Winner's Obligation

Historically, once in Europe, the winner worked under circumstances similar to those then in force at the French Academy in Rome, where the holder of the Grand Prix was expected periodically to study, measure, delineate, meticulously to “render,” and later to submit selected examples of classic architecture. Indeed the obligations of the winners of the Grand Prix de Rome had set precedent for the obligations of the winners of the Rotch Scholarship.

Today's Rotch Scholar is obligated to keep a journal documenting their travels in drawings and text, which is periodically sent to the Rotch secretary for distribution. All journal entries are also kept on permanent file for the general public at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In the future, the Rotch committee hopes to make some of this information accessible from the web site.

Further, $3,500 is withheld from the award until the Rotch scholar completes a compilation of their travel research and delivers it to the Rotch trustees after the end of their travel period.

In recent years winners have often undertaken travel itineraries expanding from Europe to the Far East, Southeast Asia and Japan. The Rotch scholar must travel for a minimum of 8 months and begin their travel within the calendar year of receiving the award. The study topic and itinerary are at the discretion of the scholar. A formal proposal is presented to the Rotch committee for comment prior to travel.

Note to the reader: For a fuller history and description of the Scholarship, the reader is referred to “A History of the Rotch Travelling Scholarship 1883 to 1938” by Clarence H. Blackall, and to “The Rotch Travelling Scholarship” by William Graves Perry, from which works these notes have been assembled.