2026 Honor Awards

Design that Endures.

Architecture is both a manifestation of where we are in time and an expression of what we aspire to become. Through artistry and stewardship, we shape places that future generations will inherit. In turn, we contribute to an ongoing conversation that reflects our values, imagination, and hope for the future. Through thoughtful design and the act of making, architecture becomes more than the creation of buildings; it becomes a tangible record of who we are and our shared humanity.

As tools and processes continue to evolve, so does our opportunity to reaffirm what makes design deeply human. While every generation discovers new ways of imagining and making, architecture continues to give physical form to our ideas, shaping the places we live, gather, learn and connect.

We invite you to share your work, at any scale, that reflects the making and impact of architecture and contributes to the broader design community. A few highlights and reminders for the 2026 Honor Awards:

We encourage submitters to celebrate the people and places that shape their projects, highlighting the contributions of all collaborators and the collective vision behind the work.
AIA Seattle remains committed to climate action as an imperative. All BUILT submitters are required to convey their approach to sustainable design through the Performance Statement and to complete the 2026 Common App for Design Excellence to the best of their ability.
We’re continuing to ask submitters to include a “Project Context” page as part of your Submission Package as an opportunity to expand on the project narrative and provide more context to the jury.

We invite you to join colleagues and community to celebrate outstanding design. This year’s Live Event is on Monday, November 9 at Town Hall Seattle, and we can’t wait to start the party at 5:30pm!

On behalf of the Honor Awards Committee, we invite you to submit your work to AIA Seattle’s 2026 Honor Awards for Washington Architecture—and to consider the lasting impact your project has on the people and community it serves.

— Alex Ayala AIA & Evgeniya Silvas AIA | Co-Chairs, Honor Awards Committee

HOW TO SUBMIT

After logging into your existing Submittable account or creating a new one, you can start, save, and return to draft submissions at any point until the final deadline (5:00pm September 30).

Submit to one of three categories: BUILT, CONCEPTUAL, or RESEARCH & INNOVATION. Download the 2026 Call for Submissions + Guidelines for details about requirements, submission categories, and submitter eligibility. Refer to the FAQs page as needed!

Reduced rate options are available! Please submit the Scholarship / Reduced Rate Request Form via email by Wednesday, September 16.

SUBMIT HERE

Fees is based on active membership status + submission category. Learn more about the benefits of membership.

WHAT TO SUBMIT (THE OVERVIEW)

For complete details about the submission categories, file requirements, and submitter eligibility, download the 2026 Call for Submissions + Guidelines.

BUILT category submissions: Download and complete the updated 2026 Common App for Design Excellence!

Get inspired by past winners here. Awards are the final determination of the jury.

THE COMMON APP FOR DESIGN EXCELLENCE

AIA Seattle is committed to climate action as an imperative, and continues to utilize the Common App for Design Excellence as a vehicle for teams to demonstrate their project’s contributions to addressing climate change. All applicable BUILT submitters are required* to complete the Common App. To qualify for the Energy in Design Award, the submitted project must demonstrate exemplary performance in working towards the 2030 Challenge goals of zero emissions for all new buildings and major renovations by the year 2030. Use the Performance Statement to further explain how the project’s sustainable design strategies elevate design excellence and the impact of your project!

Need direct support with the Common App for Design Excellence? The Integrated Design Lab is available to offer technical support for the Common App via email until September 28 at 5:00pm PT. E-mail Teresa Moroseos (teresafm@uw.edu) with the subject line “AIA Seattle Common App.”

WHY SUBMIT?

Publicize your work—All submitted projects are featured in AIA Seattle’s public-facing Online Gallery, the perfect place for local and national design-hungry writers.

Reach a local and global audience—We will once again be hosting an in-person and livestreamed awards event on November 9, providing an exciting opportunity for our design community to broadly showcase work in and from Washington state.

Build buzz about your firm—Use your firm’s recognition to leverage coverage of you and your projects in magazines and journals that are seen by peers and potential clients throughout the Northwest.

Put your creativity to work twice—Have a great project that never made it out of the design phase? Don’t let it go to waste! Submit to the CONCEPTUAL category. Are you doing research or fabrication to support a project or inform practice? Submit to the RESEARCH & INNOVATION category.

Refine your pitch—Submitting your project is a great way to hone how you communicate about your work. Those who have submitted in the past say that the process helped them speak about their work to clients and to fellow team members in a more coherent and persuasive way.

Build respect from peers and clients—Recognition from a panel of carefully chosen jurors adds to your firm’s credibility. The Awards themselves exhibit the breadth and depth of architectural talent in and from Washington.

Help our profession support climate action—As a part of AIA moving towards design that supports climate action and with the goal to (eventually) centralize project performance data from across the nation, we expect you’ll continue to see the Common App for Design Excellence in other awards programs.

Celebrate the people and places that shape projects—Submitting provides a critical opportunity to celebrate the role of all collaborators that contribute to the vision and impact of these projects.

Advance practice—Widely share your project story and contribute to a more inclusive dialogue about design excellence. What concepts and considerations drove the design? How did the design team creatively address the project parameters and client goals? What benefit or impact does the project create for its occupants and for the larger context?

TELL YOUR PROJECT STORY

Every year, jurors praise submissions that reveal the story behind the marketing images. What concepts and considerations drove the design? How did the design team creatively address the project parameters and client goals? What benefit or impact does the project create for its occupants and for the larger context? Ultimately, what makes this an award-winning project? We encourage submitters to use the project narrative, captions, and the inclusion of process work as opportunities to tell a design story. Submit to start a dialogue with the jury.

SHARE YOUR PROJECT CONTEXT

New in 2025, we’re asking submitters to include a “Project Context” page as part of their Submission Package. Every year, jurors want to better understand how a project is situated and what conditions informed design decisions. How does the project reflect or shift the story of its place? What is notable about the project’s location, site, or surroundings? What are the current site conditions (e.g., neighborhood, urban/rural, greenfield, brownfield, adaptive reuse, etc)? How does the project respond to or interact with its environment? If the jury were to visit the project, what else would they see? What does the jury need to know in order to truly understand the project and its context? Paint a picture for the jury.

The Jury Process

In addition to the jury’s own criteria, the AIA Seattle community has identified four considerations for the submission review process:

Inspiration | How does the project manifest its stated intent–in form and function revealing innovation in both thought and practice?
Problem-solving | How does the project creatively address challenges inherent in its site, budget, program, materials, collaboration, and context? What are the organizing principles informing design?
Environmental Sensitivity | How does the project exhibit serious intent to minimize negative environmental impact and enhance its relationship to the environment?
Social Impact | How does the project engage the community in which it is situated? How does it help promote a vibrant, equitable, and just community?

We invite submitters to carefully consider how the jury will interpret one or more of these jury considerations in connection to the project’s design story.

Young Voices Selection

The Young Voices Selection (YVS) program aims to elevate and engage the voices of young designers through direct participation and representation in AIA Seattle’s Honor Awards for Washington Architecture. Three young designers (30 years of age or younger and/or have less than 5 years experience in the profession), endorsed by firm/industry leaders and selected by the Honor Awards Committee, will be given the opportunity to review, deliberate, and then select ONE Built project submission recognized as the “Young Voices Selection” at the Live Event.

WHO IS A ‘YOUNG’ VOICE?
The YVS program aims to reinforce the value of young perspectives considering both career experience and generational/lived experience. After leaving the creative hub and intellectual rigor of university, young people often find themselves without clear and direct avenues to participate in serious design discourse, though they are appreciated for their technical expertise. The Young Voices Selection program elevates young designers for their unique perspectives, and the YVS program establishes a sanctioned platform for these perspectives to be widely shared.

ELIGIBILITY + NOMINATION
Nominees for the Young Voices Selection Panel must be 30 years of age or younger and/or have less than 5 years experience in the profession and may not currently be enrolled in any undergraduate or graduate education programs.