AWARDS 2025
Please note there are updated requirements that all entrants are required to follow.
ABOUT THE AWARDS:
The intention of the AAI Awards are to encourage higher standards of architecture throughout the country, to recognise projects which make a contribution to Irish architecture, and to inform the public of emerging directions in contemporary architecture.
The AAI Awards are for built and unbuilt projects by all practitioners in Ireland and Irish practitioners abroad. Current buildings, landscape projects, infrastructure works and competition-winning projects, which are under development, under construction, or completed within 24 months prior to the submission deadline are eligible. Current projects, counter projects, and theoretical works are also eligible. There is no categorisation of projects; all submissions will be judged equally on design merit. Important considerations that the judges will take into account include understanding of context, approach to sustainability in the context of the current climate emergency, and the social or cultural value of the project.
ELIGIBILITY:
- The AAI Awards are for built and unbuilt projects by any practitioner in Ireland, and Irish practitioners abroad.
- Current buildings – including landscape/infrastructure works and competition-winning projects, which are under development, under construction, or completed within 24 months prior to the submission deadline are eligible
- Current projects, counter projects, and theoretical works are also eligible.
- The following projects are not eligible: student projects, projects carried out in offices of the assessors, or the AAI President where the president is the entrant or a principal or director of the practice. Previous AAI Award-winning projects, or Special Mention-winning projects (both built and unbuilt) and unsuccessful competition entries are ineligible.
- Where a project is ineligible for entry due to the service of an assessor or the AAI President, the period of eligibility will be extended accordingly.
- Unsuccessful award entries may be submitted a maximum of two times, once still within the 24 month rule. This applies to both built and unbuilt projects.
- The Registrar’s decision on the eligibility of projects is final.
- Queries on eligibility should be addressed to the Registrar c/o the AAI, via awards@architecturalassociation.ie at least seven days prior to the final registration deadline.
REGISTRATION:
- All entrants must be current AAI members (become a member)
- The digital registration form with the appropriate fee must be submitted by the deadline.
- Applicants who wish to submit more than one entry must return an additional fee for each entry, unless covered by their membership.
FEES:
- Early Registration: €175. Additional entries: €175/project.
- Late Registration: €245. Additional entries: €245/project.
- Some membership categories are entitled to free entries.
Check here for members benefits.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
- Completed Digital Entry Form
- A1 Landscape Board/s as compressed .ZIP file
- Compressed .zip file of all drawings/sketches.
- Compressed .zip file of all photographs.
- Descriptive text and project information
SUBMISSION:
- Entrants are invited to communicate their design to the public through drawings, photographs, or other graphic representation, and to further explain the project through the use of appropriate images and text.
- The following drawings are to be submitted, if applicable for the project:
– Site plan with a north point and scale bar.
– Typical plan/s with legend describing key accommodation.
– Section/s and elevation/s showing context.
- Each entry is to comprise 1 or 2 panels as A1 landscape in digital PDF format. Please give your project a concise name and ensure the name of the project and the self-generated entry code are written on all boards entered in the bottom right corner of the board in min. 40px size text. Entry codes are to be self-generated by the applicant consisting of two letters and three numbers (e.g. AA123)
- Entrants are encouraged to declare:
– The size of the project in m2
– The stage the project is at – design/planning/under construction/completed (date)
– The contract value/building cost
– Predicted operation energy use (kWh/m²/y)
– Actual operation energy use (kWh/m²/y)
– Embodied carbon (KgCO₂eq/m²)
– Potable water use (l/person/day)
- A descriptive text (500 words max.) should be incorporated into the board, describing the project. This is to include, as appropriate:
– Architectural ambition and ideas.
– A description of relevant contextual information.
– A summary of sustainability measures (Did the project make use of existing fabric or structure? Did the project team evaluate whether existing elements could be retained and upgraded instead of demolition and new build? Was a building demolished on site? How was sustainability considered during the architectural concept, form development, construction, and building end-use stages?
– The social and cultural value of the project (how the project embodies values such as accessibility, inclusivity and diversity.)
- No practice information is to be featured on the entry board/s. Practice information will be given as part of the digital entry form.
GENERAL SUBMISSION NOTES:
- DO NOT PUT PRACTICE NAME ON BOARDS (USE CODE e.g. AA123)
- ALL BOARDS ARE TO BE A1 LANDSCAPE.
- Except in the event of file corruption, all files submitted will be considered final for the purposes of publication.
- All files submitted must include project code in their file name (Eg. Image_1_AA123.jpg)
- All images must be 300dpi+ resolution.
- All images present on the board/s must be submitted.
- Additional images submitted that were not present on the board, will not be considered for publication.
- All drawings present on the board must be submitted.
- All drawings to be in PDF format.
- All drawings must include scale, north point, and section lines, where appropriate.
ASSESSMENT:
- A panel of five distinguished assessors are invited to make a broad selection of schemes which they believe make a contribution to Irish architecture.
- The panel of assessors is generally composed of an architectural critic, an international architect, two Irish architects and a distinguished non-architect.
- The final assessors are subject to amendment by the AAI committee.
- The assessors’ decision is final.
- Schemes are selected on the basis that they aspire to excellence in architectural design while balancing societal concerns for accessibility, inclusivity, diversity, ecology, and sustainability.
- The selection is irrespective of building type, location, scale, or whether built/unbuilt.
- The Awards Registrar and the President of the AAI will attend the assessment as observers.
AWARDS:
- Projects can be awarded to one of three categories: The Downes Medal, Award Winner, or Special Mention.
- The Downes Medal is the Association’s premier award for excellence in Architectural Design, and does not have to be awarded every year. It is at the discretion of that year’s assessors.
- There can be a maximum of seven awards, including the Downes Medal.
- There is no limit on the amount of Special Mentions the assessors may award.
- All entrants will be notified of the assessors’s decision within 2 working days of the adjudication.
- The AAI is not in a position to return entries to applicants. It is the applicant’s responsibility to make a copy of their submission for their own records.
EXHIBITION:
- After adjudication the AAI may choose to host an exhibition with all submitted boards on display. This event is at the discretion of the AAI Committee.
- All entrants will be duly notified, and invited to attend should the exhibition go ahead.
- Award-winners may be invited to submit additional material for exhibition. This additional material will be returned only after completion of the exhibition.
PUBLICATION:
- A book will be published that features the selected winning projects, alongside the assessors’ comments on each project.
- All photographs/images/drawings and text contained within the digital submission will be considered final for use in the publication.
- The AAI reserves the right to the exhibition, publication, and promotional use of all material supplied by the architects of the selected winning projects.