Awards FAQ

All awards deadlines are strictly observed, and an extension will not be granted. Please note that all awards applications are due on the day that is listed by 5:00pm ET. Requests for support regarding program criteria and/or technical assistance received at or after the application deadline will not be considered as grounds for deadline extensions. 

Most AIA awards require the applicant to be an AIA member in good standing (i.e., current on membership dues) at the time of application. Please refer to the criteria of the specific award program you are interested in for information on any AIA membership requirement(s) to apply.   

Most AIA award programs require that the applicant and/or lead project designer must be a U.S.-licensed architect. Please refer to the criteria of the specific award program you are interested in for information on licensure requirement(s) to apply. 

Anyone meeting the program-specific eligibility criteria can apply to AIA awards. People-based AIA award programs (e.g., Fellowship, Young Architects, etc.), can require that applicants identify a nominator who acts in a sponsor role. Please refer to the specific program criteria for more information. 

The AIA national awards portfolio uses the online software program Open Water to receive all award application materials (including fee payment) and application reviews. All information must be submitted through the online software: sending materials via email, fax, phone, or mail is not permitted. 

Click here to start an application!

New for 2025! To further enhance impact and provide users a more cohesive and simplified experience, AIA has streamlined the awards application process. Use this common, consolidated application form for all project-based AIA awards (e.g., Regional & Urban Design, Small Projects, etc.).  

New for 2025! Applicants who elect to submit eligible projects to multiple AIA award programs will benefit from a new application fee structure, whereby the first application is $450 and subsequent application of the same project to additional programs costs an extra $100 per category.

Visit each respective award page for a sample application, as well as resources and guides, to help you prepare.  

Please note that components of the sample application are subject to change and should be viewed as containing the major award criteria to enable applicants to view fields prior to logging on to the awards platform. Sample applications should not be considered step-by-step guides nor an external form to replicate and upload. Applicants should access the online awards platform early and defer to information in the portal for all final criteria required to apply. 

All AIA project-based awards require completion of the AIA Framework for Design Excellence Metrics Scorecard. Detailed instructions and fields to complete are included in the online application form. Please read them carefully, complete the associated file, and upload the results to your application. Note that you will not find the instructions on the last section of the application form or on the reference pdf. 

In addition to the Framework for Design Excellence Metrics Scorecard, applications to the COTE Top Ten (10) award program must complete the COTE Super Spreadsheet. Access to the most recent downloadable template is found on the COTE award webpage. 

Applicants to AIA person-based awards do not need to address all the measures included in the Framework for Design Excellence Metrics Scorecard. However, they are highly encouraged to illustrate how their candidate(s) perform in this context and highlight relevant narratives and metrics in application materials where applicable. 

Please visit the Fellowship page for this information. If you are a first-time candidate, we recommend downloading the Fellowship 101 resource on that page.

Most AIA awards require letters of support or reference from industry experts attesting to the merits of the project, candidate, etc. All reference letters are confidential and remain so even after the selection process has ended. 

All letters are collected electronically through the online application platform: receipt of letters via email, fax, or mail is not permitted. Applicants are encouraged to request letters from intended writers through the application system early and check receipt progress within the application system often. All required letters must be received before the application deadline, late letters are not accepted: applications that fail to receive all required letters by the deadline will be disqualified. 

Please refer to the criteria of the specific award program you are interested in for information on letter of reference requirement(s) to apply. 

All reference letters should be addressed using the following format: "Jury Chair, [Award Year, Award Name]". 

Reference letters for candidates who received an AIA award are archived with the application. Unsuccessful applications reference letters are kept on file for the year of the application. 

Reference letters are confidential for the lifetime of a successful applicant or for 30 years, whichever is later. Letters for a 1975 submitter who died in 2012 would come open on his/her death, but letters for another 1975 submitter who died in 1980 would not come open until 2005. This is part of AIA’s retention schedule for records management. 

Unsuccessful application reference letters remain confidential. 

Photo collages are acceptable. Applicants are advised to consider whether the size, quantity, and placement of images on a collage are unduly difficult for jurors to view. Materials that are difficult for jurors to view and assess may contribute to lower scoring. Please note that AIA considers all non-text files as images (e.g, photographs, project plans, designs, etc.). 

Interior shots are often required, and highly recommended, in project-based programs. Please refer to the criteria of the specific award program you are interested in for information on image requirement(s) to apply.   

Nighttime shots are requested of projects that operate at night. If the project does not operate at night, then nighttime photographs are not necessary in the application. 

Applicants are required to complete and submit a Copyright Information File entry, and instructions on completing this document can be found within the online application form. Further, applicants must provide an Image Copyright Holder Release Form for all image. Please provide all executed forms in a single PDF file (e.g., one Copyright Information File PDF and one Image Copyright Holder Release Form). 

Applicants are also required to provide a completed release form enabling AIA use of submitted images and/or other material via completing and submitting an Applicant Materials Release Form. 

Yes. There’s a common misconception that if it is on the internet, it’s public domain. This is not true. Any materials captured from a website need to be included in the copyright. Please provide the necessary information for all images gained from websites on the Copyright Information File. 

Typical copyright information should be provided: Title, publisher, author, date of publication. If you are referencing a specific page or article in from the publication, please provide that information as well. 

The copyright information is for AIA records to give proper attribution to the image license holder should you be recognized with an award. 

Applications are reviewed by a panel of experts referred to as a jury. Jurors score submissions based on evaluation criteria established according to the intent of each award program. 

The format for application materials (e.g., portfolio document) can vary between award programs. Please refer to the criteria of the specific award program you are interested in for information on packet format. 

Yes, unless otherwise indicated applications must be on 8.5x11 pages, with reasonable (i.e., easily viewable, printable) margins. All other sizes will be disqualified. This requirement is to ensure standardized presentation of materials for jury review. Petitions to be exempt from this requirement will not be considered.

Portrait and landscape view using reasonable (i.e., easily viewable, printable) margins is acceptable. Spread format is not accepted. Any font used should be easily read and a minimum of 11-point size. Note that materials which are difficult for jurors to view and assess may incur lower scores as a result. Do not assume view aids (e.g., zoom function) are available for juror use.

The page limits refer to every page in the uploaded document and not to pagination. For example, if the page limit for your program is 40, any PDFs over 40 pages will be disqualified, regardless of how those pages are labeled or how many pages are over the limit (e.g., a 41-page packet and a 51-page packet are both equally disqualified). We simplified the page limit rules to make them easy to understand and to reduce opportunities for disqualification.

Organizing pages (e.g., cover pages, tables of contents, etc.) are not required and are often noted as not useful in project assessment. You may use them so long as the total document is under the page limit. 

Previously successful application samples can be requested from the AIA Archivist at archives@aia.org.

Award recipients will be contacted by AIA, usually by the email associated with the application packet. Certain person-based AIA award recipients are notified over the phone by the AIA Board of Directors President or their designee. All applicants not selected are notified of their status via email once a recipient(s) has been successfully contracted. 

Each program notification period varies based on the timeline of the award and the volume of applications received. A general estimated timeframe for award notification is from 8 to 16 weeks after the application deadline. 

Disqualification is a status whereby one or more parts of the application were not compliant with the award eligibility criteria, application formatting standards, required attachments, omitted required data, etc. All AIA award applications undergo administrative and eligibility compliance review. Applications marked as disqualified do not proceed to review and are not considered for an award. 

Universal disqualifications for all AIA Awards programs include pages larger than 8.5x11 inches, incomplete unpaid labor and Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct attestations, missing copyright and image release information, and/or attempting to contact a jury member. Please refer to the criteria of the specific award program you are interested in for additional disqualifications to be aware of. When in doubt, contact AIA awards for clarification.