Awards FAQ

Due to the nature of our programs, we cannot offer any extensions on submissions that are incomplete at the deadline. 

All awards deadlines are strictly observed, and an extension will not be granted. Please note that all awards submissions are due on the day that is listed by 5:00pm ET. 

This varies depending on the program's criteria. For most project-based programs you do not have to be an AIA member to apply. Fees for each program may vary for members vs. non-members to apply.   

Please refer to the program's criteria for any membership requirements. For most project-based programs, the submitting architect must be U.S.-licensed. 

For people-based programs (e.g., Fellowship, Young Architects, etc.), there is usually a required nominator or sponsor. Please refer to the specific program criteria for more information. 

Each program has resources to guide you in preparing a submission, such as a sample application. You will find the materials for each program on their respective pages. 

Once an award is open for you can begin your submission. Applications are only accepted through the submission portal. 

If you are applying to any of the AIA project-based awards and are looking for the Framework for Design Excellence Metrics Scorecard, detailed instructions are included on the online submission form. Please read them carefully, complete the associated digital form, and upload the results to your submission. You will not find the instructions on the last section of the submission form or on the reference pdf. 

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.

Reference letters are required for people-based awards (e.g. Fellowship, Gold Medal, etc.) and are collected through our online submission platform. You can find additional information about that process in the application materials for your program.

All reference letters are confidential and remain so even after the selection process has ended. 

All reference letters should be addressed to the Jury Chair. Sometimes a chair has not been named by the time applications open. In that case, we recommend addressing the the letter to "Jury Chair, [award name]". 

Reference letters for successful candidates are archived with the submission. 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 submission reference letters remain confidential. 

Photo collages are acceptable, but it is important that there are not too many images on a page or images that are too small for the jury to discern important details. 

Awards have different requirements regarding the kinds of photography the jury would like to see, and it’s detailed in their individual submission requirements. Interior shots are requested, and highly recommended, in most project-based programs. Nighttime shots are requested of projects that operate at night. If your project does not operate at night, then they are not necessary to include in a submission. 

There is no required layout for the copyright information file, only required information. You can find those guidelines in the sample application for your award program. 

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 website name, web address, copyright date, and date of access on the copyright 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. 

No, the jury does not see the file. The file is for the records should you be recognized with the award. 

Submissions are reviewed by the jury for consistency to criteria set for the program. The format for submissions varies for individual programs and specific requirements are requested in the submission form. 

Yes, unless otherwise indicated submissions must be on 8.5x11 pages, other sizes will be disqualified. This is for jury review and to your benefit as a candidate. 11x17 pages at half the count required, doesn’t help the jury, they spend a lot of time trying to read the whole page which is not helpful to your application. 

The easiest for the jury to review is in landscape format. Portrait is acceptable if that works for you. We do not recommend spreads as our review platform breaks that formatting, and can make it more challenging for the jury to read your materials.

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. We simplified the page limit rules to make them easy to understand and to reduce opportunities for disqualification.

You may use organizing pages (e.g. cover pages, tables of contents, etc.) so long as the total document is under the page limit, but we have received feedback from jurors that they are unnecessary and aren’t helpful for their review. 

Some programs include downloadable PDFs of previous submissions. Submissions not posted to our website can be requested from the AIA Archivist at archives@aia.org

Each program notification period varies based on our method of notification. Please see our schedule tab for an estimated time of awards notification. 

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, and contacting a jury member. Each program will have additional disqualifications to be aware of.