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Architectural Excellence Design & COTE Awards
Opportunities and Benefits

Here are some opportunities that may influence your firm’s decision to enter work in the AIA Pennsylvania Architectural Excellence Design & COTE Awards.

Opportunities

Re-submit Past Projects

If you’ve entered a project(s) in the AIA Pennsylvania Architectural Excellence Design & COTE Awards in recent years and it is still eligible for submission, you are encouraged to consider resubmitting a project(s) through the submission platform. The process for populating past submissions to the current program and full eligibility requirements is outlined in the Architectural Excellence Design & COTE Awards Call for Submissions and in the submission platform.
Call for Submissions
Submit

Project Timeline Eligibility

Lacking recently completed projects in your portfolio that rise to your standard for entry in the awards program? Use this opportunity to take stock of your body of work going back five (5) years or repurpose and refine past submissions. Reference the call for submissions documentation on the design awards page for the current cutoff date.

Project Credit Eligibility

Partner on a project with another architecture firm? Projects entered by the submitting firm, as Architect of Record and/or Design Architect, must have at least one Principal that is a current AIA Pennsylvania architect member.

Repurpose Submission Compilations

Flexible minimum and maximum page count for the “Digital Project Binder” upload gives applicants greater ease and the opportunity to repurpose for local chapter award submissions.

The Digital Project Binder (PDF) must include a minimum of nine (9) pages and a maximum of 26 pages at 25 MB max. Entries in the "Small Project" category are the exception and may include a minimum of (5) pages. Landscape layout (11x8.5”) or preferably widescreen layout (16:9 aspect ratio; 1920x1080 pixels) is the required format.

COTE Awards Opt-In 

The COTE Awards is an opt-in program with a separate jury review and assessment. To be eligible for the Architectural Excellence COTE Awards, a project(s) must meet the eligibility criteria and be submitted to the Architectural Excellence Design Awards.

The Framework for Design Excellence Assessment, the criteria for the awards program, is based on the AIA’s Framework for Design Excellence. The assessment criteria is identical to the AIA Philadelphia Design Awards “Framework to Design Excellence Form,” which is required for the AIA Philadelphia Design Awards. Reference the call for submissions and the submission platform for full details on project eligibility and the process for opting your project in to the COTE Awards.

Benefits

Showcase Your Work

All project submissions will be featured in the public-facing Design + COTE Awards Showcase & Recipient Gallery Archive, raising the visibility and profile of your work while highlighting the membership’s collective impact. AIA Pennsylvania will also be featuring all submitted projects on our Instagram and Facebook accounts starting after the recipient reveal and cycling through over the course of 12 months.
Showcase & Recipients

Refine and Repurpose the Pitch

Submitting your project is a great way to refine how you communicate about your work and use your project’s narrative in other elements of your marketing, communications, and business development.

Boost Employee, Team, and Client Morale

Participation in awards programs recognize and celebrate your team’s hard work, boosting employee morale as well as client and partner/consultant relationships.

Benchmark Project Performance

Participation in the opt-in COTE Awards, a separately juried program and opportunity for recognition, is an opportunity to get acquainted with AIA’s Framework for Design Excellence, a holistic approach to assess technical building performance metrics and how your designs address interdependence among people, buildings, infrastructure, and the environment.

Celebrate with the Local and Regional Community

Annually, AIA Pennsylvania and local chapter and firm partners will be host the awards broadcast debut and accompanying local viewing parties, providing several opportunities for our design community and industry professionals to gather to celebrate and foster knowledge, collaboration, partnerships, and project opportunities.