2024 Helix Prize

Each fall, the UMKC Department of Architecture, Urban Planning & Design partners with Helix to present the Helix Prize, a design competition and scholarship for UMKC students. This annual award honors the memory of Bud Persons, a Senior Interior Architect at Helix who unexpectedly passed away in 2002. The scholarship honors his life and work while encouraging the exploration of architecture and design.

This year, second-year students were challenged to design a music hall for the Westport area of Kansas City. While developing their concepts, students explored elements that make a building identifiable and considered the varying scales along different edges of their proposed site.

The jury awarded first place to Samantha Beltran (left), with Angelina Guzman (right) earning second place. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Helix Prize, previous award recipients served as judges, alongside Helix Project Architect Chris Gleason.

Congratulations to all the UMKC students for their dedication and hard work, and for carrying on Bud Persons’ legacy through design.