judging took place on Monday 20 March and, in what was another year of high-quality, engaging submissions, our judges had the very challenging task of choosing a 16-strong longlist to be considered for the next round of judging.

Responding to the theme, the chosen projects represent an exciting range of new ideas for mitigating the impact of homelessness.

Multidisciplinary teams were asked to imagine new kinds of home communities where people who have experienced the trauma of homelessness and housing insecurity are given the time and compassion to settle, recover and find their bearings.

While some longlisted projects look in depth at the needs of specific target demographics including survivors of domestic abuse, neurodiverse user groups or people seeking asylum, others advocate mixed and diverse communities or for design codes and regulation. Imaginative ways of integrating compassionate shelter with support systems, healthcare and existing communities are a common feature of the proposals.

Focusing on locations including Newport in Wales, Belfast in Northern Ireland, the Midlands, Liverpool, Dorset and Newham in London, the cross-disciplinary teams unite the skills and experience of architects and designers with those of academics, policymakers and researchers, charities and social enterprises, campaign groups and activists, artists, poets and filmmakers, and people delivering on the frontline of health, social care and education across the UK.

Evident across all of the entries to the 2023 Davidson Prize is an unwavering determination to find better, more caring and more humane solutions for the 271,000 people officially recorded as homeless in England today, as well as many more people experiencing homelessness across the UK.

Checkout the full longlist here.

Chair of the The 2023 Davidson Prize jury, Sadie Morgan said: “The quality of the shortlisted schemes is testament to the high bar set by all submissions this year. The diversity of themes, depth of research and innovative ideas made deciding a shortlist extremely difficult. Congratulations to those who made it through.”

Marie Chamillard, Director of the Alan Davidson Foundation, said: “The sense of commitment and care that came across through all entries to this year’s Prize was overwhelming. Alan would have been very moved. This year’s judges had to make some very difficult decisions to select a longlist of just 16 from the 47 entries. As we move on to the next stage of the competition, I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank everyone who entered the 2023 Davidson Prize.”