From the Nominator

"Evermore magazine’s feature story “Feels Like Home” showcases architect Darrick Wade. Wade credits his sister Laurie for helping him break away from the rest of his field. Born deaf and blind, she taught him to experience the world differently. Now he shares her unique gift with others by creating multi-sensory spaces and experiences through his architectural design work.  

Our goal was to give readers a visceral experience of Wade’s story. Through the use of very specific details—like various flower scents, the warmth of sunshine or the coolness of breeze and shadows, and the sounds that footsteps make on different flooring materials—we brought Wade’s architectural concept to life for readers, showing them the vision he created and the potential for what architecture could truly be.  

This story came out in the spring/summer issue of 2022. At the end of November 2022, second-generation Texas Tech architecture graduate Chris Huckabee and his family made a major donation to the university—the largest in the history of the college of architecture—to rename the college and elevate the educational experience for students. While we do not know specifically if this story had an impact on the family's decision to make the donation, we do know that both Chris and his brother Tim received this issue of Evermore and, six months later, the gift was made."

From the Judges

“Feels Like Home” was a fascinating read. Judges found the topic to be interesting, with good subject matter and nice writing. The author's use of great details and quotes made the piece engaging and judges felt that they had learned a lot. Overall, this nomination was a hit with the judges, who found it to be a great example of engaging and informative writing.