Applications are invited for the FoAR x JoA Writing Camp 2026, co-hosted by Frontiers of Architectural Research and The Journal of Architecture, and co-organised by Southeast University and the Manchester School of Architecture (University of Manchester).

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The Writing Camp will take place from 8 to 18 September 2026 in Nanjing and Yixing, China.

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This programme offers a focused opportunity to engage with the multiple languages of architectural research. It is designed for those who are working across, or seeking to work across, different traditions of knowledge production: qualitative and quantitative approaches, design-led and analytical research, as well as differing expectations of what constitutes a publishable academic paper in distinct editorial and cultural contexts.

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Participants will work directly with editors and academic staff from both journals. The aim is not only to improve writing skills, but to develop the capacity to position research across different audiences and formats. This includes understanding how arguments are constructed, how evidence is mobilised, and how research travels between institutional, disciplinary, and geographical settings.

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The Writing Camp is aligned with The Journal of Architecture’s This IS Architecture initiative and reflects an ongoing commitment to expanding what counts as architectural knowledge. Participants are encouraged to engage critically with the scope and limits of the discipline, and to consider how architectural research can respond to contemporary socio-ecological challenges in ways that are both rigorous and responsible.

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At the same time, the programme offers a rare opportunity to engage directly with the Chinese academic and institutional context. This includes exposure to different research cultures, publication practices, and approaches to architectural inquiry, which the Writing Camp positions as mutually informative, enabling participants to develop a more situated and reflexive approach to their own work.

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Over ten days, participants will work in small, mixed groups, developing their research from an initial proposal to a structured draft paper. The programme combines lectures on academic publishing with group discussions, intensive writing sessions and feedback from peers and instructors.

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Eligibility

The Writing Camp is open to PhD candidates and early-career researchers (up to six years post-PhD) based at universities in the UK and China. To apply through The Journal of Architecture, you have to be based at a UK institution.

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Application requirements

Applicants are required to submit:

• A short covering letter (up to 200 words)

• An extended outline (up to 1,500 words) of the proposed paper

• Up to five images supporting the proposal

• A short academic CV (up to 3 A4 pages)

 

All materials should be submitted as a single PDF.

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Timeline​

Application deadline: 31 May 2026

Notification of decisions: by the end of June 2026

Writing Camp: 8 to 18 September 2026

Post-selection requirement: submission of a 3,000-word draft paper by 31 July 2026.

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What this offers

The Writing Camp provides:

• direct engagement with editors from two leading international journals

• insight into different academic writing conventions and publication expectations

• experience of working across cultural and institutional contexts

• structured support in developing a paper towards publication​

 

Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how to navigate and contribute to international architectural research, and with a draft paper that can be further developed for submission to FoAR or JoA.

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Participant expenses in China (including travel, accommodation and subsistence) will be covered.

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Submission and enquiries

Please submit your application to thejournalofarchitecture[at]gmail.com by 5 June 2026. For informal inquiries, please contact The Journal of Architecture Editor-in-Chief, deljana.iossifova[at]outlook.com.