Topaz Medallion for Architectural Education

This program is open to living individuals with at least a decade of experience in architectural education, primarily in North America. 

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 individual to ensure the candidate is fully willing and able to participate in all application proceedings within the required formats and 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 (12/2024 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."

If you are uncertain whether the intended candidate, nominator, and/or letter writer(s) belong to a restricted group, please email AIA Awards staff at HonorsAwards@aia.org for verification. 

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

Fee: There isno fee 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.      

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! Letter of Recommendation requirements have been reduced from a maximum of ten (10) to a minimum and maximum of five (5) recommendations required to apply.

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:

• Affected a wide range of students.
• Addressed the future of architecture while honoring its tradition.
• Transcended or united specific areas of expertise.
• Become widely known for their quality by architects, designers, educators, and the public.
• AIA values
  Throughout the submission, you are encouraged to highlight any aspects of the candidate’s 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 that the candidate has had the opportunity to address them, or as these topics may enhance the presentation.
• AIA Framework for Design Excellence
  While Topaz Award submissions are not required to fit comprehensively within the framework principles, you are strongly encouraged to consider your 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.
 

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.

• Invitation for the recipient or a recipient representative to attend selected ACSA sessions at their annual conference.
• Promotional recognition in AIA and ACSA 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®.

2026: Sarah Whiting, Assoc. AIA
2025: Tom Fisher, Assoc. AIA
2024:Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, FAIA
2023: Sharon E. Sutton, FAIA
2022:Deborah Berke, FAIA
2021:Kathryn Anthony
2020:David Leatherbarrow
2019:Toshiko Mori, FAIA
2018:Jorge Silvetti, Intl. Assoc. AIA
2017:Robert A. M. Stern, FAIA
2016:Douglas Kelbaugh, FAIA
2015:Peter Eisenman, FAIA
2014:Harrison Fraker, Assoc. AIA
2013:Robert Greenstreet, Intl. Assoc. AIA
2012:George Baird, Intl. Assoc. AIA
2011:Lawrence W. Speck, FAIA
2010:Michael Graves, FAIA
2009:Adele Naude Santos, FAIA
2008:Stanley Tigerman, FAIA
2007:Lance Jay Brown, FAIA
2006:William G. McMinn, FAIA
2005:Edward Allen, FAIA
2004:Stanford Anderson
2003:Marvin J. Malecha, FAIA
2002:Jerzy Soltan
2001:Lee G. Copeland, FAIA
2000:Alan H. Balfour
1999:W. Cecil Steward, FAIA
1998:Werner Seligmann
1997:Donlyn Lyndon, FAIA
1996:Denise Scott-Brown, RIBA
1995:Henry N. Cobb, FAIA
1994:Harlan E. McClure, FAIA
1993:Mario Salvadori, Hon. AIA
1992:Spiro Kostof
1991:Kenneth B. Frampton
1990:Raymond L. Kappe, FAIA
1989:Charles Moore, FAIA
1988:John Hejduk, FAIA
1987:Ralph Rapson, FAIA
1986:Vincent Scully Jr., Hon. AIA
1985:Colin Rowe
1984:Robert Geddes, FAIA
1983:Charles E. Burchard, FAIA
1982:Joseph Esherick, FAIA
1981:Marcel Breuer, FAIA
1980:Serge Chermayeff
1979:G. Holmes Perkins, FAIA
1978:Lawrence Anderson, FAIA
1977:Henry Kamphoefner, FAIA
1976: Jean Labatut, FAIA

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