Edward C. Kemper Award

The Kemper Award is open to AIA members in good standing. To be eligible, nominees must affirm that neither they nor their firm employs unpaid intern architects, including working students (as defined in Section 11.0 of the AIA Rules of the Board).

Members of the AIA Board, Strategic Council, and past AIA National Officers are not eligible to be nominated until three (3) years have passed since the end date of their service.

Nomination

Any AIA member in good standing, as well as AIA Board members, Strategic Council members, components, and Knowledge Communities may make nominations for the Kemper Award.

Nominator responsibilities

If your nominator is an individual, they must affirm that neither they nor their firm employs unpaid intern architects, including working students (as defined in Section 11.0 of the AIA Rules of the Board).

Nominators are required to write a letter of support for the candidate that introduces the submission. Nominators also assist the candidate by acting as a point of contact for the reference writers and providing guidance as needed.

Restrictions & exceptions 

Chapter 11 of the publicly posted AIA Rules of the Board (12/2024 ed.) state the following restrictions and exceptions to applicant, nominator, and letter of reference writer eligibility: 

• "National Officers, Officers-Elect, Directors, and Directors-Elect are not eligible to be nominated for any AIA Honors or Awards described in these Rules where they personally would be a recipient. ... Nothing in this section shall prevent AIA leadership from applying for Fellowship, Honorary Fellowship, or Honorary Membership."
• "AIA staff, National Officers, Officers-elect, and members of the Board, or Strategic Council are prohibited from campaigning on behalf of, nominating, sponsoring, or serving as a reference for candidates of any AIA Honors or Awards described in these Rules."
• "Jurors are prohibited from campaigning on behalf of, nominating, sponsoring, or serving as a reference for candidates of their respective programs until three (3) years after their end date of service."

Finalist rollover

Finalists who are not selected may rollover their application materials to the next cycle for consideration in the initial pool of applicants.

Fee: There is no fee to apply to this program. 

2026 Deadline

Submissions are due by 5pm ET Thursday August 7, 2025. All materials must be submitted via the online application portal (i.e., cannot be accepted via email, phone, shared online drive, fax, post, etc.) by the prescribed deadline(s): deadline extension or exception requests will not be granted. Applicants and interested parties are encouraged to seek award assistance well in advance of application deadlines to minimize the risk for ineligibility and/or application noncompliance rendering the entry removed from review.            

Formatting requirements

For information on templates for required uploaded forms (e.g., Image Release Form, Application Release Form, Copyright Information File), and information on format of portfolio document (e.g., page size / orientation standards), or addressing letters of recommendation, please visit the AIA Awards FAQs webpage. 

Applications that do not conform to the program's formatting requirements for uploaded materials (e.g., required forms, letters of reference, and portfolio documents) are subject to automatic disqualification. AIA does not accept release forms with altered terms. 

Application components
Extensive information on the materials required to submit an application is housed in the AIA online application portal. Please reference the information in this portal when the program is receiving materials for the 2026 season. 

Review criteria

Candidates are evaluated based on how their contributions have had a significant impact on the profession through service to AIA or an architecture-related organization.

• AIA values
  Throughout the submission, candidates are encouraged to highlight any aspects of work or life experience that may have reflected contributions or sensitivity concerning areas of special interest to AIA, its members, and the architecture profession, including but not limited to the Public Policies and Position Statements of the AIA. These might include such areas as diversity, sustainability, or the mentoring of emerging professionals, to the degree the candidate has had the opportunity to address them, or as these topics may enhance the presentation.
• AIA Framework for Design Excellence
  While submissions are not required to fit comprehensively within the framework principles, candidates are strongly encouraged to consider submission materials in this context. For additional information visit the AIA Framework for Design Excellence.

Jury

2026 Collaborative Achievement & Professional Development Advisory Jury

(Chair) Winston L. Thorne, AIA, Winston Thorne Architect
Bolkar Acikkol, PhD(c), AIA, LEED AP, Energy Architecture Inc.
Cyrus P. Dahmubed, Assoc. AIA, Utile
Kara B. Gee, AIA, Smith Gee Studio
Carolina Montano-Owen, PhD, World Green Building Council

Finalist information

If you are selected as a finalist by the Advisory Jury, the next stage of the awards process includes a vote by the AIA Board of Directors and Strategic Council (the Jury) at their joint meeting, typically in early December. During their deliberations, the Jury may have questions or request additional information.

Finalists are asked to provide contact information and ideally be available on the day of the vote to respond to any requests.

Recognition for this program typically includes the following elements but may be subject to change. Recipients will receive additional information about this cycle’s recognition benefits with their selection notification.

• Promotional recognition in AIA communication channels.
• Invitation for the recipient or a recipient representative to attend selected AIA Awards event celebrations, commonly held during the annual AIA Conference on Architecture & Design.
• Elevation to AIA Fellowship, as eligible.

2025: Raymond "Skipper" Post, FAIA
2024:Sho-Ping Chin, FAIA (posthumous)
2023:Jeff Potter, FAIA
2022:Bob Berkebile, FAIA
2021:Anthony P. Schirripa, FAIA
2020:Carole Wedge, FAIA
2019:Robert T. Coles, FAIA
2018:Lenore M. Lucey, FAIA
2017: Ronald Skaggs, FAIA
2016:Terrance J. Brown, FAIA
2015:Edward Mazria, FAIA
2014:Fredric Bell, FAIA
2013:John D. Anderson, FAIA
2011: Chester Widom, FAIA
2010:James Logan Abell, FAIA
2009:Barbara A. Nadel, FAIA
2008: Thomas McKittrick, FAIA
2007: R. Randall Vosbeck, FAIA
2006:James D. Tittle. FAIA
2005: Norbert W. Young, FAIA
2004: Robert A. Odermatt, FAIA
2003:C. James Lawler Jr., FAIA
2001: Charles F. Harper, FAIA
2000: James A. Scheeler, FAIA
1999: James R. Franklin, FAIA
1998: Norman L. Koonce, FAIA
1997:Harold L. Adams, FAIA, RIBA, JIA
1996: Sylvester Damianos, FAIA
1995:Paul R. Neel, FAIA
1994:Harry C. Hallenbeck, FAIA
1993:Theodore F. Mariani, FAIA
1992: Betty Lou Custer, FAIA (posthumous)
1991: John F. Hartray, Jr., FAIA
1990: Henry W. Schirmer, FAIA
1989:Jean P. Carlhian, FAIA
1988: David Lewis, FAIA
1987:Joseph Monticciolo, FAIA
1986:Harry Harmon, FAIA
1985: Charles Redmon, FAIA
1984:Dean F. Hilfinger, FAIA
1983:Jules Gregory, FAIA
1982: Leslie N. Boney, Jr., FAIA
1981: Robert L. Durham, FAIA
1980:Herbert Epstein, FAIA
1979:Herbert E. Duncan, Jr., FAIA
1978:Carl L. Bradley, FAIA
1977:Ronald A.  Straka, FAIA
1976:Leo A. Daly, FAIA
1975:F. Carter Williams, FAIA
1974:Jack D. Train, FAIA
1973: Bernard B. Rothschild, FAIA
1972:David N. Yerkes, FAIA
1971: Gerald McCue, FAIA
1970:Ulysses Floyd Rible, FAIA
1969:Philip J. Meathe, FAIA
1968:E. James Gambaro, FAIA
1967:Robert H. Levison, FAIA
1966:William W. Eshbach, FAIA
1965: Joseph Watterson, FAIA
1964: Daniel Schwartzman, FAIA
1963:Samuel E. Lunden, FAIA
1962:Harry D. Payne, FAIA
1961:Earl H. Reed, FAIA
1960: Philip D. Creer, FAIA
1959:Bradley P. Kidder, FAIA
1958:Edmund R. Purves, FAIA
1957:David C. Baer, FAIA
1956: Theodore Irving Coe, FAIA
1955:Turpin C. Bannister, FAIA
1954: Henry H. Saylor, FAIA
1953: Gerrit J. De Gelleke, FAIA
1952:William Stanley Parker, FAIA
1951: Marshall Shaffer, AIA
1950: William Perkins, FAIA

Interested in learning about these past recipients? We’d love to hear from you—contact us.