Architecture Firm Award

The Architecture Firm Award is open to any firm or successor firms, whether an individual or an organization of architects, that has consistently produced distinguished architecture for a period of at least ten (10) years.

• Firms put forward as candidates must have their primary office based in the United States.
• Firms employing current members of the AIA Board of Directors and Strategic Council members are ineligible.
• All candidates must affirm that their firm does not employ unpaid intern architects, including working students (as defined in Section 11.0 of the AIA Rules of the Board).

Nomination

All candidates must have a nominator. 

Candidates are welcome to proactively secure an eligible nominator in order to self-apply.

Nominators are welcome to identify and put forward candidates. Nominators putting forward a candidate(s) that otherwise would not self-apply should coordinate closely with that organization before, during, and after the application process to ensure the candidate is fully willing and able to participate in all award applicant and recipient proceedings, within the required formats, and in accordance with all prescribed timelines.

All nominators should act to solicit, invite, and serve as a point of contact for required letter of recommendation writers. Nominators coordinating letter writers should strive to maintain the confidentiality of letters written from the candidate. All nominators must provide a one-page letter of recommendation for the candidate. 

For more information on the requirements and roles of nominators, please access the online submission portal once the program is accepting materials.

 

Restrictions & exceptions 

Chapter 11 of the publicly posted AIA Rules of the Board (12/2025 ed.) states 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."

New in 2027! To increase ease of application, submissions started or submitted in the 2026 season are available for easy revision.

Fee: There is a $450 fee to apply for this program.

2027 Deadline 

Submissions are due by 5pm ET on Thursday, August 6, 2026. 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.

Finalist contact: Mid-October, 2026

AIA will notify all completed entrants of their status as a finalist in advance of the recipient public announcement. Those not selected as finalists conclude their participation. Those selected as finalists must be able to provide the requested materials by the prescribed deadlines. Please notify AIA Awards of any email contact information changes incurred between the submission deadline and the anticipated finalist notice.  

Formatting requirements

For information on templates for required uploaded forms (e.g., Image Release Form, Application Release Form, Copyright Information File), and information on the format of portfolio documents (e.g., page size/orientation standards), or addressing letters of recommendation, please visit the AIA Awards FAQ 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 (e.g., required Letters of Recommendation, Candidate Portfolio Document sections, etc.) is housed in the AIA online application portal. Please reference the information in this portal when the program is receiving materials for the 2027 season. 

New in 2027! Applicants are highly encouraged but no longer required to provide Image Copyright Release Form(s) or Applicant Material Release Forms at the time of submission.  

Providing all fully executed Image Copyright and Applicant Material Release Forms for all materials included in the submission is required to receive an award. Applicants with an award offer who cannot provide this information in full by the communicated deadlines cannot receive an AIA national award. Applicants are advised not to include any images where they cannot determine the copyright holder, and/or cannot determine the likelihood of securing a release.

Review criteria

Candidates are evaluated based on how their contributions have:

• Demonstrated great depth and breadth, and had a cumulative effect on the profession of architecture.
• Addressed the future of architecture while honoring its tradition.
• Transcended or united specific areas of expertise.
• Become widely known—by architects, designers, educators, and the public—for the quality of their work.
• 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 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

AIA Awards juries will be shared on AIA.org once available.

Contact from award applicants and/or their supporters (e.g., nominator, letter of reference writer, mentor, mentee, employer, etc.) to the real or potential jurors presiding over the review of an AIA award program is strictly prohibited. 

Evidence of current or future applicants and/or their supporters attempting or actualizing contact with an AIA award juror(s) pertaining to the evaluation of applications to specific award programs within specific award cycles can result in an official filing with the AIA Ethics Committee, suspension of membership in good standing, ineligibility of involved parties from participation in current and/or future AIA award program participation, and/or additional measures.

Finalist guidelines

For candidates selected as a finalist by the Advisory Jury, the next stage of the awards process includes evaluation by the AIA Board of Directors and Strategic Council at their joint meeting, typically in December. The application materials will be included in the meeting materials, and finalists are expected to also provide a video presentation fitting the criteria listed below on the date(s) determined by AIA Awards staff. 

Video specifications

• .mp4 format
• Max ten (10) minutes
• PowerPoint/slide style, max forty (40) screens
• No effects including fade-in/out, animations, video within the video, or sound effects.

Video content

The presentation content should:

• Present an overview of the nominee and the ways they are qualified for the honor, specifically addressing how they have met the award criteria.
• Highlight any aspects of the nominee’s work or history related to AIA’s special interest areas, including diversity, sustainability, and the mentoring of emerging professionals.
• Only include text and images from your submission. Distributing additional materials to the AIA Board of Directors and Strategic Council is prohibited and may result in disqualification.

Video narrator information

Voiceover narration for the video should be from an individual member (any designation) in good standing, who is not the nominee, nor a principal or employee of the nominee’s firm.

• Promotional recognition in AIA communication channels.
• Invitation for the recipient or a recipient representative to attend selected Awards event celebrations, commonly held during the annual AIA Conference on Architecture & Design®.
• Sessions and/or keynote speaking engagements (during the AIA Annual Meeting or otherwise) recognizing the Architecture Firm Award.

2026: Duvall Decker
2025: LPA Design Studios
2024:Quinn Evans
2023:Mithun
2022: MASS Design Group
2021: Moody Nolan
2020: Architecture Research Office
2019: Payette
2018: Snow Kreilich Architects
2017: Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects
2016: LMN Architects
2015: Ehrlich Architects
2014: Eskew+Dumez+Ripple
2013: Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects
2012: VJAA
2011: BNIM
2010: Pugh + Scarpa
2009: Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects
2008: KieranTimberlake Associates LLP
2007: Leers Weinzapfel Associates 
2006: Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners
2005: Murphy/Jahn
2004: Lake | Flato Architects
2003: The Miller | Hull Partnership
2002: Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates, Inc.
2001: Herbert Lewis Kruse Blunck Architecture
2000: Gensler
1999: Perkins & Will
1998: Centerbrook Architects and Planner
1997: R. M. Kliment & Frances Halsband Architects
1996: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
1995: Beyer Blinder Belle 
1994: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
1993: Cambridge Seven Associates, Inc. 
1992: James Stewart Polshek and Partners
1991: Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership
1990: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
1989: Cesar Pelli & Associates
1988: Hartman-Cox Architects
1987: Benjamin Thompson & Associates, Inc.
1986: Esherick Homsey Dodge & Davis
1985: Venturi, Rauch and Scott Brown
1984: Kallmann McKinnell & Wood Architects
1983: Holabird & Root, Architects, Engineers & Planners
1982: Gwathmey Siegel & Associates, Architects LLC
1981: Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates
1980: Edward Larrabee Barnes Associates
1979: Geddes Brecher Qualls Cunningham
1978: Harry Weese & Associates
1977: Sert Jackson and Associates
1976: Mitchell/Giurgola Architects
1975: Davis, Brody & Associates
1974: Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates
1973: Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott
1972: Caudill Rowlett Scott
1971: Albert Kahn Associates, Inc.
1970: Ernest J. Kump Associates
1969: Jones & Emmons
1968: I.M. Pei & Partners
1967: Hugh Stubbins and Associates
1965: Wurster, Bernardi & Emmons
1964: The Architects Collaborative
1962: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

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