Scholarships | AIA Northeastern Pennsylvania

AIA Northeastern Pennsylvania member Firms and/or Architects in good standing are eligible to submit projects for which they are the Architect of Record. A member in good standing is defined as one who has paid their dues by the 31st of March for the year of the Design Awards Program. Each firm is limited to three (3) entries.

Eligible projects for this year’s program must have been completed after December 31, 2020.

Projects that have previously received an AIA Northeastern Pennsylvania Award are not eligible for submission.

The AIA NEPA Design Awards, granted every other year, celebrate the creativity, ingenuity, and resourcefulness of architects practicing within the nine-county jurisdiction of our AIA Northeastern PA Chapter.. While we welcome submissions for projects completed anywhere in the world, our program is structured to recognize the unique value of local work. To that end, entries are organized into two pools—Local Projects (located within our nine-county region) and Non-Local Projects (located outside the region).

This distinction ensures that projects designed and built here, often with more modest or community-minded budgets, are considered in a context that reflects our region’s realities. Jurors are asked to give special consideration to local work, evaluating each project in light of its scale, budget, and local relevance. Our goal is to elevate architecture that strengthens our communities, reflects our regional identity, and demonstrates design excellence regardless of size or resources.

1) This is a separate project type from the ‘built/complete’ project submissions. Pending the entries, only one award can be issued if there is an entry worthy of awarding. Awarding shall be at the discretion of the jury.

2) The project must be one or more of following:

a. un-built terminated

b. un-built on hold

c. un-built on the boards

3) The un-built project shall be defined as follows:

a. A real project for a real client

b. A real project that is not a pure architectural exercise

c. A real project that is not a school related assignment

4) There shall be acknowledgement that the submission is for the ‘un- built’ category incorporated into the narrative/ project description requirement.

5) If a project is entered and wins, the project cannot be re-entered in the ‘built/ completed’ project category in future design award programs.

6) If the project is entered and does not win, it can be re-entered in future design award programs as either ‘un-built’ or ‘built/ completed’ category if it is constructed.

7) The format and requirements for the submission shall be similar to the ‘built category’. The documentation will be in the form of orthographic drawings, sketches, renderings and/or photos of models.

Submissions should include:

1. Project PDF: This is an anonymous single pdf file of multiple 8.5”x11” pages that describes and showcases the project being submitted.

a. File size: 30MB max

b. Page count: 24 pages max (single sided)

c. File Naming Convention: 2025 NEPA DA – “Project Name”

i. The Project name shall match the project name included in the Project Application.

d. No indication of the Firm or Architect name may be present in the file name or in the project file.

e. Within the document, provide adequate information to explain the project and design intention. This may include photographs, drawings and narrative, etc.

Call for Entries

Eligibility

Awards

Architectural projects will be considered in two major groupings:

Possible Award Types

Details and Important Dates

Jury

Collaboration Projects

Un-built Design Award Parameters

Submission Format

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS, FEES, + SCHEDULE