Chicago Award in Architecture - Student Award

The Chicago Award in Architecture is a juried competition of student projects completed during the 2025-2026 school year at an accredited or unaccredited program at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), and Harold Washington Community College (HWCC).

Submissions for this award are by invitation only. Academic institutions will be contacted directly by the AIA Chicago Foundation to facilitate the pre-selection of eligible student applicants by their faculty.

The AIA Chicago Foundation encourages project submissions of all types: commercial, residential, hospitality, institutional, or health care projects. Each project should have both an architectural and an interior orientation, addressing three-dimensional space, conveying a complete, well-thought-out, design concept that meets programmatic and functional requirements. The submittal must explain the design process from the conceptual stage through design development.

Eligibility Categories:

• Category 1: First (1st) and second (2nd) year architecture students from HWCC, IIT, UIC
• Category 2: Third (3rd), Fourth (4th) and Fifth (5th) year architecture students from IIT, SAIC, and UIC
• Category 3: Students in an NAAB accredited master’s degree program at IIT, SAIC, UIC

Additional Eligibility Criteria:

• Solo and group projects may enter.
• The participating school may nominate up to three (3) projects in each category.
•  Submissions are limited to one studio project per professor, per school.

• All entries must be pre-juried by each participating school.
• All projects will be evaluated by a five-member jury. The jury includes three (3) members of the AIA Chicago Foundation Board of Trustees and two (2) practicing architecture professionals who are not members of the Board.

Jurors will review submissions on a digital platform; therefore, legibility and pixel size should be considered.

Recognition may include:

• Recognition on stage at the Building Together Holiday Party & Awards Program.
• Certificate on official AIA letterhead recognizing achievement.
• Recognition on AIA Chicago's communication channels, including:
  • Press Release distributed to local outlets and universities and posted on AIA Chicago's website
  • Social media
  • Email recognition to AIA Chicago members