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The annual AIA Wisconsin Design Awards competition recognizes architects,
building owners, and contractors for excellence in architectural design and construction
and represents the highest recognition given for excellence in architectural design by
the state's professional society of architects.
2025 Design Award Winners
From a field of 55 project entries designed by AIA Wisconsin architect members, five projects were awarded the Honor Award, the highest recognition awarded for design excellence. Additionally, four projects were given Merit Awards, recognizing overall design excellence, and six projects received Special Recognition Awards for outstanding achievement in the categories of Adaptive Reuse, Community Impact, Historic Preservation, Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI), and Sustainable Design. These awards underscore the creativity, innovation, and impact of Wisconsin architects in shaping the built environment in Wisconsin and beyond.
Each Design Award submission was evaluated using AIA’s Framework for Design Excellence, a tool to consider projects through the impact of social and environmental factors in an effort to work towards a sustainable, equitable, and resilient built environment.
A distinguished jury from outside of Wisconsin selected the winners. Members of the 2025 Design Awards jury included AIA member architects Alyssa Manypenny Murphy, AIA, Founding Partner of Placework in Portsmouth, NH; Stephen Schreiber, FAIA, Chair of the Department of Architecture at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst; Elissa Morgante, AIA, Founding Partner at Morgante Wilson Architect in Chicago, IL.
2025 Design Awards Gala
In celebration of this year’s winners, AIA Wisconsin will host their fifth annual Design Awards Gala in Milwaukee on Friday, October 10, 2025, at Jan Serr Studio. This premier event for the design community is open to the public as well as architects. The gala also serves as a fundraiser for the Wisconsin Architects Foundation (WAF), a charitable organization dedicated to assisting architecture students and professionals by funding educational programs, scholarships, and grants.
► Click here to learn more and purchase tickets.
This year’s program received 55 outstanding entries from members across the state, showcasing the breadth, depth, and impact of architecture in Wisconsin. A huge thank you to all who submitted their projects—we’re honored to celebrate your creativity, dedication, and design excellence.
