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2026 Excellence in Design Awards Competition
The AIA Potomac Valley Excellence in Design Awards program is designed to encourage and recognize distinguished architectural achievement; to honor the architectural team, their clients and consultants who work together to improve the built environment; to demonstrate the breadth of services architects provide; and to celebrate and raise public consciousness of the architect’s role in shaping the quality of life through design excellence.
CALL FOR ENTRIES
OPEN FOR APPLICATIONS: WEDNESDAY, MAY 20
deadline: MONDAY, JULY 20 11:59PM
FRAMEWORK FOR DESIGN EXCELLENCE
In response to AIA's commitment to climate action, the Maryland chapters have included the Framework for Design Excellence (FDE) for all awards entries. While responses are optional, entries are encouraged to address those measures that are relevant to the project. (Jurors appreciate the additional context provided by these responses.) You may enter "N/A" when not applicable or explain why a particular measure is not relevant to the project. Please provide as much accurate data as possible. Our goal is to inspire sustainable, resilient and inclusive design and to support AIA's commitment to climate action. Read AIAPV’s Framework for Design Excellence Considerations for jurors and applicants here.
Why Submit?
- Gain recognition for your firm, clients, and consultant teams.
- Highlight the positive impact architects have on communities and quality of life.
- Showcase design excellence across a broad range of project types and scales.
- Elevate your work among peers, industry leaders, and the public.
ELIGIBILITY
Participation is open to built and unbuilt projects completed after January 1, 2016, that have not been previously awarded by AIA Potomac Valley (exception: projects that were previously awarded in an unbuilt category may be resubmitted in a built category).
Please carefully read through the eligibility requirements below to ensure you meet ALL criteria before submitting an entry because NO refunds or deferrals will be given due to errors in submission.
ENTRANT
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Entrant must be an AIA Member (from any chapter).
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Entrant must be either a key participant on the design team or a primary Principal* of the submitting Firm responsible for the project.
*Owner / Partner / Top-tier Principal
LOCATION
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If entrant is an AIA Potomac Valley member, project (built or unbuilt) may be located anywhere.
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If entrant is a member of another AIA chapter, project (built or unbuilt) must be located within the geographic boundaries of the Potomac Valley chapter (Allegany, Charles, Frederick, Garrett, Montgomery, Prince George’s, and Washington counties in Maryland).
PROJECT STATUS
- Project may be built or unbuilt.
- Unbuilt submissions may not be under construction at the time of submission.
PRIOR AWARDS
Project must not have previously received any award from AIA Potomac Valley, with the exception that a Built project may have previously been awarded as an Unbuilt project.
QUANTITY
There is no limit to the number of projects that may be entered by a firm or individual.
PUBLICATION
- All materials included in submissions must be cleared for public publication.
- There are no restrictions related to prior publication of project.
SCHEDULE
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Entry Deadline: Monday July 20 Submission Forms, Material Uploads and Entry Fees are due by 11:59pm EDT. Entry fee payments must be made by credit card in the awards submission portal when the project is ready for final submission. NO LATE ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED AND NO REFUNDS OR DEFERRALS WILL BE ISSUED.
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August 2025 Jury review (independent & collective). Project entries will be evaluated by an accomplished team of firm leaders from AIA Arkansas organized by Head Juror Marlon M. Blackwell, FAIA, Founding Partner + Design Director, Marlon Blackwell Architects.
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Thursday, October 22 Design + Leadership Awards (venue TBD)
View the 2025 Design Awards Entries Gallery
DOWNLOAD THE FULL 2026 CALL FOR ENTRIES (PDF)
Direct any questions to Pam Rich at [email protected].
ENTRY FEE
- AIAPV Members: $180 entry fee per project.
- Other AIA Members: $300 entry fee per project.
- Small Projects and Unbuilt Architecture only:
AIAPV Members: $90 per project entry
Other AIA Members: $150 per project entry -
By submitting a project, the submitting architect affirms that he or she has provided a complete list of participants who contributed substantially to the design of the project (regardless of discipline) and absolves AIAPV of any responsibility for omissions.
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Entry fees are non-refundable and non-deferrable. Entry fees will not be refunded for submissions that are disqualified, late, or incomplete.
SUBMISSION CATEGORIES
Categories are for organizational purposes only. It is the jury’s discretion whether to bestow awards in each category as the jury believes is justified by the quality of the submissions; the jury may not make awards in all categories. A project can be entered in only one category. Projects of all types and scales, including new construction, additions, renovations, and historic preservation projects are encouraged in each of the following categories:
- Commercial or Mixed-Use Architecture
- Institutional Architecture
- Interior Architecture
- Multi-Family Architecture
- Residential Architecture
- Unbuilt Architecture
- Urban Design & Master Planning
- Small Projects (in any of the above categories)
Entry shall be any of the following:
- less than 1,000 sf
- cost less than $300,000
- an object
The size, scope, category or cost of a project in no way limits its eligibility or level of award. The jury evaluates entries based on how successfully projects meet their individual requirements. Entries are judged individually—not in competition with each other.
DESIGN AWARDS
- Gold – (Best in Show): Best project selected from the awarded projects, for the following two categories:
- One Residential
- One Non-Residential
- One Residential
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PV Award – Recognizes the best project exemplifying elements of the AIA’s Framework for Design Excellence. Entrants must complete the optional section and check the box on the submission form to be considered for this award.
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Honor – Projects with consistently outstanding character and quality in all aspects.
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Merit – Projects exemplifying superior achievement in most aspects.
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Commendation – Projects with an exceptional aspect, detail, feature, or other characteristic, which may include ethical or responsible design principles.
DOWNLOAD THE FULL 2026 CALL FOR ENTRIES (PDF)
NOTE: The submission portal homepage for all Maryland AIA chapters can be found at https://mdaiaawards.secure-platform.com/a/. For AIAPV's Call for Entries landing page directly, CLICK HERE
