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Frequently Asked Questions
PROGRAM & CATEGORIES
Q: What are the deadlines?
A: All categories are due on Friday, September 29, 2023 11:59 PM EDT. We encourage all submitters not to wait until the last minute to begin or submit your application, including processing the payment. Failure to submit by the deadline may result in disqualification.
Q: What are the fees to submit?
A:
| BSA Firm Members | Non-BSA Members | AIA Assoc or Student | |
| Built Design Excellence | $275 | $550 | -- |
| Small Firms | $175 | $350 | -- |
| Unbuilt Planning & Design | $150 | $300 | $100 |
Q: What are the current categories for the Design Awards?
A: The BSA Design Awards program no longer runs on cycles, so you may submit projects of any type for consideration.
We have structured the Design Awards program into THREE categories – to recognize the diversity of our members and to create a system for jury reviews of both metrics and design based on typology. Divisions include:
BUILT DESIGN EXCELLENCE – Recognizing measured design excellence through performance metrics in all completed projects
SMALL FIRMS – Recognizing design excellence through performance narratives in all completed projects. Eligible for firms of 10 or fewer employees.
UNBUILT PLANNING & DESIGN – Recognizing the promise of design excellence in the broadest possible range of research, conceptual exploration and innovation in design thinking for initiated and theoretical projects.
Design Excellence and Small Firms categories can include:
- Adaptive Reuse, Renovation or Historic Preservation:
- Civic & Cultural Facilities
- Community Centers
- Libraries
- Museums
- Commercial
- Hospitality
- Retail
- Workplace Spaces
- Educational Facilities
- K-12 Education Facilities
- Higher Education Facilities
- Housing
- Single Family/Residential
- Multi-Family/Residential
- Specialized Housing
- Mixed Use
- Institutional Facilities
- Healthcare Facilities
- Life Science Facilities
- Interior Architecture
- Urban Design & Master Planning
- Other: If your project type is not listed, you may enter it here for consideration. Juries will review and may decide to place the submission in a category.
Unbuilt Planning & Design categories can include:
- Conceptual: Purely theoretical projects – not commissioned by a client
- Planning: Planning, placemaking design, strategic plans, guidelines, infrastructure, tools, processes, or any other project type – must have an actual, identifiable client
Q: Are awards still being awarded for the project categories?
A: That depends. At the jury's discretion, the number of awards and award recognition in any category may be given to as many or as few projects as are deemed worthy by the jury. The jury's decisions are final and not subject to review.
Q: Can one project be submitted to multiple categories?
A: Yes, but you must submit and pay for each category separately. While you may submit projects to multiple categories, we recommend crafting your narrative specifically for the appropriate category.
Q: Can I submit a project that was previously submitted to the BSA Design Awards?
A: Yes – you may resubmit a (Built or Small Firms) project, so long as it didn’t receive a BSA Design Award and is also still eligible.
Q: Can Small Firms submit to the Built category?
A: Yes, Small Firms may submit projects to the Built Design Excellence category. Please keep in mind, performance metrics are required and play a key role in evaluations.
Q: Is there a Sustainable Design category?
A. No. Sustainable design, including the Framework measures of Design for Energy, should be achieved for all project types and categories, and embedded into all design work in order to achieve 2050 carbon neutral goals.
Q: Is there an Accessible Design category?
A: No. Accessible design is a human right, and accessibility should be considered within all projects.
In collaboration with the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board (MAAB), Built Design Excellence and Small Firms submissions may be eligible for accessible design achievement for:
A. Thomas P. Hopkins Memorial Award for public buildings and facilities to which Massachusetts statute 521 CMR applies.
B. Private Residential Award for projects address an individual’s personal accessibility needs.
C. William D. Smith Memorial Award for projects that integrate accessibility with historic preservation.
Entries will be judged in part on effectiveness in integrating the specific access solution into the overall project design. You can opt in or opt out for consideration during the submission process.
Q: Can I submit an Unbuilt Planning and Design Award project if it received a previous BSA Design Award or an award in another design competition?
A: If your current project submission has a very different conceptualization than the previous award(s) – yes, you may submit.
ELIGIBILITY
Q: Who is eligible to submit?
A: Anyone is eligible to submit. Massachusetts AIA firm members receive special pricing for all categories. AIA Associates receive special pricing for the Unbuilt Planning & Design division.
Associate AIA members and other unlicensed design professionals, including interior architects or interior designers, may submit projects that do not require the stamp of a licensed professional.
Q: I work for a Boston-based firm that just completed a project in Seattle; are we eligible?
A: Projects by New England design professionals may be located anywhere. Projects by non-Massachusetts design professionals must be located in New Egland.
Unbuilt Planning & Design:
Planning: Projects by New England design professionals may be located anywhere. Projects by others must be located in New England.
Conceptual: Projects and designers may be located anywhere in the world.
Q: When must have eligible projects been built?
A: Projects must have been completed within the past 5 years; between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2022. A project completed in March 2023 (for example) is not eligible.
For the Urban Design/Planning category, “initiated” shall mean a completed or an incomplete project, where a significant portion has been completed, implemented, or adopted by a local jurisdiction, authority, institution, or private client.
Unbuilt Planning & Design:
Planning: Projects initiated within the past 5 years: between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2022
Conceptual: Projects must not be completed or under review for construction and there is no current intent to build.
SUBMISSION PROCESS
Q. How do I submit my project?
A. All entries are made using our online awards platform. You must create an account or hold a current account in order to submit your project.
Q. Do I need to create an account and submit my application on the same day?
A: No, once you create an account and begin the application process, you may return to your application (located in the drafts folder) to complete or make edits. You must enter your completed project submission and payment by the deadline.
We strongly recommend that you begin the account process early to review the questions and be comfortable with the submission platform. Do not wait until the last minute to create an account as it may delay your submission entry!
Q. When do I pay for my application?
A. Entry fees are processed at the time of your submission. Please allow payment processing time so that your submission does not run past the deadline time.
SUBMISSION INFORMATION & CRITERIA
Q: What is required for my submission?
A: Each award division is different, so be sure to check the appropriate Call for Entry (CFE) for all requirements. The Unbuilt Planning & Design Awards submissions are unique and submissions will need to be crafted accordingly. The following requirements generally apply to all BSA Design Awards categories:
- Digital project portfolio (maximum of 10 pages, including project description, images, and plans)
- Unbuilt: 3 20” x 20” digital boards
- Project narrative focusing on the AIA Framework for Design Excellence principles and the Impact concentrations (250 words)
- Common App worksheet (Built Design Excellence and Small Firms only)
- Project images (a minimum of 5, a maximum of 10)
- Project team credits
- Entry fee
Q: What type of information should be included in the Project Narrative?
A: In general, we encourage precise and focus on the big picture impact. Please be aware that juries are reviewing many projects within a limited time. Some projects might need some more explanatory text and some less. Narratives should include the program requirements, goals, solutions, and challenges – supporting your Common App information.
Impact Advancements are explored by juries to understand the concepts and considerations that drive the values of good design. Your 250-word summary provides the opportunity to narrate your project’s process and impact in one or more of the following
- Social Advancement – demonstrating a commitment to social progress through proposing new approaches to the development of architectural and/or urban form.
- Technical Advancement – exploring new technologies and/or their architectural applications
- Environmental Advancement – demonstrating a commitment to environmentally sensitive design, sustainability and/or energy/resources conservation
Q: How do I choose which images to submit?
A: Images should highlight the excellence of the project. They should support the narrative of the project description, and the story that you want to tell about this project. Clear, cohesive plans and images illustrating the structure in context (in situ) are also important. Composite images are allowed, but please remember that the image limit is set with the intent of keeping the content of each submission manageable for jurors to review in the limited time allotted.
Q: Should marketing images be oriented vertically or horizontally?
A: This is up to you as long as images are at least 2000 pixels wide and 300 dpi. However, for publication purposes it is helpful if you include a mix of both vertical and horizontal images in the event that your project is awarded. All file names should accurately credit the photographer or source. Follow the naming convention: #ProjectName_PhotographerName. If the firm is responsible for the image, use #ProjectName_FirmName. Photograph files that are submitted should not include text.
Q: We would like to use captions with our images. Is this allowed?
A: Yes, you may use captions at your discretion as long as they are not placed directly over the images. Please keep in mind that the image will be viewed electronically. Text should be big enough to be legible on screen, but we also encourage minimal text. Captions (and any photo credits in the portfolio submission) must not include your firm or client name, even if you or your client are the photographer.
Q: What shouldn’t I include in my awards submission?
A: Exclude or obscure all references to the architect or any consulting firms. Entries that include firm names will be disqualified.
Q: Can I view examples of past winning submissions?
A: Yes. You may find a (growing) library of submissions here and check out winning projects here.
COMMON APP FOR DESIGN EXCELLENCE
BSA Design Awards follow AIA’s Design Excellence criteria using the Common App worksheet, to assess performance and providing space for all submitters to tell the project’s sustainability story. Submittals are encouraged to highlight project performance through narratives and metrics in the Common App worksheet.
You can download the Common App here
Q: What is the purpose of the Common App?
A: The Common App is the embodiment of the Framework for Design Excellence's values in the AIA Design Awards process. Since 2019, the AIA—at the national, state, and local levels—has started to integrate the Common App into Design Awards programming.
Q: What role does the Common App play during jury evaluation, deliberation, and recognition of award-worthy submissions?
A: The Common App is the first element the jury will see when evaluating every submission. It is a critical companion document that the Technical Jury will use to assess the design's intent and outcomes, as well as make recommendations for which submissions advance to finalist pools and win awards (Design Review).
Q: Is the Common App required for every submission?
A: Yes, every submission in the Built Design Excellence and Small Firms divisions should complete the Common App and upload a saved worksheet. Please take this opportunity to fully describe your project and process.
Q: Do I have to answer every question and/or address all ten measures?
A: Not all 10 measures are required! You should only answer questions/respond to measures that are relevant to your project. It is important to demonstrate how the project performs above and beyond performance goals. If you do not have data to share, do not leave fields blank. Mark “NA” in the fields as needed.
As submissions are subject to varying degrees of opportunity, constraint, and budget, each entry is judged for the success with which it has met its individual requirements. It is therefore important that submissions – through metrics narratives and design - convey to the jury a full understanding of the project.
Q: What is the advantage of addressing additional Common App measures?
A: The Common App is the first element the jury will see. Measures that the jury feels should have been addressed in your submission that were overlooked will likely reflect poorly in the jury's assessment.
Q: How can I learn more about filling out the Common App?
A: The links embedded in the Common App are a good starting point. The BSA will be adding more resources for assistance.
Q: Why are metrics not required for Small Firms projects?
A: The BSA recognizes that not all firms have the same resources or work with clients the same way. Metrics for Small Firms are strongly encouraged, as the technical jury will primarily evaluate the projects goals through narratives.
Q: I am submitting a project in the Unbuilt category. Do I still need to provide metrics?
A: No. While metrics are not required, we encourage submitters to consider measures into their design work.
JURY PROCESS
Q: Who are the Design Awards Jurors?
A: Juries will be comprised of both BSA members and other AIA Chapter representatives with expertise in different design and building types and experience levels. We will announce juries soon!
Q: What is the jury process?
A: The Built Design Excellence and Small Firms divisions will be comprised of a two-phase process:
Technical Review: Common App metrics & descriptions; recommending projects for awards considerations
Design Review: Submission portfolio and project narrative
The Unbuilt Planning & Design division will be comprised of one jury.
At the jury's discretion, the number of awards and award recognition in any category may be given to as many or as few projects as are deemed worthy by the jury. The jury's decisions are final and not subject to review.
RECOGNITION
Q: What are the award levels?
A: Projects may be recognized in these levels:
Honor – Representing the highest level of achievement of Design Excellence
Merit – Representing exceptional design, performance, and intent work
Impact Advancement Commendations – may recognize projects that encompass the values of good design within the context of social responsibility, technology excellence, and sustainability.
Q: Will entrants be notified directly if they receive an award?
A: Yes, all awardees are notified after jury deliberations in late fall. The levels of awards will be announced at the Design Awards ceremony.
Q: How are the honorees recognized?
A: Honored entries are celebrated at the ceremony, and are featured in architects.org.
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