Design Awards

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SUBMISSION DATES

CALL FOR ENTRIES: 10 AUGUST 2023

SUBMITTAL UPLOAD AND PAYMENT: 26 OCTOBER 2023, 15:00 (Eastern Time)

NOTIFICATIONS OF WINNERS: ANNOUNCED AT THE AIA CANADA SOCIETY AGM DECEMBER 2023

THE 2023 AIA CANADA DESIGN AWARDS INCLUDE THE AIA CANADA STUDENT ARCHITECTURE AWARD CONSISTING OF A  TOTAL POSSIBLE SCHOLARSHIP OF US $2,500 (FIRST PLACE), US $1,500 (SECOND PLACE) AND US $800 (THIRD PLACE) AS AN ANNUAL PROGRAM TO CELEBRATE STUDENTS AND RECENT GRADUATES WHO HAVE PROVEN THEIR DEDICATION TO THE FIELDS OF ARCHITECTURE, INTERIORS, PLANNING, LANDSCAPE AND URBAN DESIGN.

Winners will be published in the AIA Canada Society’s Journal, within the pages of Canadian Architect. Two winners will be selected to participate in the 2024 awards program with the AIAI at no additional cost. Submission categories include: Architecture, Interior Architecture, Special Projects, Urban Design, and Student.

ELIGIBILITY

  1. All Architect members of the Institute who are assigned to the AIA Canada as their primary Chapter are eligible to submit entries for projects located anywhere in the world.
  2. All Architect members who are non-local members of an International Chapter may submit projects only within the territory of that same International Chapter (for example a non-local member of AIA Canada who is currently residing outside of the Canada Chapter’s assigned territory but is paying non-local dues and is in good standing is eligible to submit entries for projects; the same would be true for AIA UK; AIA CE; AIA JP; AIA ME and AIA SH and AIA HK).
  3. All Architect and Associate members in good standing of the AIA Canada are eligible to submit entries for projects located internationally (outside of the USA) for the ‘Open International’ category.
  4. Built and Unbuilt work must have been completed in the last 5 years.
  5. The AIA Canada member submitting the project must have been an AIA member in good standing at the time the design of the submitted project was undertaken.
  6. The AIA Canada member submitting the project must be the primary author of the design submitted. When one Architect is not the sole author of the design, all other participants contributing substantially to the design must be given credit as part of the submission.
  7. Projects designed by joint venture or associated architects should be submitted by one member only; credit for all design participants is to be noted in the entry form under Collaborative Acknowledgements.
  8. All entries that meet the requirements of their respective categories are eligible regardless of size, budget, style, location or building type.
  9. Projects previously honored with an award from another Region of the Institute are NOT eligible for submission. Projects may NOT be submitted to more than one AIA Region simultaneously. Projects which have received a local Chapter Award (specifically from AIA UK, AIA CE, AIA HK, AIA JP, AIA ME or AIA SH) or which have received a National Award are eligible for submission to the International Component 2022 Awards Program.
  10. Work by architects or design firms serving as jurors for current year awards are ineligible.
  11. The AIA Canada reserves the right to determine the eligibility of all submissions.
  12. See bellow Eligibility Matrix for clarification.

CRITERIA

  1. The Jury, at their discretion have the option to award AIA Canada Awards of Excellence, Merit, Citation and Honorable Mention and three Student Awards (First, Second and Third).
  2. The Jury will comprise of not less than two distinguished architects including at least one AIA architect. Submissions will be juried in November. All Jury decisions will be based solely on the materials submitted; no field trips will be taken. Winners will be recognized in December.
  3. Entries will be judged on how successfully the design addresses individual project program requirements, the successful integration of the solution within its context, and its worthiness for an award in design excellence. More specifically, the jury also evaluates entries relative to AIA National’s Framework for Design Excellence. Submitted projects do not have to adhere to all measures, but do need to address several of them.
  4. In addition to the Framework above, projects will be evaluated on one or more of the following criteria:
    • DESIGN QUALITY reflecting resolution of the program or idea; innovation, thoughtfulness, and technique.
    • DESIGN RESOLUTION of formal, functional and technical parameters.
    • DESIGN ADVANCEMENT through proposing new approaches to the development of architectural and/or urban form.
    • SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT demonstrating a commitment to social progress.
    • TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENT exploring new technologies and/or their architectural applications.
    • ENVIRONMENTAL ADVANCEMENT demonstrating a commitment to environmentally sensitive design, sustainability and/or energy/resources conservation.
    • PRESERVATION / RESTORATION demonstrating skill, sensitivity and thoughtfulness in preservation, restoration, or the adaptive re-use of existing buildings.
  5. Project authorship will remain confidential throughout the jury deliberations.

Note: If authorship is revealed on any photos, plans, slides or narrative, the entry will be disqualified.

CATEGORIES

Entries must be submitted in one of the categories listed below. These categories are used to clarify the different requirements for each group and to focus the jury on the many broad and diverse areas of practice.

Architecture

Eligible entries may be new construction, renovation or preservation/restoration projects. The project must be built work completed in the last 5 years. For multi-building projects, the Architect submitting the project (or portion thereof) must offer detailed evidence of authorship of each portion of the project.

Interior Architecture

Eligible entries may be new construction, renovation or preservation/restoration projects. The projects must be built work completed in the last 5 years.

Special Projects

Eligible entries are as described above for either the Architecture or Interior Architecture categories with a cap of 5,000sf and $5 million budget.

Urban Design

Eligible entries may be urban design projects, planning programs, civic improvements, campus plans, environmental programs, or redevelopment projects. The projects should not be individual buildings. Incomplete projects or ongoing programs may be recognized if a significant portion has been completed or implemented by a local jurisdiction or authority in the last 5 years.

Community-Engaged Design (entry fee waived)

Eligible entries must adhere to one of the categories above plus demonstrate that significant measures were taken to engage community and other local social agencies throughout the design and construction process. Only one project may be submitted per firm/AIA member in this category per year.

Open International

Eligible entries must be located outside of Canada. They can be Architecture, Interior Architecture, Urban Design, revitalization or other types of work. This category includes projects of all scales which enhance the built environment in a way that is respectful of context and culture, and which aim through craftsmanship and sustainability to serve as a benchmark for architects globally and/or through innovation and ingenuity to serve as a benchmark for the profession. The project must be built work completed in the last 5 years. For multi-building projects (or portions thereof), the submitting Architect must offer detailed evidence of authorship of each portion of the project.

Unbuilt

Eligible entries must be unbuilt projects that will not be built. The project design must be completed in the last 5 years. This category is to recognize the efforts of our architect members who have completed meaningful work, but due to client change, land use change or other reasons beyond the control of the architect, the project will not be built.

Note: This is NOT a category for projects under construction, for projects that are under construction or have any plans to be built, they must wait to be completed and then submitted under the Architecture Category in future year(s).

Student

AIA Canada looks to the future and envisions what the built environment of tomorrow will be like. Discovering and promoting new generations of architects, those who will build on the foundation of the masters and forge new paths of innovation and development, is a priority of the AIA Canada.

The AIA Canada Student Award is an international annual program to celebrate higher education students and recent graduates who have proven their dedication to the fields of architecture, interiors, landscape and urban design.

The awards program is displaying and promoting exceptional emerging talent and celebrating those who are pushing boundaries, utilizing new, exciting technologies and materials, and developing our future environments in ways that will enrich our lives.

The AIA Canada Student Award is dedicated to:

  • Advance the appreciation of quality academic architectural ideas and projects around the world,
  • Celebrate emerging talents in architecture, interior design and landscape design,
  • Promote and provide publicity to architecture students.

Only one project may be submitted per student in this category per year.

DEADLINE AND ENTRY FEES

  • The deadline for payment and submissions is 26 October 2023 before 15:00 (Eastern Time). The deadline will be strictly observed.
  • The entry fee is $150 CAD per submission; fee is waived for Community-Engaged Design submissions. Students’ entry fee is waived for 2023. Entry fees are non-refundable.

AIA CANADA 2023 DESIGN AWARD REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY

(Complete downloadable form from link available during submission process)

Task 1: Eligibility Enter architect’s/student’s name

Task 2: Architect and client info/for students Indicate that the school acknowledgment

Task 3: Collaboration Acknowledgements Name other architects/students + consultants involved.

Task 4: Project Summary Project Title; Category; Description >200 words; for the Community-Engaged Design category, an additional description of >200 words of how the project meets the Community and Social engagement category requirements.

Task 5: Architect’s Project Details Project Address; year of completion (5 Years, January 1, 2019 – to present); Site Area; Floor Area; Building Height; Number of Floors; Program; (Optional project video upload)

Task 5: Student’s Project Details: Project Address; year of design (5 Years, January 1, 2019 – to present); Site Area; Floor Area; Building Height; Number of Floors; Program; (Optional project video upload)

Task 6: Images Submit a minimum of three images/photographs and a maximum of 5 (jpg files 3200 pixels by 1800 pixels and a minimum of 72 dpi; landscape or portrait orientation are acceptable); one of the submissions can be a video. If the project is built, one of the images must be a photograph and balance can be either photo or renderings. Please also include a site or location plan in addition to the 3-5 project images.

Task 7: Submission Upload for Jury Review

An optional PDF with project photos, drawings and text is the primary evaluation tool for jurors and is strongly encouraged.

Task 8: Submit payment