We just received an email from our local chapter announcing this year’s design awards. Sitting down with my business partner, we consider which of our recent projects we should submit. Like many architects, we believe our work has value and is worthy of recognition, but is the time and effort required to prepare the submission worth it?

Small firms don’t always find it easy to commit resources to design award submissions, often because owners and principals are required to wear multiple hats every day. Approaching design award submissions from a reflective and storytelling perspective can help us look beyond the awards themselves to the broader benefits of the process. 

Choosing a Worthy Project

Our efforts to prepare design award submissions begin with asking which projects are worthy of recognition. It is probably the most difficult question to ask, since we see the value of the work and know how our clients received it. Instead of choosing the project you like best, a simpler (and often more effective) approach is to first research which awards your projects may be eligible for. 

In the AIA, design awards are given at local, regional and national levels for specific building types, materials and construction methods. Review the requirements of the various awards you can submit for and consider which of your recent projects best exemplifies the qualities the jury will be looking for.

Bart Shaw, FAIA, of Ibanez Shaw Architecture in Fort Worth, Texas, received a 2024 AIA Small Project Award and served as the 2026 AIA Small Project Award Jury Chair. In his view, the act of pulling together a cohesive narrative for a project you’re proud of has its own rewards.

“If you find yourself wondering whether to enter, then I believe you should. The act of gathering drawings and words, of shaping the story of a project, is in itself a kind of mirror. It reveals what matters most in your work, and what you want others to see in it. Let the jurors be the ones to weigh merit. Your task is only to share with honesty and pride. If there is something in the project that stirs you, something you know carries a piece of your voice, then tell that story. Perhaps it will be honored. Perhaps it will simply teach you more about your own practice. Either way, the process is a worthy endeavor,” he said.

Gathering Information Before You Need It

It is easy to get overwhelmed by the process, and as trained procrastinators, we all tend to put things off until the deadline, and then we push to the finish line. One way to help alleviate this last-minute scramble is to make the information-gathering process for design award submittal part of your project close-out procedures.

Collecting this information streamlines future award submissions and supports RFP responses and other marketing efforts. Save sketches, doodles, diagrams and any drawings completed early in the development that demonstrate the evolution of the design and show a clear design process. Hand drawings and massing models are often appreciated by jurors.

David Corban, AIA, of David Corban Architect in Naples, Florida, recipient of a 2025 AIA National Award for Justice Facilities, suggests we should “consider it a way of marketing our services, looking to increase design opportunities.”

As part of project close-out, document the problem the project was designed to solve, the concept or vision, key decisions, and how the final product benefited the client or community. What problems or challenges were presented to you, and how did your design solution overcome them? Describe the relevant social or contextual background of the project as you reflect; that information can help award juries understand the design’s impact.

Crafting a Good Submission

Start With Good Photography

While some programs indicate that professional photography is not a submission requirement, it can significantly help you tell your story. Select a couple of projects each year to have professionally photographed. Those resources can be used for awards or other marketing efforts on social media, your website and other visual outlets. If cost is a concern, consider collaborating with owners or contractors; they can benefit from the photography, too. You don’t have to break the bank.

You can also supplement professional photography with your own. Your trained eye and intimate understanding of your project often provide what juries need to understand it clearly, even if the photos are taken internally or on your phone. Build photography within your project close-out process. Even if you don’t pursue an award immediately, those images become valuable resources for future marketing, proposals and award submissions. 

When organizing your photographs for submission, start with the photo that best tells your story and introduces the jury to your building. End the submission with your second-best photo. The photos in between should be thought out and tied to the narrative you want to share with the jury. Photos of existing conditions and construction work can also support your narrative.

Tell Your Story

Curate your entry by asking yourself these questions:

• What story is the project trying to tell? 
• What is compelling about your project? 
• What makes it stand out as an example of good design for a building of this type? 

If there’s something you want to include that doesn’t support the narrative or story you are trying to express, don’t include it. The jury does not know what has been left out.

Jurors review many submissions and often have limited time to understand each project. A clear story and thoughtful presentation help the jury quickly understand the intent and impact of your work. Clarity can often be achieved through diagrams that communicate design intent and explain solutions that may not be immediately understood through photographs alone.

Finally, as you prepare your submission, read the narrative out loud. This will help you “listen” to the story you are telling and can ultimately strengthen your submission. 

Seek Feedback

If you are a solo practitioner, share your submission with a colleague in your area or in another state. Requesting feedback can give you an outsider’s perspective that may help you look at your project with a more critical eye. Outside feedback can also highlight merits in your work that you may not have noticed or considered before.

Another great source of feedback is jury comments. If your submission is not selected for a particular award, request comments from the jury to better understand how your work was perceived; this can help you improve future submissions.

Study the Framework for Design Excellence

Many design award programs, especially at the national level, use the Framework for Design Excellence as a rubric for determining award-worthy work. Keep the Framework in mind throughout the design process, rather than post-engineering a project to adhere to its elements.

According to the AIA, “the AIA Framework for Design Excellence challenges architects with a vision of what the profession strives to achieve. The framework’s 10 principles are relevant for every architect, every client and every project, regardless of size, typology or aspiration.”

Few projects will fully address all 10 principles. Highlight the principles your project included and think creatively about how it addresses the others. Juries often have latitude in how much consideration to give these principles. While the Framework might be considered during judging, the extent to which your project does or doesn’t exemplify its principles shouldn’t dissuade you from submitting meaningful work.

Continue Submitting

With a variety of design awards available within and beyond the AIA, consider submitting your project to multiple award programs at different levels. Each award has unique criteria, and your project may fit a specific design award better than another. Juries vary from program to program and from year to year, too, so don’t give up after a single submission. What fails to resonate with one jury may appeal to another. Resubmit the projects you truly believe in.

Conclusion

Is submitting for a design award worth your already limited time? The answer may not be as simple as whether you end up with an award on your shelf. The process of documenting your work, reflecting on your design decisions, gathering feedback and communicating the value of your projects strengthens your practice regardless of the outcome.

Small firms are uniquely positioned to create meaningful, thoughtful architecture, and design awards provide an opportunity to share those stories with a broader audience. Whether your project receives recognition or not, taking time to understand and articulate the impact of your work can be a beneficial practice.