2023 AIA Illinois Honor Awards:
A Celebration of Better Illinois Communities by Design

Welcome to the submission process for the 2023 AIA Illinois Honor Awards. Our awards competition focuses on projects and people that closely adhere to the AIA’s Framework for Design Excellence. We encourage you to submit your projects and nominate yourself or your peers who have bettered Illinois communities through architecture.

All nominations should arrive electronically before the deadline of Friday, May 12, 2023. midnight CST
Submit your nomination today by selecting "Join Now" below.
The AIA Illinois Honor Awards recognize people and projects epitomizing the contributions of the architecture profession, the transformative power of design, and the dedication of individuals to service and excellence. All award winners have positively impacted citizens throughout the state of Illinois
by helping create communities in which people are drawn to live and work, and to live healthier and happier.

For the award categories with square footage or cost listed, ONE award will be given for each of those designations. One award will be given in all other categories. 

The Jury
A jury of esteemed architecture colleagues from throughout the county, including experts in high performance buildings and appointed by the AIA Illinois President, will review the nominations for Design Awards. Service Award honorees will be selected by the current board of directors. The AIA Illinois President serves as an ex-officio member of both juries and decisions of the juries are final.

AIA Illinois reserves the right to not choose an award recipient in ANY category, should they and the jury make that determination.

Eligibility

• All licensed architects or architectural interns across the world may submit their ILLINOIS
  project or person. All award winners will be licensed architects or architectural interns, except recipients of the Richard Nickel and President’s Awards.
• All projects must have been completed inside the state of Illinois within the last five years, except for those competing for the Master Planning Awards.
• Nominations may be submitted without the knowledge of the nominee.
• You may nominate yourself or your project.
You may also submit for multiple categories. An entry fee is required for each design submission, with a discount for additional submissions.
• Design entries will be blinded for the jury and you should not include identifying information in the text or images you provide outside of the Contact Form.
• Design nominations are encouraged to demonstrate evidence of incorporating ONE OR MORE of the Ten Principles outlined in the AIA Framework for Design Excellence (see below). It is not required that a submission meet ALL ten principles to be eligible.
  
• Design nominations should explain when, where and how a project demonstrates a commitment to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion within the architecture profession.
  
  AIA Framework for Design Excellence
  The world today is facing broad and complex challenges that threaten every aspect of our lives. The architect’s call to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public has a new and broader meaning amid challenges such as increasing climate extremes and social inequity. Architects everywhere must recognize that our profession can harness the power of design to contribute to solutions addressing the most significant needs of our time. Every project can be used as a platform for addressing big problems and providing creative solutions. Every line drawn should be a source of good in the world.
  
  The Framework for Design Excellence represents the defining principles of good design in the 21st century. Comprised of 10 principles and accompanied by searching questions, the Framework seeks to inform progress toward a zerocarbon, equitable, resilient, and healthy built environment. These are to be thoughtfully considered by designer and client at the initiation of every project and incorporated into the work as appropriate to the project scope. The Framework is intended to be accessible and relevant for every architect, every client, and every project, regardless of size, typology, or aspiration.
  
  The Framework for Design Excellence challenges architects with a vision of what the profession strives to achieve, the toolkit provides practical resources to help all architects achieve the vision.
  
  See full AIA Framework for Design Excellence PDF on the following page for the list of 10 Principles and accompanying questions.
  
  Please contact the AIA Illinois office with questions at 217.522.2309 X3 or email myoung@aiail.org.