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.

Design Awards Categories

Honor Awards: Highest acknowledgment of design excellence.

Merit Awards: Recognition of overall design excellence.

Special Recognition Awards: Projects may choose to also be considered for an award in the following categories. Submitting for these categories does not preclude the project from winning an Honor or Merit Award. Jurors may choose to recognize exceptional projects in the areas of:

Adaptive Reuse: Recognizes projects that creatively repurpose existing buildings to meet contemporary needs while preserving architectural, cultural, and/or environmental value. Submissions should demonstrate how the design approach enhances functionality, sustainability, and community impact while respecting the original structure’s character.
Community Impact: Recognizes projects that aim to eliminate physical and perceived barriers, empowering individuals to come together, connect, and achieve their fullest potential. Key considerations include design excellence, sustainability & resilience, social & economic impact, and JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) principles.
Historic Preservation: Recognizes projects that protect, restore, and rehabilitate buildings, structures or sites for their continued reuse and viability. Awards in this category demonstrate protection, community & economic impact, and technical execution.
Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI): Recognizes projects that creatively promote the universal principles of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion through design.
Residential Design (CRAN Award): Recognizes design excellence in new and renovated single-family residential projects. Key considerations include contextual sensitivity, craftsmanship, spatial organization, design integration, and more.
Sustainable Design: Recognizes projects that exemplify the integration of design and performance through elevated narratives and metrics provided via the AIA Framework for Design Excellence and the Common App.

NEW for 2026!
25 Year Award: The 25 Year Award honors one exemplary architectural project that stands the test of time and continues to set standards of excellence for its architectural design and significance, both in its original form and by today’s standards.

Design Awards Details

Eligibility + Authorship

Construction of the project must have been completed by January 1, 2026.
The design architect, who is primarily responsible for the authorship of the project’s design, must be an AIA Wisconsin licensed architect member. There may be more than one design architect provided they meet these criteria.
All design team members and other consultants substantially contributing to the design of the project must be given credit as part of the submission.
For projects in which more than one architecture firm contributes to the design, all the architecture firms must be given appropriate credit as part of the submission.
Projects previously submitted that did not receive an Honor or Merit Award are eligible for resubmission.

Jury

The jury is comprised of distinguished architects from outside of Wisconsin. The projects are not judged in competition with each other, but rather by measuring the architect’s performance against each project’s potential. Thus, projects of ordinary program or modest budget can receive an award based on the architect’s skill in optimizing the design opportunity. AIA Wisconsin seeks to encourage a broad range of projects and firms that highlight the great work of AIA Wisconsin members.

25 Year Award Details

Eligibility + Authorship

The 25 Year Award recognizes completed, built projects located in Wisconsin.
In addition to new build projects, additions, renovations, or adaptive reuse projects may also be submitted for this award.
Projects must be completed after January 1, 1975, and before December 31, 2000 (Note: Use the first date when a certificate of occupancy is issued).
Entries must have been designed by firms with architects registered and practicing professionally in Wisconsin.
Entries must be nominated or submitted by a current AIA Wisconsin member; the nominator does not need to be the original architect on the project.

Jury

Submissions will be judged by a jury of AIA Wisconsin leaders, Fellows, and individual award recipients, bringing a broad range of expertise to ensure a fair and well-rounded evaluation. Jurors will be recognized when the 25 Year Award winner is announced.

Design Awards Gala
SAVE THE DATE

The 2026 Design Awards Presentation will take place at the AIA Wisconsin Design Awards Gala on Friday, October 2, 2026, at The Wisconsin Club in Milwaukee, where a display of the winning projects will be featured. Winners will also receive coverage on AIA Wisconsin’s website and social media platforms. Please plan to have at least one representative from the project team present to accept the award if chosen. The Architect, Owner, and Contractor of each winning entry will each receive an award certificate (for a total of 3 certificates), so all members of the project team are encouraged to attend.

Design Awards: How to Submit

STEP 1: Pay Entry Fee & Receive a Concealed Identification Number

Please Note: You must complete this step before compiling your submission. This should be done well before the June 30 submission deadline.

Click here to complete the preliminary entry and concealed identification information and pay the submission fee ($250).

Once fees are received, you will be assigned a seven-digit Concealed ID number to be used for all submission materials as directed below. If you are submitting more than one project, you will need to submit payment for the total # of submissions you plan to make and will receive a different Concealed ID # for each project.

STEP 2: Complete Entry Forms

Review the Submission Instructions document carefully to ensure your submission is properly prepared. Find the downloadable submission materials below. These files must be included in your submission(s); please make sure the forms are filled out in their entirety:

Concealed Identification Form
Framework for Design Excellence Worksheet
One-Page Project Statement
Special Recognition Criteria Forms (optional)
Media Release Form
Display Image
Up to (12) high-resolution project photos, including the display image; if desired, up to (4) of the (12) images may be a compilation image.

STEP 3: Save and Title Submission Materials Using Concealed ID Number

Save your Concealed Identification Form, Framework for Design Excellence Worksheet, One-page Project Description, Special Recognition Criteria Forms (optional), Media Release Form, and display image & photos according to the naming guidelines provided in the Submission Instructions. This allows for strict anonymity throughout the jury process.

STEP 4: Submit Your Final Entry

All completed submissions must be received by AIA Wisconsin no later than 6:00 pm on Tuesday, June 30, 2026.

Submit your electronic files together using the AIA Wisconsin Hightail uplink: https://spaces.hightail.com/uplink/AIAW. Do not upload files separately or email files.

AIA Wisconsin will compile the submission materials for juror consideration. AIA Wisconsin will not accept responsibility for errors in submitted material. By submitting, each entrant certifies that the statements and information contained in these documents are true, accurate, and complete, and permission has been obtained from the photographer(s) to publish the submitted photographs and electronic images for publicity.

25 Year Award: How to Submit

STEP 1: Pay Entry Fee

Please Note: You must complete this step before compiling your submission. This should be done well before the June 30 submission deadline.

Click here to complete the preliminary entry information and pay the submission fee ($150).

STEP 2: Complete Entry Forms

Review the Submission Instructions document carefully to ensure your submission is properly prepared. Find the downloadable submission materials below or in the 25 Year Submission Materials Google Drive folder. These files must be included in your submission(s); please make sure the forms are filled out in their entirety:

Concealed Identification Form
One-Page Project Statement
Media Release Form
Up to (10) high-resolution project photos, including the display image; if desired, up to (3) of the (10) images may be a compilation image.
Up to (3) high-resolution floor and/or site plans representative of the project/site. Plans may be in collage format.

STEP 3: Save and Title Submission Materials Using Project Name

Save your Concealed Identification Form, One-page Project Description, Media Release Form, and photos & plans according to the naming guidelines provided in the Submission Instructions. This allows for strict anonymity throughout the jury process.

STEP 4: Submit Your Final Entry

All completed submissions must be received by AIA Wisconsin no later than 6:00 pm on Tuesday, June 30, 2026.

Submit your electronic files together using the AIA Wisconsin Hightail uplink: https://spaces.hightail.com/uplink/AIAW. Do not upload files separately or email files.

AIA Wisconsin will compile the submission materials for juror consideration. AIA Wisconsin will not accept responsibility for errors in submitted material. By submitting, each entrant certifies that the statements and information contained in these documents are true, accurate, and complete, and permission has been obtained from the photographer(s) to publish the submitted photographs and electronic images for publicity.

Questions?
Email AIA WI Programs Director, Mary Orella, at mary@aiaw.org.

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.

Learn More about the 2025 Winners

2025 Design Awards Entries

The 2025 Design Awards cycle 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.