Whitney M. Young Jr. Award

The Whitney M. Young Jr. Award is open to architects and architecture-related organizations. 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 their service ended.

Nomination

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. 

AIA Members in good standing, members of the AIA Board and Strategic Council, components, and Knowledge Communities may make nominations for the Whitney M. Young Jr, Award.

Nominator Duties

All individuals acting as a candidate nominator must affirm that neither they nor their firm / organization employs unpaid intern architects, including working students. 

All nominators are required to submit a one-page letter of recommendation for the candidate. For more information on the requirements for this application component please access the online submission portal once the program is accepting materials.

Finalist rollover

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

Fee: There is no fee for 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 made significant progress in addressing a pressing social issue.

• 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 Whitney M. Young. Jr. 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.

Finalists Obligation

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.

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

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

2025: Bryan C. Lee Jr., FAIA

2024: Douglas Ito, FAIA

2023: Robert L. Easter, FAIA

For previous recipients please contact AIA Archives.