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Nominations for the 2023 Honor Awards are Now Open.

 

AIA New York State’s Annual Honor Awards celebrate emerging professionals, architects, firms and educators throughout New York State that have contributed significantly to the profession of architecture.

Click here for an overview of each award, requirements and guidelines.

Click here to go to the nomination portal and to find detailed submission guidelines for each award.

 

All submissions must be made digitally via our nomination portal. Contact Cara Longobardi clongobardi@aianys.org with any questions.

Submission Deadline  |  October 13, 2023

James William Kideney Gold Medal Award

Established in 1981 in honor of the late James William Kideney, FAIA, AIA Buffalo/WNY Chapter, who was one of the founders of the New York State Association of Architects and its first president from 1938-1942. Recognized as the highest award that AIANYS can bestow on one of its members, the purpose of the Kideney Award is to recognize a lifetime of notable contributions by an architect to the profession, the professional society, and the community. The Kideney Award shall be conferred on an AIANYS member who has been a member within the last five years & demonstrated a lifetime of sustained community leadership, thus advancing the profession of architecture through making the community a better place to live. The Kideney Award winner will have also demonstrated an active interest and leadership role in the profession and professional society at the local, state, or national level.

VIEW PAST RECIPIENTS 

Matthew W. Del Gaudio Award

Established in 1971 in honor of the late Matthew W. Del Gaudio, FAIA, AIA New York Chapter, who was one of the founders of the New York State Association of Architects and its third president from 1944- 1947. The purpose of the Del Gaudio Service Award is to recognize outstanding and significant service by an AIANYS member to the profession through promoting the profession of architecture. The Del Gaudio Service Award shall be conferred on an AIANYS member who has provided distinguished service to AIANYS and demonstrated notable competence advancing the profession of architecture. The Del Gaudio Service Award winner will have also demonstrated an active interest and leadership role in AIANYS.

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President’s Award

Established in 1984, the purpose of the President’s Award is to recognize outstanding contributions to the profession in education, industry or government by an AIANYS member. The President’s Award shall be conferred on an AIANYS member who, through outstanding efforts of professional competence in nontraditional areas of architectural practice, has demonstrated lasting influence and raised the standards of professional performance and increased the recognition of professional competence by others. The President’s Award winner will have also demonstrated an active interest and leadership role in the professional society at the local, state, or national level.

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AIANYS’s Educator Award

Established in 2005, the purpose of the Educator Award is to recognize notable contributions and accomplishments by an architectural educator (does not have to be an AIA member) within New York State.

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AIANYS Firm Award

Established in 2005, the purpose of the Firm Award is to recognize notable achievements in design, community service, education, and service to the profession and the AIA by an architectural firm within New York State. Projects, accomplishments, and service submitted must reflect a period of at least 10 years.

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Honorary Member of AIA New York State

This honorary award recognizes outstanding and significant accomplishments of a person of esteemed character who is not eligible for membership in the Institute, but who has rendered distinguished service to the profession of architecture or the arts and sciences allied there with.

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Community Development Award

This award recognizes and acknowledges projects and individuals who have a substantial impact on the built environment within the various localities of New York State, or on the State as a whole. The citation may be made to any individual, community or civic organization, governmental agency, or private corporation whose efforts have resulted in a significant and positive improvement to the built environment.

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AIA New York State College Fellow’s Award

Established in 2006, the purpose of this award is to recognize a Fellow of the AIA who has exemplified the philosophy of Mentorship within the profession. This individual either personally, or through his or her firm has exceeded in helping a young architect (as defined by AIA), student or an unlicensed individual to gain a greater knowledge of the profession and has assisted them in achieving more than they would have normally within the profession without this guidance.

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Young Architect Award

The Young Architect Award is to recognize notable contributions and accomplishments to the architecture profession by a young architect member in New York State who has also demonstrated exceptional leadership.

RECOGNITION OF EMERGING PROFESSIONALS

Emerging Professional Component Award

 This award conferred by AIANYS on those chapters committees that have helped achieved the mission of their respective chapter and development of emerging professionals through leadership development, design and community service.

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AIANYS Associate Award

Established in 2005, the purpose of the Associate Award is to recognize notable contributions and accomplishments by an intern or associate member of AIANYS.

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AIANYS Student Awards

Established in 2005, the purpose of the Student Award is to recognize notable contributions and accomplishments by a student member of AIAS within New York State. .

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THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS NATIONAL AWARDS

Gold Medal Recipients

The Gold Medal is the highest honor the Institute can bestow. It is awarded by the Board of Directors in recognition of most distinguished service to the architectural profession or to the institute. Only one Gold Medal may be given in any year. The medal may be awarded posthumously.

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Twenty Five Year Award Recipients

The award was established to recognize distinguished architectural design after a period of time has elapsed in which the function, esthetic statement and execution can be reassessed. The test of time is used to single out the executed projects which receive this award: they must have been completed 25 to 35 years ago and must be projects by American architects in the United States or abroad.

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Architectural Firm Award Recipients

The Architectural Firm Award of the Institute is awarded to a firm in which the continuing collaboration among individuals of the firm has been the principal force in consistently producing distinguished architecture for a period of at least ten years. This award is the highest honor the Institute can bestow on a firm.

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Whitney M. Young, Jr. Citation Recipients

This Citation was established in 1971 to honor the late Whitney M. Young, Jr. who challenged the architectural profession to assume its professional responsibility to the social issues for today. The Citation is given to an architect or architecturally oriented organization in recognition of a significant contribution toward meeting this responsibility.

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AIA/ACSA Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education

The AIA/ACSA Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education is awarded jointly by the AIA and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) to an individual, who must be living at the time of nomination, who has spent at least a decade primarily involved in architectural education, and whose primary contribution to architectural education has been on the North American continent.

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Thomas Jefferson Award

The American Institute of Architects established the Thomas Jefferson Awards for Public Architecture to recognize achievements in the following three categories:

  • Private-sector architects who have established a portfolio of accomplishment in the design of architecturally distinguished public facilities
  • Public-sector architects who manage or produce quality design within their agencies
  • Public officials or other individuals who by their role of advocacy have furthered the public’s awareness and/or appreciation of design excellence.

Eligibility
Any AIA member, group of members, component, or AIA knowledge community may nominate candidates for the Thomas Jefferson Awards.

Category One

Architects licensed in the United States and practicing in the private sector who have made a significant contribution to the quality of public architecture and who have established a portfolio of accomplishment to that end are eligible to be nominated. The nominee shall have evidenced great depth, with a cumulative effect on the quality of public architecture.

Public architecture is defined as any work that is funded in part or wholly by public money.

Category Two

Licensed architects employed in the United States public sector or governmental agencies who manage or produce quality public architecture within their jurisdiction are eligible to be nominated in this category.

Governmental agencies who, by their successful contribution as a whole have fostered quality in the public environment, may be nominated in this category.

Category Three

Public officials or individuals who by his or her role and advocacy have furthered the public’s awareness and/or appreciation of design excellence in public architecture are eligible to be nominated in this category.

The candidate may be a nonarchitect who by his or her support and actions has significantly influenced or contributed to the promotion of quality design in the public sector.

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The Henry Bacon Medal for Memorial Architecture

The Henry Bacon Medal is awarded by the Institute on behalf of The American Institute of Architects for excellence in memorial architecture. Any memorial architecture having no purpose other than to portray, promote, or symbolize an idea of high spiritual concern is eligible.

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