AIANY Design Awards

December 10, 5:00 pm
Early submission deadline

December 17, 5:00 pm
Extended submission deadline

January 10, 6:00 pm
Winners announced at Design Awards Jury Symposium

April 28, 11:30 am*
Honors and Awards Luncheon at Cipriani Wall Street

April 14, 6:00 pm*
Design Awards exhibition on view

*Dates and locations subject to change due to the ongoing pandemic.

Awards will be granted in four categories:

• Architecture –  Recognizes design excellence in completed buildings.
• Interiors – Recognizes design excellence in building interiors and related architectural work, as well as new and improved approaches to building components and architectural products.
• Projects – Recognizes temporary structures, conceptual work, pavilions, and research. Work in this category does not need to be intended for construction. Projects undertaken for academic credit are not eligible. Competition entries will be considered.
• Urban Design – Recognizes the most compelling work and ideas, both built and unbuilt, that confront and resolve environmental and urban challenges at a scale larger than that of an individual building.

Award levels for all categories:

• Citation – Represents exemplary achievement in a specific aspect of a project.
• Merit Award – Represents distinguished achievement.
• Honor Award – Represents the highest level of achievement.
• Best in Competition – Jurors may select one entry among Honor Award recipients across all categories to receive this unique recognition.

We strongly encourage submissions that reflect a broad and inclusive definition of design excellence. Each entry is judged for the success with which it has met its individual requirements. Projects should demonstrate exceptional skill and creativity in the resolution of formal, functional, and technical requirements. Moreover, projects should consider the broader impacts of built design, addressing issues including ecological stewardship and social responsibility.

Submissions may be exemplary in the following areas (including, but not limited to):

• Best of Typology, demonstrating outstanding achievement in building type (i.e. education, affordable housing, justice, healthcare, community facility, historic preservation, corporate interiors, high-rise, commercial retail, etc.)
• Technical Advancement, including engineering achievements (i.e. structural, mechanical, transportation, computational, etc.), as well as innovative use of materials and approach to urban systems.
• Innovation and Research, including projects investigating design advocacy, cross-disciplinary research, and public service, as well as pilot projects and theoretical propositions.
• Preservation/Restoration, including the demonstration of exemplary skill, sensitivity, and thoroughness in preservation, restoration, or adaptive reuse and/or the sensitive reinforcement of successful historical development patterns.
• Sustainability, including the demonstration of excellence in ecological stewardship, such as reduced environmental impact and energy consumption, as well as attention to quality-of-life issues, resiliency, and community engagement in the urban environment.

Category Eligibility

• Architecture – Registered architects only.
• Interiors – Registered architects only.
• Projects – Registered architects, Associate and International Associate AIA members, as well as AIANY Allied Professional, Corporate, and Corresponding members.
• Urban Design – Registered architects, Associate and International Associate AIA members, as well as AIANY Allied Professional, Corporate, and Corresponding members.

Who is eligible?

• AIA New York members who are registered architects are eligible regardless of project location or architect’s residence.
• Registered architects practicing in New York City are eligible regardless of the project’s location.
• Work located in New York City designed by any registered architect is eligible regardless of the architect’s residence, location of primary office or membership status.
• AIA members who are affiliated with local chapters outside of New York City can become AIA New York members by joining as Corresponding members. Visit our membership page for more information.
• Associate, International Associate, Allied Professional, and Corporate AIA New York members may submit projects in the Urban Design and Projects categories only.

What projects are eligible?

• Architecture and Interiors projects must have been completed after January 1, 2017. All completed New York State-based projects must credit the New York State licensed architect of record.
• Urban Design and Projects submissions must have been initiated after January 1, 2017.
• Prior winning projects in any category may not be resubmitted.

Registration and Submission
The Design Awards submissions process is completely digital. Any references to architects and designers (except for original architect in the case of preservation work) on any images, plans, narratives, file names, or supplemental materials will disqualify a submission.

$200 AIA New York registered Architect members
$200 AIA New York Corporate, Corresponding, and Allied Professional members
$100 Associate AIA and International Associate AIA members
$500 other registered architects

The architect or firm of record, associate architects, project team, consultants, clients, and general contractor must be credited. Client names will be withheld from publication upon request.

For restoration, renovation, and adaptive reuse of existing buildings, the original architect must be identified.

Submissions done as an employee or consultant must include a release from a principal of the firm acknowledging that the submitting architect had primary design responsibility and that the credits are correct.

AIA New York will publicly announce the winners of the Design Awards at the January 10 Jury Symposium. All winners will be recognized for their achievements at the Honors and Awards Luncheon on April 28 at Cipriani Wall Street. Winning projects will be presented at a Design Awards exhibition at the Center for Architecture and will be published in a special spring awards issue of Oculus magazine.

Award recipients shall be notified regarding exhibition materials following the announcement of the winners at the Jury Symposium on January 10. The 2022 Design Awards exhibition will open on April 28 and will remain on view through early summer.

Q: I would like to submit a project that is in Boston, MA. The project architect is registered as an architect in New York State, is a member of AIA Pennsylvania, and is located in our Philadelphia office. Would this project be eligible for submission to the AIA New York awards program?

A: This project can only be eligible if the registered architect becomes a Corresponding Member of AIA New York. Contact Joseph Corbin at jcorbin@aiany.org with any additional questions about joining.

Q: Our building won as an unbuilt work in the Projects category in the 2013 cycle of Design Awards. Can we submit this as a completed project for another category in the 2022 Design Awards?

A: No. Prior winning projects in any category may not be resubmitted.

Q: My project was built in Singapore. I am a registered architect with an office in New York City. May I submit my project for the 2022 Design Awards? I am not a member of AIA.

A: Yes. You may submit under the $500 “Registered Architects” fee.

Q: Does the AIANY Design Awards accept unbuilt projects?

A: Yes. These projects are eligible for the Urban Design and Projects categories only.

Q: Our projects are all built in Upstate New York. Our registered architect is a member of AIA New York State. Can we submit our projects?

A: You may submit only if the Registered Architect becomes a Corresponding Member of AIA New York. Contact Joseph Corbin at jcorbin@aiany.org with any additional questions about joining.

Q: I am an Associate Member. Can I submit work for the Architecture or Interiors categories?

A: You may ask the registered architect who signed off on the project to submit the project and include you/your firm as collaborators. If the RA is not an AIA New York member, the registration fee will be $500; if they are an AIA New York member, the feel will be $200.

Q: Are we allowed more than one image per page in the Submission Upload, or only one image per page with a max of 16 pages?

A: You may have multiple images per page, but individual images smaller than one-quarter of a page are not recommended.

Q: Do I have to include the Common App in my Submission Upload even if it’s theoretical and in the Projects category?  

A: Yes, all Submission Uploads must include the Common App attached at the back of the 16 page max submission. Questions in the Common App that do not pertain to your submission should be left blank.

Q: What should be written in the “Specific Use of Project” section?

A: . The “Specific Use of Project” section allows you to expand further if there are specific aspects that you would like to highlight, especially if the project includes sustainable or energy reducing features that may have a more technical aspect.