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2020 AIA Illinois Honor Awards:
A Celebration of Better Illinois Communities by Design

Welcome to the submission process for the 2020 AIA Illinois Honor Awards. Our awards competition focuses on projects and people that closely adhere to the AIA’s Principles of Livable Communities. 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 5 p.m. CST on Friday, April 24 2020.
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.

The Juries
A jury of three esteemed architecture colleagues from throughout the county, appointed by the AIA Illinois President will review the nominations for Design Awards. Service Award honorees will be selected by a separate jury of previous service winners. The AIA Illinois President serves as an ex-officio member of both juries and decisions of the juries are final.

Nominations that are unsuccessful each year will be carried forward one year to be reviewed by a subsequent jury. An updated submission will be considered “new” and incur a fee.

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.
  • Nominations may be submitted without the knowledge of the nominee.
  • You may nominate yourself or your project.
  • 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 must demonstrate evidence of one or more of the AIA Ten Principles For Livable Communities listed here.

    01. Design on a Human Scale Compact, pedestrian-friendly communities allow residents to walk to shops, services, cultural resources, and jobs and can reduce traffic congestion and benefit people’s health.

    02. Provide Choices People want variety in housing, shopping, recreation, transportation, and employment. Variety creates lively neighborhoods and accommodates residents in different stages of their lives.

    03. Encourage Mixed-Use Development Integrating different land uses and varied building types create vibrant, pedestrian-friendly and diverse communities.

    04. Preserve Urban Centers Restoring, revitalizing, and infilling urban centers takes advantage of existing streets, services and buildings and avoids the need for new infrastructure. This helps to curb sprawl and promote stability for city neighborhoods.

    05. Vary Transportation Options Giving people the option of walking, biking and using public transit, in addition to driving, reduces traffic congestion, protects the environment and encourages physical activity.

    06. Build Vibrant Public Spaces Citizens need welcoming, well-defined public places to stimulate face-to-face interaction, collectively celebrate and mourn, encourage civic participation, admire public art, and gather for public events.

    07. Create a Neighborhood Identity A “sense of place” gives neighborhoods a unique character, enhances the walking environment, and creates pride in the community.

    08. Protect Environmental Resources A well-designed balance of nature and development preserves natural systems, protects waterways from pollution, reduces air pollution, and protects property values.

    09. Conserve Landscapes Open space, farms, and wildlife habitat are essential for environmental, recreational, and cultural reasons.

    10. Design Matters Design excellence is the foundation of successful and healthy communities.

    Please contact the AIA Illinois office with questions at 217.522.2309 X3 or email myoung@aiail.org.

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Questions? Organizer: Mary Young -