Awards Submission

AIA Canada Honor and Merit Awards

AIA Canada Student Award – “New Talent Discovery of the Year”

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Call for entries: July 22
Intent to enter; email via AIA Canada contact form
Submittal Upload and Payment: September 21
Notifications of Winners: Late October
Public endorsement: November 20 (during AIA Canada E-conference jointly with AIA IR and the other AIA International Chapters.)

Eligibility

All Architect members of the Institute who are assigned to the AIA Canada as their primary Region are eligible to submit entries for projects located anywhere in the world.
All Architect members who are non-local members of an International Chapter may submit projects only within the territory of that same International Chapter (for example a non-local member of AIA Canada who is currently residing outside of the Canada Chapter’s assigned territory but is paying non-local dues and is in good standing is eligible to submit entries for projects; the same would be true for AIA UK; AIA CE; AIA JP; AIA ME and AIA SH and AIA HK).
All Associate members in good standing of the AIA Canada are eligible to submit entries for projects located anywhere in the world for ‘Urban Design.’ (Note: Associate members include International Associate AIA members; Associate AIA members and Honorary FAIA members in good standing with the Institute and their local chapters).
All Architect and Associate members in good standing of the AIA Canada are eligible to submit entries for projects located internationally (outside of the USA) for the ‘Open International’ category.
Built and Unbuilt work must have been completed since January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2019 (5 years).
The AIA Canada member submitting the project must have been an AIA member in good standing at the time the design of the submitted project was undertaken.
The AIA Canada member submitting the project must be the primary author of the design submitted. When one Architect is not the sole author of the design, all other participants contributing substantially to the design must be given credit as part of the submission.
Projects designed by joint venture or associated architects should be submitted by one member only; credit for all design participants is to be noted in the entry form under Collaborative Acknowledgements.
All entries that meet the requirements of their respective categories are eligible regardless of size, budget, style, location or building type.
Projects previously honored with an award from another Region of the Institute are NOT eligible for submission. Projects may NOT be submitted to more than one AIA Region simultaneously. Projects which have received a local Chapter Award (specifically from AIA UK, AIA CE, AIA HK, AIA JP, AIA ME or AIA SH) or which have received a National Award are eligible for submission to the International Region 2020/2021 Awards Program.
Work by architects or design firms serving as jurors for current year (2020) awards are ineligible.
The AIA Canada reserves the right to determine the eligibility of all submissions.
See bellow Eligibility Matrix for clarification.

Criteria

The jury will award AIA Canada Honor Awards and AIA Canada Merit Awards. The Jury will comprise of not less than three distinguished architects including at least two AIA architects. Submissions will be juried in September. All Jury decisions will be based solely on the materials submitted; no field trips will be taken. Winners will be recognized November 20, 2020 at the AIA Canada E-Conference jointly with AIA IR and other AIA International Chapters; winner recognition to continue on AIA International Region websites and various publications.
Entries will be judged on how successfully the design addresses individual project program requirements, the successful integration of the solution within its context, and its worthiness for an award in design excellence. More specifically, the jury also evaluates entries relative to AIA National’s Framework for Design Excellence. Submitted projects do not have to adhere to all measures, but do need to address several of them.
In addition to the Framework above, projects will be evaluated on one or more of the following criteria:
- DESIGN QUALITY reflecting resolution of the program or idea; innovation, thoughtfulness, and technique.
- DESIGN RESOLUTION of formal, functional and technical parameters.
- DESIGN ADVANCEMENT through proposing new approaches to the development of architectural and/or urban form.
- SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT demonstrating a commitment to social progress.
- TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENT exploring new technologies and/or their architectural applications.
- ENVIRONMENTAL ADVANCEMENT demonstrating a commitment to environmentally sensitive design, sustainability and/or energy/resources conservation.
- PRESERVATION / RESTORATION demonstrating skill, sensitivity and thoughtfulness in preservation, restoration, or the adaptive re-use of existing buildings.
Project authorship will remain confidential throughout the jury deliberations.

Note: If authorship is revealed on any photos, plans, slides or narrative, the entry will be disqualified.

Categories

Entries must be submitted in one of the categories listed below. These categories are used to clarify the different requirements for each group and to focus the jury on the many broad and diverse areas of practice.

Architecture

Eligible entries may be new construction, renovation or preservation/restoration projects. The project must be built work completed since January 1, 2015. For multi-building projects, the Architect submitting the project (or portion thereof) must offer detailed evidence of authorship of each portion of the project.

Interior Architecture

Eligible entries may be new construction, renovation or preservation/restoration projects. The projects must be built work completed since January 1, 2015.

Urban Design

Eligible entries may be urban design projects, planning programs, civic improvements, campus plans, environmental programs, or redevelopment projects. The projects should not be individual buildings. Incomplete projects or ongoing programs may be recognized if a significant portion has been completed or implemented by a local jurisdiction or authority since January 1, 2015.

Open International

Eligible entries must be located outside of Canada. They can be Architecture, Interior Architecture, Urban Design, revitalization or other types of work. This category includes projects of all scales which enhance the built environment in a way that is respectful of context and culture and which aim through craftsmanship and sustainability to serve as a benchmark for architects globally and/or through innovation and ingenuity to serve as a benchmark for the profession. The project must be built work completed since January 1, 2015. For multi-building projects (or portions thereof), the submitting Architect must offer detailed evidence of authorship of each portion of the project.

Unbuilt

Eligible entries must be unbuilt projects that will not be built. The project design must be completed since January 1, 2015. This category is to recognize the efforts of our architect members who have completed meaningful work, but due to client change, land use change or other reasons beyond the control of the architect, the project will not be built.

Note: This is NOT a category for projects under construction, for projects that are under construction or have any plans to be built, they must wait to be completed and then submitted under the Architecture Category in future year(s).

Students category

AIA Canada looks to the future and envisions what the built environment of tomorrow will be like. Discovering and promoting new generations of architects, those who will build on the foundation of the masters and forge new paths of innovation and development, is a priority of the AIA Canada.

The AIA Canada Student Architecture Award is an international annual program to celebrate higher education students and recent graduates who have proven their dedication to the fields of architecture, interior, landscape and urban design.

AIA Canada encourage entrants from schools all over the world submit their best projects to compete for the “New Talent Discovery of the Year” title.

The awards program is displaying and promoting exceptional emerging talent and celebrating those who are pushing boundaries, utilizing new, exciting technologies and materials, and developing our future environments in ways that will enrich our lives.

The AIA Canada Student Architecture Award is dedicated to:

Advance the appreciation of quality academic architectural ideas and projects around the world,
Celebrate emerging talents in architecture, interior design and landscape design,
Promote and provide publicity to architecture students.

Deadline and Entry Fees

The deadline for expressing intent to participate is August 24, 2020 and the deadline for payment and submissions is September 21, 2020 before 03:00 PM (Eastern Time). The deadline will be strictly observed.
The entry fee is $150 CAD per submission. Students’ entry fee is $25 CAD. Entry fees are non-refundable.

AIA Canada 2020 Design Award requirements summary

(Complete downloadable form from link available during submission process)

Task 1: Eligibility Enter architect’s/student’s name

Task 2: Architect and client info/for students Indicate that the school acknowledgment

Task 3: Collaboration Acknowledgements Name other architects/students + consultants involved.

Task 4: Project Description Project Title; Category; Description >250 words

Task 5: Architect’s Project Details Project Address; year of completion (5 Years January 1, 2015 – December 31, 2019); Site Area; Floor Area; Building Height; No of Floors; Program; (Optional project video upload)

Task 5: Student’s Project Details: Project Address; year of design (5 Years January 1, 2015 – December 31, 2019); Site Area; Floor Area; Building Height; No of Floors; Program; (Optional project video upload)

Task 6: Copyright Image page Provide photo credits

Task 7: Submission Upload for Jury Review

PDF with project photos, drawings and text is the primary evaluation tool for jurors.

PDF no more than 20 pages, and no more than 10MB in size.

Photos: Submit a minimum of three images/photographs and a maximum of 5; one of the submissions can be a video.

Task 9: Submit payment with cc/Complete