Recognizing Excellence in North Carolina Modernist Residential Design

Sponsored in 2024 by

The George Matsumoto Prize is North Carolina's highest honor exclusively for Modernist residential architecture. NCModernist created the Matsumoto Prize in 2012 honor of George Matsumoto, one of the founding faculty members of North Carolina State University's College of Design. Matsumoto created some of North Carolina's most well-known and well-loved Modernist houses.The Matsumoto Prize encourages architects, designers, and prospective clients to continue the Modernist movement in houses so important to North Carolina's design heritage. The Prize meaningfully and powerfully engages the public with the architecture they love and showcases exceptional Modernist architects and designers in North Carolina.

The jury awarded first place to Brooks + Scarpa’s Steeplechase in Hillsborough (with Raleigh’s Katherine Hogan Architects). Second place went to a Point Office home in the mountains known as Brevard House. And third place went to Studio Becker Xu’s Dogtrot House in Hillsborough.

The People’s Choice award for first place went to Studio Becker Xu’s Dogtrot House. Second place went to the Bridge House in Chapel Hill by Sophie Piesse of Carrboro. And third place went to Hylton-Daniel Design & Construction’s Modernist 3 Residence in Durham

Jurors were Shannon Battison, WG Clark, Melissa DelVecchio, Stewart Hicks, Blair Kamin, and Katie Swenson. 

Past jurors include Mina Chow, Steven Ehrlich, Fred Bernstein, Myron Goldfinger, Angie Brooks, Inga Saffron, Gisue Hariri, Myron Goldfinger, Danita Brown, Marianne McKenna, Bob Ivy, Max Strang, Cathleen McGuigan, Marica McKeel, Jim Jennings, Michela Abrams, Martin Voelkel, Hilary Lewis, Barry Bergdoll, Takashi Yanai, Toshiko Mori, Alan Hess, Stella Betts, Harry Wolf, Paul Goldberger, Annabelle Selldorf, Jane Frederick, Tom Phifer, Edward Lalonde, Kristen Ring Murray, Michelle Addington, Deborah Berke, Alexandra Lange, Carl Abbott, Ron Radziner, Tom Kundig, Frank Harmon, Robert Miller, Jeanne Gang, Eric Gartner, Joshua Prince-Ramus, Alison Brooks, Nathan Crowley, Marlon Blackwell, Larry Scarpa, David Jameson, Harry Bates, Helena Arahuete, Maryann Thompson, Brion Jeannette, Peter Gluck, Bev Thorne, and Ray Kappe.

2024 George Matsumoto Prize Rules, Terms, and Conditions

1. The Prize is open to anyone with primary design responsibility for a completely built, from-the-ground-up, single-family Modernist house of at least 800 heated sf with a CO on or after January 1, 2019. The house must be in North Carolina; the designer/architect can be from anywhere. Renovations, additions, multi-family, or any house that won a past Matsumoto Prize Jury or People's Choice award are ineligible. Past submissions that did not win either Jury or People's Choice awards may be resubmitted.  Owners and builders may submit as well as architects.

2. There are no educational or licensure requirements for submission. Your design stands for itself. You may submit more than one house but you cannot win more than one prize per category. If you have a disagreement with another person or firm concerning credit for a house design, get it worked out or consider submitting jointly.

3. Jury Awards:  First, second, and third. None of the Jury or their firms or employees may submit. There will only be one Jury Prize awarded per firm/designer/architect.

4. There are three People's Choice awards selected by the public through online voting, limited to one vote per e-mail address. Addresses that are or appear to be machine-generated or fraudulent will not be counted. However, if people want to vote more than once, say from a home email and a work email, that's fine. NCModernist's decisions on vote eligibility are final. Vote counts will not be released; only the recipients of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.

5. Contacting any of the named Jury is strictly prohibited; however, submitters are actively encouraged to publicize their participation in the Matsumoto Prize through email and social media, including asking friends, family, clients, prospects, and the public to vote.

6. NCModernist reserves the exclusive right to accept, edit, or reject any information, image, video, or other submission component for accuracy, appropriateness, style, size, or length; or for compliance with these rules, terms and conditions. If a submission is rejected, payment will be refunded.

7.  By paying the entry fee, you agree to all the terms and conditions on this page; you have secured permission from the homeowners to submit their house; and you agree that descriptions, information, images, and video may appear at NCModernist's website, social media, and any promotional materials regarding the Matsumoto Prize.

2024 Matsumoto Prize Submission Requirements

Submissions are due by 5pm ET Monday, April 29, 2024.

a. Submit a non-refundable entry fee of $145 per house via PayPal to george@usmodernist.org or mail payment to NCModernist, 5409 Pelham Road, Durham NC 27713.

b. Submit the required project information here.  This will include project information, photos, architect/designer info, builder info, and a 2-minute video.  Submissions without a video will not be considered.  Don't freak out about this; simple is better; filming with a cell phone or tablet is fine. People just want to hear your design journey with the house and the client.  

The 2024 George Matsumoto Prize Awards were held at Leland Little Auctions in Hillsborough NC, Wednesday, July 24.