Frequently Asked Questions
The Entry Process
Categories
Submissions
Judging
Winning an Award
Newsletters / Staying informed
Miscellaneous
The Entry Process
-
Can I log in with my existing Architizer username & password?
We have recently updated our system and you should now use your Architizer login credentials to access your A+Awards account. Click here to login or create an Architizer account.
-
What assets do I need to enter the A+Awards?
Below is a list of everything you will need to submit to the A+Awards:
Typology and Plus Categories
- Entrant Name and Contact Information
- Entry Title (Project Name)
- Project Details (Year and Location)
- Project Description (300 words)
- Collaborator Credits (Optional)
- Client Name (Optional)
- Select The Category - Click here for a description of Typology and Plus categories
- Upload 1-12 images. Single Images ONLY. No collages. (30MB max: jpeg, tiff or png file)
- Upload up to 1 video. (2GB max: mp4, mpg or flv file)
Firm Categories
- Entrant Name and Contact Information
- Entry Title (Firm Name)
- Year Established
- Firm Location
- Firm Statement (300 words)
- Architizer Profile (Optional)
- Select The Category - Click here for a description of Firm categories
- Upload 1-12 images. Single Images ONLY. No collages. (30MB max: jpeg, tiff or png file)
- Upload up to 1 video. (2GB max: mp4, mpg or flv file)
Sustainability Categories
- Entrant Name and Contact Information
- Entry Title (Project Name)
- Project Details (Year and Location)
- Project Description (300 words)
- Collaborator Credits (Optional)
- Client Name (Optional)
- Select The Category - Click here for a description of Sustainability categories
- Upload 1-12 images. Single Images ONLY. No collages. (30MB max: jpeg, tiff or png file)
- Upload up to 1 video. (2GB max: mp4, mpg or flv file)
- Project Eligibility Questionnaire (checklist)
- Project Sustainability Statement (200 word max)
-
Can I withdraw my entry? Will I get a refund?
You may withdraw your entry by emailing awards@architizer.com. Refunds WILL be issued for entries that are withdrawn within 48hrs of being submitted. Refunds WILL NOT be issued for entries withdrawn after 48hrs of being submitted.
-
How can I be sure you have received my entry?
You will see a confirmation page noting your entry number and will also receive a confirmation email acknowledging receipt of your entry. If you do not receive an email confirmation within 24hrs, please email awards@architizer.com.
-
How can I change my entry?
The following information can be changed on an entry any time prior to the close of the call for entry period.
- Contact Information
- Entrant Details
- Project description
- Project images and/or video
- Sustainability checklist and statement
Please email customer service at awards@architizer.com for further information and to request changes.
-
Do you have to be based in the United States to participate?
No. The Architizer A+Awards is a global awards program.
-
Do the project description, firm statement and sustainability statement need to be in English?
Yes. In order to ensure our judges are able to review and score your work we require your descriptions to be submitted in English.
Categories
-
Which category should I enter?
The Architizer A+Awards has 125 categories broken up into Typology, Plus, Sustainability and Firm Categories. You will be able to select the categories most applicable to your work. In most cases, a project will only be eligible for one of the Typology or Sustainability Categories, but may apply to several of the Plus or Firm Categories. There is no limit to how many categories a project can be submitted to, and it is possible to win multiple times. The Architizer A+Awards reserves the right to move entries to other categories if it is clearly appropriate to do so. If this is the case, you will be notified by email.
-
Can I enter more than one category?
Yes. There is no limit to how many categories a project can be submitted to and it is possible to win multiple times. The more categories you enter, the better your chances to win! Each category entered will require a separate entry fee.
Submissions
-
When does my project have to be completed for it to be eligible?
Entries submitted to the Typology, Plus and Sustainability categories must be BUILT within the past three (3) years, with the exception of Architecture +Models and Rendering, Architecture +AI and those categories labeled Unbuilt.Entries submitted to the Firm categories can include built and unbuilt works, but must include at least three (3) projects built within the last ten (10) years.
-
If I submitted last year, can I resubmit the same project this year?
Yes, if the project is still eligible according to the other guidelines, you may submit it again. This applies to projects that were awarded as special mentions, finalists, and winners, as well as to those that were not awarded.
-
Is judging anonymous?
No. Judges will see all submitted materials for your entry. If your entry is nominated for a Popular Choice Award, your firm’s name will be revealed with the project for public voting.
-
Do I need to be an architect to enter?
No. The Architizer A+Awards celebrates the built environment and all of the people involved with its creation, including clients and constituents, engineers and consultants, photographers and rendering artists, and product manufacturers.
-
Do I need to submit plans and sections or just photographs and renderings?
You are not required to submit a particular asset type, so we recommend submitting as many assets as needed to fully explicate your work. Each project is different, but all upload-able forms of documentation are eligible and we encourage you to think carefully about the materials you submit.
-
What file types can I submit?
Photographs and Images – (30MB max: jpeg, tiff or png file)Video Content – (2GB max; mpg, flv or mp4 file format)
-
How many files can I submit?
Minimum required: 1. Maximum allowed: 12*Single Images Only - no collaged images, competition boards or multi-image spreads.
-
How do I know if my project is eligible for a Sustainability Award?
Architizer defines a "sustainable” building as one that incorporates Sustainable Systems, Healthy or Climate Positive Materials, and Ethical Building Practices into its design, construction and maintenance.To be eligible for these categories, your project must feature 50% (9) of the 18 sustainability criteria below. Entrants are further asked to provide a statement that describes their efforts to produce a sustainable design within the unique context of their project.
Sustainable Systems:
- Passive heating and/or ventilation strategies
- Renewable energy systems, such as photovoltaics
- Pollution, waste or water reduction or reuse measures
- Details that help improve insulation / air tightness
- Systems for improving interior air quality
- Construction waste reduction and/or recycling on site
Healthy or Climate Positive Materials:
- Ethically sourced / locally sourced materials
- Salvaged / recycled materials
- Materials that can be salvaged or reused at the end of the building’s life
- Bio-based materials / materials with organic properties
- Materials meeting national or global testing standards for reduced toxicity
- Materials with low embodied carbon or environmental product declarations
Ethical Building Practices:
- Considers environmental implications in its design, construction and operation
- Considers equity and the quality of life of occupants in its design, construction and operation
- Utilizes local contractors and ethical labor practices in its construction
- Adapts and/or rejuvenate existing structures and spaces for a new use
- Includes design elements that enable adaptation to a changing environment or future needs
- Includes resilient materials whose longevity can contribute to lower life-time costs to both occupants and the environment
-
Should I include special images or descriptions for entries in the sustainability categories?
You may include images within your submission that speak to its sustainability, but it is not an essential requirement. Note that if you submit your project for multiple categories, you can edit both the images and the project description for each category entered if you prefer to customize your entry for a particular category. If you are unsure how to edit your entries, please contact awards@architizer.com for assistance.
-
Will the sustainability categories be judged differently to other categories?
Projects entered in the sustainability categories must pass the eligibility criteria by satisfying a minimum of 50% (9) of the 18 criteria listed above. If they pass this criteria, they will pass through to the main judging round, where they will be judged using the same criteria as the Typology and Plus categories — Form, Function and Impact (for which sustainability is an integral factor).
Judging
-
Who is on the Architizer A+Awards jury?
Our global jury is a collection of 250+ leaders in their fields comprised of practicing architects and designers, critics and journalists, real estate developers, manufacturing and tech industry leaders, and notable artists and thinkers. The jury includes industry luminaries such as Suchi Reddy (Reddymade), Oana Stanescu (Oana Stanescu Studio), Winy Maas (MVRDV), and Sou Fujimoto (Sou Fujimoto Projects), as well as people from beyond architecture like Yoko Choy (Wallpaper), Jake Barton (Local Projects), Julia Gamolina (Madame Architect), and Roy Kim (Extell Development Company). For a complete Jury list click here.
-
What is the 2023-2024 A+Awards timeline?
Below is a timeline of the upcoming 12th Annual A+Awards program:
12th Annual A+Awards Open For Entries October 9, 2023 Early Entry Deadline November 3, 2023 Main Entry Deadline December 15, 2023 Final Entry Deadline January 26, 2024 Extended Entry Deadline February 23, 2024 Jury and Public Voting April/May 2024 Winners Announced June 2024
-
Can you explain how the submissions are judged?
Please see judging process and criteria.
-
Is it possible to receive the judges rating and/or comments for my project?
Unfortunately due to the high volume of entries, the Architizer A+Awards cannot offer individual comments to its entrants.
-
How do you ensure that Popular Choice Voting is fair and not fixed?
If we detect suspicious activity we will alert the entrant and remove the votes.The Architizer A+Awards team is constantly looking for suspicious activity during the A+ Popular Choice campaign.Our security team looks for the following throughout the voting process and investigates suspicious activity including, but not limited:
- email addresses created from automated email APIs and software
- spiked voting from the same IP address or concentrations from a single geographic IP region
- email addresses that match those purchasable at popular bulk email address providers
- large numbers of votes without any referrals
- a large number of votes in a very short period of time
- large numbers of votes with very little site visit time and/or low session time
- votes from sequential email addresses
-
When will winners be announced?
Finalists will be announced in May 2024. The Jury winners and Popular Choice winners will both be announced in June 2024.
Winning an Award
-
How many entrants win Architizer A+Awards?
For each of the 125 categories, the Jury will select five (5) finalists which represent the five best in the category. Out of the finalists, one (1) winner will be selected and will win the coveted Jury Award for that specific category. Additionally, the online community, through a public vote, will also select a Winner from the five finalists in each category. These projects will receive an Architizer A+Popular Choice Award.
-
Do you hold an event?
Due to the global nature of the program, Architizer hosts an in-person Winners' celebration during select program seasons. Winners will be notified in summer 2024 of any regional or global awards-related events. Separate from the winners’ gala, Winners from around the globe can celebrate their achievements online, in the media, and in print, alongside Architizer’s vast international community.
-
What do I get if I win an Architizer A+Award or if my entry is chosen as a Finalist?
To help promote achievement, the A+Awards provides its winners the notable A+Award trophy, and both Winners and Finalists will be included on the winners page of the Architizer A+Awards Site. Select Jury and Popular Choice Winners will also be featured in the Architizer.com Journal, as well as in the annual A+Awards book, The World’s Best Architecture. In addition to benefits offered on Architizer, Winners receive one free press kit distribution on international architectural newswire v2com, shared with 6,000+ media outlets worldwide. Finalists will receive 50% off their first press kit.
-
Can I buy additional trophies for members of my team, clients and others if i win?
Yes. To help promote achievement, the Architizer A+Awards provides its winners the option to order additional statuettes. Please email us at awards@architizer.com to place your order.
Miscellaneous
-
Can I rent the list of Architizer A+Awards entrants or winners?
No. We do not rent or sell our entrant or winner lists.
-
Winning Projects
Architizer reserves the right to edit materials provided by entrants for inclusion in The World’s Best Architecture publication. Entrants will be notified regarding their materials and participation prior to publication.
-
Can my organization sponsor the A+Awards?
Interested in sponsoring the world’s largest award program celebrating architecture and building products? Opportunities include Category Sponsorship, Voting Recognition, Custom Trophy Fabrication, in-person Activations and more! To learn more about becoming a partner, email david@architizer.com.