2026 AIA San Fernando Valley Design Awards
Celebrating Architectural Excellence for a Better Tomorrow
Key Dates & Deadlines
Early Bird Entry Period: Due by July 15, 2026
Final Deadline: Submissions due by 11:59 PM, September 1, 2026
Awards Ceremony: November 4, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Eligibility for AIA San Fernando Valley Design Awards
We welcome submissions from all AIA San Fernando Valley (AIASFV) Chapter members, as well as from AIA and Intl. Assoc. AIA members of any Chapter for projects within the San Fernando Valley chapter boundaries.
Our chapter boundaries include all of Los Angeles County north of Mulholland Drive and west of Glendale Blvd. The communities of Valencia, Santa Clarita and Antelope Valley are a part of our boundaries.
If you are not a member of the AIASFV you may submit a project outside of our chapter boundaries by becoming an Affiliate member of the AIAFV.
All projects must be submitted with this template to be eligible for awards. Check out our eligibility guidelines here.
Design Award Categories
Categories will be created as appropriate for the entries received from:
Residential (including: Condos, Apartments, Multifamily Units)
Commercial (including: Institutional, Educational, Interior Architecture)
Mixed-Use
Urban Design
Historic Preservation / Adaptive Reuse / Renovation
Landscape
Sustainable Design
Product Design
Others (Memorials, Religious, Museums, etc.)
NEW CATEGORY: LUMINA DESIGN AWARDS
The built environment is facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities, from climate change and housing affordability to questions of equity, access, and community resilience. The Lumina Award was created for visionary thinkers who are ready to imagine what the future of architecture and the built environment could become.
This award celebrates bold, speculative, and unbuilt ideas that challenge convention and respond creatively to the needs of our time. Whether focused on public health, ecological repair, cultural memory, technology, or community infrastructure, proposals of all scales and disciplines are welcome.
Especially open to students, emerging professionals, and non-AIA members, Lumina is an invitation to share fresh perspectives, radical imagination, and transformative ideas that can help shape a more equitable, sustainable, and inspiring future.
EARLY BIRD SUBMISSION DUE BY AUGUST 1, 2026!
Review the eligibility requirements and submission guidelines here.
Special Categories
In addition to the main categories, there are six special categories that recognize outstanding contributions and achievements:
Design for Resilience: AIASFV introduces the Resilient Design Award to recognize innovative residential, commercial, and interior renovation projects—both built and conceptual—that demonstrate resilience against environmental challenges like wildfires, earthquakes, and flooding. This award highlights the crucial role of architects in designing buildings and structures that withstand and adapt to natural disasters, offering hope and ingenuity for resilient communities.
Great Details: This category celebrates the craftsmanship and precision found in the fine details of buildings. Showcase the design intent through sections or 3D models, and demonstrate the final execution with photographs or renderings that bring the concept to life.
Interior Design: To recognize innovative renovation projects—both built and conceptual. This award celebrates interior design solutions that restore, reimagine, and strengthen spaces.
20-Year Award: Celebrating projects of enduring design quality completed prior to the end of the 2005 calendar year. Submissions must include at least one original photographic slide along with current condition views.
AIA San Fernando Valley Firm of the Year Award: Honoring a single firm for its body of work, including at least five projects executed over at least ten years. Firms may nominate themselves.
Best Client: Recognizing clients who have actively supported and influenced the architect in the design process for projects built in the past five years. Submissions should detail the client's impact on the design decisions and include slides of the project(s).
Our Partnership with Southern California Edison
As part of our ongoing partnership with Southern California Edison, AIA San Fernando Valley is committed to advancing resilient, climate-responsive design across our region. With increasing wildfire risk and climate impacts, we know that designing to code is not enough—we must design for long-term resilience.
Through the Design for Resilience Award, we continue to recognize architects and designers who are leading this effort by going beyond compliance to create projects that strengthen communities and respond to environmental challenges. We invite submissions aligned with the AIA Framework for Design Excellence that demonstrate meaningful progress in energy performance, carbon reduction, climate adaptation, and community resilience.