A highly anticipated annual chapter event, AIA San Antonio’s People + Place Awards recognize outstanding architectural projects by AIA members that promote public awareness of the value of design excellence.
New for this Year:
- Mayor’s Choice Award is open to ALL publicly funded projects, built or in development.
Submissions are due on September 23, 2024
Awards
Design Excellence Awards recognize excellence in built projects. Entries are evaluated on the merit of the quality of design, resolution of the program, conceptual clarity, innovation, thoughtfulness, and execution.
Projects are juried by project category.
The categories are designed to collapse into its larger primary Project Category if one or more sub-categories do not receive the required minimum number of entries to be viable.
Project Categories include:
1) Residential: any project intended for habitation
1A) Single-Family under 3,000 SF—any single-family residential project (e.g., primary or secondary residence)
1B) Single-Family over 3,000 SF—any single-family residential project (e.g., primary or secondary residence)
1C) Multifamily—any project inhabited, owned, or leased by multiple tenants on a single contiguous site
2) Small Scale: any architectural work under 1,500 SF—open to all project types (e.g., cabin, pool or guest house, pavilion, wine cave, barn, garage, or installation including temporary)
3) Commercial: Any building for profit-generating activities (includes hospitality but excludes residential).
3A) Commercial under 7,500 SF (e.g., small office, restaurant, bar, café)
3B) Commercial over 7,500 SF (e.g., corporate headquarters, large office, retail, hospitality)
3C) Architectural Interiors: any Commercial Interior space (e.g., finish-out within a shell space)
4) Civic/Institutional/Educational: any publicly funded, nonprofit, or educational project
4A) Civic/Institutional—any publicly funded or nonprofit project used primarily for a civic or institutional purpose (e.g., Courthouse, Municipal Building, Hospital, Church, Museum, or Recreational Facility)
4B) Educational—any project intended for learning (e.g., K-12, Higher Education, Training Center)
5) Unbuilt Work: recognizing design excellence in proposed or unrealized work
6) Historic Preservation, Restoration & Adaptive Reuse: preservation, restoration, renovation, or adaptive reuse of an existing or historic structure
Any project entered in any one of the building categories above may also be submitted for any, or all of the following Awards, provided the entry meets the additional submission and eligibility requirements for each award.
The COTE Award—The Committee on the Environment (COTE) Award recognizes projects that embody a holistic vision of design excellence that supports human health, vibrant communities, and ecological resilience.
Mayor's Choice Award—recognizes design excellence of all publicly funded projects, built or proposed. Projects must be located within Bexar County and their origin, development, or construction funded by the City of San Antonio. [should we elaborate on this?]
Eligibility
1) All built projects submitted must have been completed after September 1, 2014, and prior to September 1, 2024.
2) Entrants are required to be a member of AIA San Antonio and licensed by the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners at the time of the project’s completion.
3) For Built or Unbuilt projects where several parties share responsibilities for a project, the Architect must be an AIA San Antonio member and credit must be given to all who contributed substantially to the project. Primary portions of the design of the project submitted must have been performed by AIA San Antonio members and their firms located within the chapter region. Work performed outside the chapter by a satellite office of a locally established firm is ineligible.
4) An entrant may submit up to, but not more than, four (4) completed projects.
5) Projects completed in any geographic region or country are eligible.
6) Efforts by successor firms, individuals, or joint venture members should be coordinated prior to entering a project. Disqualifications resulting from multiple entries are not the responsibility of AIA San Antonio.
7) Projects are to be submitted into the most appropriate single Project Category. Submitting a project into more than one category is not allowed. Disqualifications resulting from multiple entries are not the responsibility of AIA San Antonio.
8) Separate entries of related projects are eligible (e.g., the interior completion of a lease space by one Architect within the shell building designed by another Architect).
9) Submission of a project represents permission from the entrant, the owner, and photographer to publish the project.
10) Projects that have won an AIA San Antonio Design Excellence Award in prior years are not eligible.
11) Projects that have previously been recognized with solely the Mayor’s Choice Award or Community Impact Award are eligible to resubmit.
12) Completed projects that have won an Unbuilt Award are eligible to submit as a Built Project.
Submission Requirements
All project entries will be reviewed by the jury online via the Submittable platform. All submissions must include all the following:
1) Completed Submittable Entry Form—all required fields must be completed. All submissions are final and may not be edited or changed, no exceptions.
2) Common App Document—this form highlights project strategies that address the AIA Framework for Design Excellence in a concise, standardized format for juror consideration.
a) Design Excellence Award applicants are required to complete the introductory section and ONLY TWO of the ten measures listed in the Common App project data sheet that best represent their project.
b) COTE Award applicants should complete all ten measures of the Common App to the best of their ability. Fields that are not applicable, or where information is unavailable, may be left blank.
c) Projects submitting for a Design Excellence Award wishing to also be considered for the COTE Award must submit TWO Common App Forms: One for Design Excellence (see 2.a) and a second for COTE (see 2.b).
d) Note: the 2024 common app form has been updated. Do not reuse the 2023 form.
e) Please submit the Common App form as an Excel file to ensure legibility.
3) Jury PDF—submit a PDF that thoroughly presents the project to the Jury. It should be concise and of high graphic quality. Requirements include:
a) 20 pages maximum, landscape orientation preferred
b) File size not to exceed 20 MB
c) Filename: “Jury24ProjectName.pdf”
d) All submissions shall include a Title Page including ALL the following:
- A detailed Written Description up to 250 words including program requirements, sustainability goals, and design process
- Project Name
- Project Size (in square feet)
- Location
- Date of Completion
- The Title Page may include an image
e) For all projects categories, except Interiors, include a Site Plan with a Graphic Scale and North Arrow
f) Floor Plans and Elevations should be clearly marked with a Graphic Scale and North Arrow
g) For Renovation/Restoration projects, indicate preexisting conditions with plans and/or photographs.
h) Project Images—selected images that convey the qualitative aspects and design intentions of the project. Images may be full bleed. Supporting diagrams and text may also be included.
i) Submittals shall not contain transitions, sound, animation, video clips, QR codes, hyperlinks, or links to other files.
j) The entrant’s and/or firm’s identity shall not be present anywhere within the Jury PDF.
4) Publicity Images—submit four that best portray the project. These images will be used during the ceremony event and may be provided to the media.
a) JPEG format, landscape, 16:9 aspect ratio
b) 1920x1080 minimum resolution
c) 5MB maximum file size
d) Filenames: “ProjectName01.jpg”, “Project Name02.jpg”, etc.
5) Social Media Image—submit one single image for AIA San Antonio’s Social Media Place Awards Campaign.
a) PNG format only, 800 x 450 pixels exact resolution
b) Landscape format only. Vertical images will not be accepted.
c) Filename: “ProjectNameSM.png”
d) Please provide your social media handle (e.g., Facebook: @aiasa; Instagram: @aia_san_antonio)
e) Provide up to five desired Hashtags to be included with your post (e.g., #architecture, #design, #designexcellence, etc.)
6) Exhibition Board—provide a mounted Project Board to be included in the gallery exhibition
a) Single full color image, full bleed, on gloss finish paper
b) Include the Project Name, Location and the Entrant’s or Firm’s Name
c) Dry-mounted on 24” x 24” x ¼” thick black gator board
d) Boards are due by 5pm Monday, November 4, 2024 at the Center for Architecture
Our corporate partner Thomas Printworks has offered a special price of $48.00 per board to include in a batch delivery to our office in time for the board installation on October 28th. You can email your boards directly to them at color41@thomasprintworks.com and please indicate your board is a 2024 Place Award Entry.
Entry Fees & Deadline
Entry Fee: $250 per entry. Submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. September 23, 2024. Submission fee includes one RSVP to attend the People + Place Awards Celebration on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, when award recipients are revealed. This is an exclusive invitation-only event for award entrants and sponsors.
Late Entry Fee: $100 additional fee for entries submitted after the September 23 deadline. Late entries will be accepted up until 11:59 p.m. September 30, 2024.
Events
PEOPLE + PLACE AWARDS CELEBRATION will be held in-person on the evening of Tuesday, November 12, 2024, from 6 to 8 p.m.
PEOPLE + PLACE AWARDS EXHIBITION: AIA San Antonio will exhibit all the 2024 People + Place Design Awards submittals in the Center for Architecture Gallery in December.
Contact
Please direct any questions regarding submissions or procedures to:
Belinda Sanchez, Managing Director, AIA San Antonio
210.226.4979 Office
210.544.0898 Cell (SMS texts only please)
2024 Community Impact Award
The Community Impact Award is now a stand-alone award, separate from the Place Awards. This award spotlights community projects that positively impact communities served by AIA San Antonio’s members.
Community Impact Award—entries in this category will provide a 150–250-word descriptive statement describing how the project addresses one or more of the criteria stated below:
- Economic Disparity—Architecture, or a design process that addresses economic disparity in a larger community or individuals served by the project.
- Educational Inequity—Projects that address educational inequities and promote the advancement of quality education for all.
- Community Engagement—Projects that promote and integrate a participatory design process and greater civic engagement.
- Design Excellence—Projects that integrate effective social outcomes within the highest level of design expectations.
- Health Outcomes—Projects that promote healthier outcomes for the larger community or individuals served by the project.
- Human Rights—Projects that contribute to the respect and observance of human equality and fundamental freedoms for all, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, age, or disability.
PLEASE NOTE: FIRMS ARE NOT LIMITED IN THE NUMBER OF ENTRIES ALLOWED FOR THE COMMUNITY IMPACT AWARD. ENTRIES IN THIS CATEGORY DO NOT COUNT AGAINST THE MAXIMUM FOUR PLACE AWARD ENTRIES.
Eligibility
1) Entrants are required to be a current member of AIA San Antonio and licensed with the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners at the time of the project’s completion.
2) All projects submitted must have been completed after September 1, 2014, and prior to September 1, 2024.
3) Projects must be located within the AIA San Antonio charter territory which includes the following counties: Atascosa / Bandera / Bexar / Comal / Dimmit / Edwards / Frio / Gillespie / Gonzalez / Guadalupe / Kendall / Kerr / Kimble / Kinney / Llano / Mason / Maverick / Medina / Real / Uvalde / Val Verde / Wilson / Zavala
4) Projects that have previously won a Place Award, State or National Award are eligible to submit for the Community Impact Award
5) For projects where several parties share responsibilities, the Architect must be an AIA San Antonio member and credit must be given to all who contributed substantially to the project. Primary portions of the design of the project submitted must have been performed by AIA San Antonio members and their firms located within the chapter region. Work performed primarily outside the chapter by a satellite office of a locally established firm is ineligible.
6) Efforts by successor firms, individuals, or joint venture members should be coordinated prior to entering a project. Disqualifications resulting from multiple entries are not the responsibility of AIA San Antonio.
7) Submission of a project represents permission from the entrant, the owner, and photographer to publish the project.
8) Submissions are due on September 23, 2024.
Submission Requirements
All project entries will be viewed and evaluated by the Place Awards jury via the Submittable platform. Submissions must include all the following:
1) Completed Submittable Entry Form—all required fields must be completed. All submissions are final and may not be edited or changed, no exceptions.
2) Jury PDF—submit a PDF that thoroughly presents the project to the Jury. It should be concise and of high graphic quality. Requirements include:
a) 20 pages maximum, landscape orientation suggested
b) File size to not exceed 20 MB
c) Filename: “Jury24ProjectName.pdf”
d) All submissions shall include a Title Page including ALL the following:
- Project Name
- Project Size (in square feet)
- Location
- Date of Completion
e) Submissions may include project images, drawings, or any supporting text or diagrams that present a compelling story.
f) The entrant’s and/or firm’s identity shall not be present anywhere within the Jury PDF.
3) Publicity Images—submit four that best portray the project. These images will be used during the ceremony event and may be provided to the media.
a) JPEG format, landscape, 16:9 aspect ratio
b) 1920x1080 minimum resolution
c) 5MB maximum file size
d) Filenames: “ProjectName01.jpg”, “Project Name02.jpg”, etc.
4) Social Media Image— submit one single image for AIA San Antonio’s Social Media Place Awards Campaign.
a) PNG format only, 800 x 450 pixels exact resolution
b) Landscape format only. Vertical images will not be accepted.
c) Filename: “ProjectNameSM.png”
d) Please provide your social media handle (e.g., Facebook: @aiasa; Instagram: @aia_san_antonio)
e) Provide up to five desired Hashtags to be included with your post (e.g., #architecture, #design, #designexcellence, etc.)
Entry Fees & Deadline
The People + Place Celebration is an exclusive invitation-only event for award entrants and sponsors.
Community Impact Award submissions have three fee level opportunities:
- NO Entry Fee – For projects that have also been submitted for 2024 Place Award consideration.
- $150 per entry – Entry submission only - does NOT include an RSVP to attend celebration.
- $250 per entry - Entry submission + RSVP to attend celebration.
Submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. September 23, 2024.
Late Entry Fee: $100 additional fee for entries submitted after the September 23 deadline. Late entries will be accepted up until 11:59 p.m. September 30, 2024.
Events
PEOPLE + PLACE AWARDS CELEBRATION will be held in-person on the evening of Tuesday, November 12, 2024, from 6 to 8 p.m.
PEOPLE + PLACE AWARDS EXHIBITION: AIA San Antonio will exhibit all the 2024 People + Place Design Awards submittals in the Center for Architecture Gallery in early November through the end of the year.
Contact
Please direct any questions regarding submissions or procedures to:
Belinda Sanchez, Managing Director, AIA San Antonio
210.226.4979 Office
210.544.0898 (SMS texts only please)