AIA UK Design Awards 2025
Overview
The American Institute of Architects UK Chapter is excited to announce the 2025 Excellence in Design Awards—celebrating the best in architecture and design in the United Kingdom. For more than 30 years, these prestigious awards have been a platform for designers worldwide to earn international recognition for their innovative work. And guess what? You don’t even need AIA membership to enter!
This year, we’re mixing it up! We’re introducing brand-new award categories to reflect the rapidly evolving world of design. It’s time to showcase not just the aesthetics, but the impact of your work on the built environment. From social and environmental contributions to cutting-edge sustainability, tech innovation, and craftsmanship, we want to see how your project is pushing the boundaries.
In addition to exceptional talent, we’re looking for projects that showcase impact through sustainability. Whether you’re submitting a building, landscape, bridge, material, or even a work of art—we encourage you to provide as much detail as possible about your project’s sustainability efforts and the metrics or narrative behind them. The more you share, the more your project will stand out!
Sustainability is a key focus of the AIA UK Awards. The jury encourages all project submissions to fully complete the sustainability section of the form and to include additional metrics or narratives that provide further details on the project's sustainability measures for the jury’s review.
Programme
Submissions Open: February 03, 2025
Submission Deadline Extended: Monday March 31, 2025.
Shortlist Notified: April 2025
Design Awards Gala - Awards Announced: Wednesday May 7, 2025
The AIA UK will celebrate winners in person at the Royal College of Physicians.
Award Categories
All awards are granted solely at the jury's discretion. The jury will select and present the final awards from a predefined pool of categories, with a minimum of 7 and a maximum of 10 awards to be granted. It is important to note that not all categories may result in an award, as only projects that truly embody the standard of "excellence" will be recognized. Applicants are encouraged to align their submissions with specific award categories by providing compelling evidence, a clear narrative, and relevant metrics that highlight their project's impact and significance.
Beyond the Brief Award - This award recognizes projects that give back to the community, by going above and beyond expectations to create truly transformative spaces.
Zeitgeist Award - This award recognizes projects with contemporary influence that capture the spirit of the times, showcasing innovative approaches which have a significant impact on current design trends.
Emerging Practice Award - This award is traditionally presented to an outstanding emerging practice with founders or directors under 40 years of age, to encourage and reward work by a new generation of architects and designers.
Best Place to ______ Award - This award category celebrates exceptional design based on the quality of the place it creates, whether it's the "best place" to live, work, learn, relax, eat, exercise, heal, or discover. Additional "best place" recognition may include “best place to do” (purpose-driven design), “best place to reimagine” (adaptive reuse), or “best place to empower” (universal design, with a separate category for social justice).
Innovation in ______ Award - This award category highlights designs that showcase advancements in construction practices & materials, creative technology & methods, or sustainability approaches (with separate categories for passive methods, active methods, and overall carbon net positive outcomes). To be considered for this award, applicants are encouraged to provide evidence demonstrating the measurable impact and significance of their innovation.
Outstanding ______ Visual Award - This award category celebrates the exceptional skill and creativity behind visuals that inspire stakeholders to transform designs into reality. The award recognizes skills in the categories of digital, generated (AI), hand-drawn, or hybrid visuals. To be considered for the award, the visual must have been an integral part of a larger project.
ICG Award - Presented at the discretion of AIA UK sponsor Iris Ceramica Group, this award honours a project that best embodies the company’s core values of Sustainability, Excellence in Quality, and Innovation. Committed to reengineering ceramics for the better, Iris Ceramica Group recognizes projects that push boundaries, explore new horizons, and contribute to the creation of improved living and working environments, while delivering original solutions in design and technical performance.
Jury Announcement
Alison Brooks, Founding Principal & Creative Director, Alison Brooks Architects (Jury Chair)
DaeWha Kang, Founder, DaeWha Kang Design
Matthias Schuler, Founder & Managing Partner, TransSolar Climate Engineering
Edoardo Tibuzzi, Design Director, AKT II Engineering
Ellie Stathaki, Architecture & Environment Director, Wallpaper* Magazine
Margherita Giannoni, UK PR & Communication Manager, Iris Ceramica Group
Projects will be evaluated on achievement, measurable impact, and storytelling, highlighting the people and processes behind thoughtful design. The jury will also consider each project’s commitment to sustainability and ethical practices as part of the evaluation.
Eligibility
We’re calling on designers from all fields—architecture, urban planning, technology, interior design, landscape architecture, visualization, and beyond. If you’ve completed a UK project in the last three years that’s made a real impact, it’s eligible. And don’t worry—AIA membership is not required!
Eligibility criteria is as follows:
Membership in the AIA is not a pre-requisite.
Your project must make a positive impact on the built environment.
Your project must represent work on an original design.
Submissions are only open to projects delivered or located in the UK.
Submitted projects can be designed by firms based anywhere in the world.
Built projects must have been finished after January 1, 2022.
Built and Unbuilt projects may be submitted for all award categories.
Submissions should focus on design that positively impacts buildings, public spaces, and infrastructure. While most projects will relate to design for construction design, any work supporting design for construction objectives is also eligible.
If you have any questions regarding your eligibility, please email us at: vicepresident@aiauk.org.
Deadline
All submissions must be received no later than Monday March 31, 2025.
Entry Fees
Eligible architects, designers or groups thereof may submit an unlimited number of entries; each entry must be submitted separately with a non-refundable fee per the submission requirements above.
Emerging Practice: £79
Professional Firm: £199
Payment should be submitted to AIA UK online via Paypal using the link below. Confirmation receipt of payment will be provided by our Chapter Executive. Entry fees can only be accepted in Pounds Sterling.
Valid submissions and entry fees must be received by the deadline above. No late or incomplete entries will be accepted.
As a not-for-profit organization, all funds raised through submission fees go directly towards supporting ongoing AIA UK community initiatives. These include activities such as funding continuing education programs and supporting UK students through the Noel Hill Annual Scholarship Award fund. Thank you for your continued support
How To Apply
Applications must be completed through an online submission form. Please find a preview of the submission form here.
To ensure a smooth process, please plan ahead to prepare your submission so that all form entries are within the response limits.
Please note: REQUIRED questions are marked with an * asterisk. The Project Sustainability Questionnaire, i.e. questions 35 - 41, is OPTIONAL.
Applicants will have the option to upload supporting documents. The files provided must meet the following criteria in order to upload successfully:
REQUIRED - Project Summary File: Maximum size 10MB (accepted formats: document, PDF, presentation, drawing, image).
OPTIONAL - Project Impact File: Maximum size 1MB (accepted formats: document, PDF, spreadsheet).
OPTIONAL - Project Sustainability File: Maximum size 1MB (accepted formats: document, PDF, spreadsheet).
Please note that no changes can be made following submission. When you are ready to start your application, click the link below to proceed.
Please report any issues with the submission form to vicepresident@aiauk.org.
Click below to submit via the form.
Acknowledgement
We would like to thank our sponsors of this year’s programme, Iris Ceramica Group. Please consider them for your next project.
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