CRP Awards and Prizes

Each spring, the Department of City and Regional Planning grants research awards to students in the various programs within the department. Award submissions are now being accepted. The deadline to submit applications is March 15, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Applications will be reviewed by a standing awards committee in the Department of City and Regional Planning, and winners will be announced in the middle of April. 

Eligibility

Undergraduate and graduate students continuing on in CRP are eligible to apply unless otherwise specified (students graduating in May or August 2025 should not apply). Students may apply for more than one award. 

Awards

John W. And Constance P. Reps Summer Research Award

This award honors the long association of Professor John Reps and his wife Constance with Cornell University's Department of City and Regional Planning. The award is conferred annually in March to help one or two graduate students in the department explore research as a career path. The student and a faculty member are to collaborate on a research project over the summer, and the hope is that this partnership will blossom into a continuing relationship. The student shall give a presentation about the project and its outcomes in the fall. CRP graduate students who are approaching the end of their first year of graduate studies are eligible. Students should not apply if they are already employed by a faculty member on a proposed research project.

For 2025, two awards of 7,000 each will be given. 

Required application materials include:

• Student:

Project description (500 to 1,000 words) 

Budget and budget justification

Current CV

• Faculty member:

Letter of nomination (Nominations can be made by any faculty member or CRP-affiliated faculty member who acts as an advisor for the project.)

Nominating materials are due by March 15, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Email all materials to Natasha Udeh (nlu4@cornell.edu).

Kermit C. Parsons and Janice I. Parsons Scholarship

The Kermit C. Parsons and Janice I. Parsons Scholarship was established in 2001 to support students in the URS, M.R.P., M.A. HPP, and real estate programs. This scholarship — one at the undergraduate and the second at the graduate level — recognizes the active role of Professor and Dean Kermit C. Parsons in working with all four groups of students. This call is for graduate student applications only. Specifically, the funds will be used for:

• Graduate students in CRP — M.A., M.R.P., and real estate students — for promising work in areas of Parsons's interests: historic preservation, physical planning, urban design, transportation, planning history, garden/green cities, campus planning, and real estate development.

For 2025, one award of $2,500 will be given to an undergraduate student, and one award of $2,500 will be given to a graduate student.

John Reps Planning Pioneer Award

The John Reps Planning Pioneer Research Fellowship honors the living legacy of John Reps, a renowned historian of urban planning and an authority on American urban iconography. A graduate, professor, and former chair of CRP, Professor Reps was designated a Planning Pioneer by the American Planning Association in 1996. This research fellowship supports students on issues related to environmental governance and planning, particularly as they relate to climate change, disaster mitigation, water management, environmental justice, land use planning, and public policy. Students in the department at the undergraduate, master's, or doctoral levels undertaking thesis, exit project, dissertation research, or other research relevant to their studies may apply. Research funds may be applied towards the cost of travel, data acquisition, software, and data analysis or support for field partners either in the U.S. or abroad.

For 2025, one award of $1,000 will be given.

Portman Family Graduate Award

The Portman Family Graduate Award was established in 1995 for planning students whose work emphasizes the physical aspects of planning. This gift was given in recognition of the contributions that Cornell, the college, and the Department of City and Regional Planning made to the Portman family and their careers and to encourage a focus on the physical and environmental aspects of planning.

For 2025, the maximum request for this award is $3,000, with awards typically given for $500 each.

Requirements for Parsons, Reps Pioneer, and Portman Family Awards:

1. A research proposal of no more than 1,000 words, with a budget and budget justification. The budget justification will not be included in the word limit.

2. The proposal should indicate the use of the funds, research motivation, research contribution, the case study, and how you will conduct the research.

3. These awards will fund research and exit project work. Students graduating in May or August 2025 should not apply. All other grants (internal and external) you have applied for or received must be noted in the budget justification, as well as funds you expect to receive from faculty supervisors or project sponsors. Students who have not previously received support from a research fund will be given priority consideration. They will not cover wages, travel, meals, and lodging related to unpaid internships. (Students must apply for a Cooperative Summer Internship Program grant for these expenses.) Also, these awards will not cover summer living expenses for students, such as rent, utilities, or meals.

4. Please include your faculty advisor's name in your proposal.

Nominating materials are due by March 15, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET. 

Application

Applications will be accepted through 11:59 p.m. ET on March 15, 2025.