The Most Significant New Contemporary Architecture,
 Landscape Architecture, Interiors, and Urban Planning in the United States

About

 
Since 1994, The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design, together with The European Center for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and Metropolitan Arts Press, have organized The American Architecture Awards as a way to honor the best, new significant buildings and landscape and planning projects designed and/or built in the United States and abroad by the most important American architects and planners practicing nationally and international.



The American Architecture Awards give an important overview of the current aesthetic direction of today’s commercial, corporate, institutional, and residential work in the United States to the real estate, banking, business, and corporate community, as well as to the press and general public.

 The program is one of the Museum’s most important public education outreach initiatives produced throughout the year―to both the Museum’s U.S. and international audience. The American Architecture Awards are dedicated to the recognition of excellence in architecture and urbanism in the United States. 

The program awards pays tribute to new developments in design and underscores the directions and understanding of current cutting-edge processes consistent with today’s design thinking. 

This year’s program honors new corporate, institutional, commercial, residential architecture, interiors, and urban planning, designed for both built and unbuilt projects alike  since January 1, 2022.



Eligibility

All submissions must be the work of American architects, landscape architects, and urban planners working nationally or internationally for projects both in the U.S. and abroad.

International architecture firms headquartered outside the United States are eligible to enter projects built, or to be built, in the U.S. or in any location if the firm has an office doing business inside the United States.


Closing date

Closing date for application is February 1, 2025


Application

Submissions made online must be in .zip or .rar format. They can have up to eight (8) images (300dpi. 10 x 10cm minimum, in .jpeg pr .tiff up to 6mb per file), a one page description in MS Word or .pdf, PLUS one .pdf file containing all plans sections and elevations. The maximum size of the .zip or .rar file is 20mb.

Mailed in submissions must include the following on one CD: Copy of the on-line application form; fee; and one-page description in MS Word; up to eight (8) images (300 dpi, 10x10cm minimum, jpg, jpeg or tiff format bmb maximum size) PLUS one .pdf file containing all plans sections and elevations. Attach list of additional consultants. Application fee is $395 per project. Checks made payable to Metropolitan Arts Press. Call/email for information regarding electronic transfer. If you apply on-line there is no need to send a hard copy of the CD.

Please provide photographer credits. All information must be complete. 

PROGRAM RESULTS
Selected and awarded recipients will be required to prepare either framed drawings or photographic panels and models for exhibition.
The Museum will exhibit the awarded projects in an exhibition format and publish the selected winners on the Museum’s website.
Previous exhibitions have taken place in Thessaloniki, Greece, Milan, Italy, Dublin, Ireland, Athens, Greece, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles.
A Gala Dinner and Official Awards Presentation takes place in Summer 2025.
Architects, associate architects, clients, developers, landscape architects, planners, contractors, and structural engineers are cited for their individual contributions.
Winning projects are published in Global Design + Urbanism "New American Architecture 2025" by Metropolitan Arts Press Ltd.
Winning projects are also published in Global Design News.


Criteria

Criteria for submissions includes any commercial, corporate, institutional, or residential building type or urban planning project, built or unbuilt in the U.S.
Unbuilt projects are eligible only when a client is named.
 
Building types and categories are: corporate headquarters and office facilities, retail, hospitality, institutional, health care, government, transportation, religious, educational, and residential and interiors of any kind, monuments, bridges, including renovations and restorations, and urban planning and landscape projects, designed since January 1, 2022
 
Previously awarded buildings by the Museum are not eligible.

For more information please contact Jennifer Nyholm: jennifer@chicagoathenaeum.org

Jury

A jury of recognized design practitioners, business professionals, educators, and critics review the submissions and select winning projects for awards. Previous juries have been held under the auspicious of the following professional associations: The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland, The Union of Architects of Russia, The Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA), and The American Institute of Architects. Each Submission is Juried Anonymously.


Why should you get involved?

Reason to be a part of the American Architecture Awards

The Online Award Archive

The Online Award Archive is the main resource for the academic community, journalists, critics and creative offices in the design industry. The online presentation of all award-winning products of The American Architecture Award, contributes to public knowledge enhancement as respective info remains online for ever and is easily accessible.


The Award Exhibition

The European Centre of Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies together with The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture Art and Design every year organise dedicated exhibitions for each Award Program. This is a great opportunity for all the selected projects or products to raise their visibility and to spread the good news on architecture design around the globe. A great number of exhibitions have already showcased in Milan, Athens, Berlin, Istanbul, Dublin creating a communication bridge between design agencies or companies, architecture firms, product companies etc. with the world’s most famous finance markets.

The American Architecture Award Yearbook - All the award-winning projects in the United States

The American Architecture Awards are the largest and most extensive global architecture awards program in the United States, honoring new skyscrapers, commercial buildings, urban plans, private residences, and real estate projects that achieve a high standard of excellence in design, construction, planning, and sustainability and promote the best practice in all types of real estate development for the private and public sectors, including new skyscrapers, high rises, corporate and institutional buildings, commercial projects, bridges, airports, city planning, restorations and adaptive reuse, community projects, religious and civic buildings, and interiors. Every year a major publication is being presented with all the award-winning projects. The yearbook is available to order and shipped to different places around the world. These publications consist the greatest reference in terms of architecture design evolution. The book is easy to read through and it is structured by type. All interested parties can purchase it online.

  • You can see all the previous along with this year's publications at our Museum Store
  • For more information about the American Architecture Awards Yearbooks please contact us: curatorial@chicagoathenaeum.org

Other Publications

Due to the variety of programs organised each year by The European Centre and The Chicago Athenaeum Museum, please visit the official website of Metropolitan Arts Press for more info on the available publications. Fields of interest include: graphic design, architecture design and poetry.