Architecture students worldwide have been invited to apply for the 2017 MAD Travel Fellowship.

Initiated by Ma Yansong, founding principal partner of MAD Architects in 2009, the MAD Travel Fellowship sponsors undergraduate and graduate architecture students for overseas travel.

A key objective of the program is to help students gain a deeper insight into architecture through the visceral experience of interacting with different spaces and, inevitably, being influenced by them. 

Since the start of the program, 35 students from univisities across mainlad China have journeyed to Africa, Asia, Europe and North America as part of the fellowship.

This year, the international component of the MAD Travel Fellowship has been extended to include five more places for global students wishing to visit China. 

Details of the MAD Travel Fellowship

Recipients: 5 global architecture students (Travel in China), and 5 Chinese-nationality architecture students (Worldwide Travel)

Applications should be submitted by 14 May 2017. The recipients will be announced on 22 May 2017.

The recipients will be personally selected by Ma Yansong.

Ma Yansong

Recognised as an important voice in the new generation of architects, Beijing-born Ma Yansong leads design across various scales. His past work is known for its imaginative bent, and Yansong's selection as the principal designer for Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Chicago made him the first Chinese architect to design an overseas cultural landmark. Yansong has been honoured by the industry and his peers on several platforms.

In 2006, Yansong was awarded the Young Architects Award by the Architectural League of New York. In 2008, he was selected as one of the 20 Most Influential Young Architects by ICON magazine. Other accolades include being named one of the 10 Most Creative People in Architecture by Fast Company in 2009 and one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business in 2014; given a RIBA fellowship in 2010; and awarded Young Global Leaders (YGL) by World Economic Forum in 2014.