Call for Entries & Nominations
Architectural Design Awards
Firm Service Award
Francis Gassner Award
Entries Due: September 29, 2025
Design Awards
Call for Entries
Eligibility
The Architect of Record on all submitted projects must be a Memphis-based design team or sole proprietor that includes at least one AIA Memphis member. Any licensed architect who is a member of the AIA Memphis Chapter and Architect of Record may submit an original or collaborative project completed after January 2019. Projects may have been executed anywhere. Firms are encouraged to submit projects previously submitted but not awarded. Each project may only be submitted into one category.
Any architectural project completed after January 2019 which has been designed by, or in collaboration with, an AIA Memphis member is eligible for submission.* Projects may have been executed anywhere. Firms are encouraged to submit previously submitted non-winning projects or ones which have won awards in other programs.
The Design Awards program is open to architectural projects of all classifications. An entry may be of one building, a related group of buildings forming a single project, or an interior design project. The term “building” includes any new architectonic composition as well as the remodeling, rehabilitation, and/or preservation of existing structures.
*The submitting architect may qualify as a member of a design team, whether or not serving as the head of the team. When one architect is not the sole author, ALL other participants contributing substantially to the design of the project must be given credit as part of the submission, regardless of professional discipline.
Judging and Awards
A jury of award winning architects with diverse practices will meet to review submissions. Projects identified by the jury will receive one of the following three award levels:
• Honor Award of Excellence - highest level
• Merit Award - second level
• Citation - third level
Award Categories
• New Construction
• Renovation, Restoration, or Rehabilitation
• Interior Architecture
Additional Recognitions
• Sustainable Design (3 steps outlined below)
• People's Choice in each category
• Mayor's Community Champion Award
Deadline for Entry: September 29, 2025
Entry Fee
$175 per entry/project. No refunds.
Firm Service
Call for Nominations
The impact made by the profession in communities across our city and beyond reaches far past the buildings and communities we design through fee-based work. Many are volunteering and offering pro-bono services to support organizations that are at the heart of social, economic and environmental change. To highlight these stories, we are launching the Firm Service Award to recognize an architecture firm, large or small, for an outstanding single or reoccurring contribution to the community through service, design or design-thinking outside of fee-based work.
Eligibility
To be eligible, firms submitting must have at least one owner that is an AIA Memphis member. Stories should highlight an outstanding single or reoccurring contribution to the community through service in support of organizations that are addressing public health, social, economic, or environmental needs. Contributions must have occurred in whole or in part within West Tennessee. Firms are encouraged to self submit.
Jury
The jury includes representatives outside of the nominee’s practice from the AIA Memphis Board of Directors, AIA Memphis Past Presidents, and the Executive Director.
Submission Details
Submissions should be in the form of a letter to the Service Awards Committee. In addition, at least one letter of support from the engaged organization should be included. Please clearly describe contributions and impact. Other materials may be considered (up to 10 pages). The Award may or may not be given on an annual basis at the discretion of the Committee.
Deadline for Entry: September 29, 2025
Francis Gassner Award
Call for Nominations
The Francis Gassner Award was established in 1977 to commemorate an extraordinary architect, Francis P. Gassner, FAIA, who practiced in Memphis from the 1950's until his death in 1977. To continue his legacy of design excellence, service to the profession, and leadership to our community, AIA Memphis honors annually an architect for outstanding contributions to the quality of the built environment in Memphis. Visit the Gassner Award page for more information about past recipients.
Eligibility
Candidates must be an architect and member of AIA Memphis. Individuals may be proposed by any AIA or Assoc. AIA member of AIA Memphis in good standing. Achievement in the following categories should be considered: practice, design, education, leadership and/or service.
Jury
The jury includes former Gassner Award recipients, a Gassner family representative, and the AIA Memphis Executive Director.
Submission Details
Nominations should be in the form of a letter of recommendation (no more than two pages) to the Gassner Award Committee. Other materials may be considered (up to 10 pages). Please provide a statement naming your nominee, and their contributions to the quality of the built environment in Memphis. Achievement in the following categories should be considered: practice, design, education, leadership and/or service. The Award may or may not be given on an annual basis at the discretion of the Committee.
Deadline for Entry: September 29, 2025
AIA Memphis Sustainability Award Requirements
The Committee on the Environment (COTE®) is an AIA Knowledge Community working for architects, allied professionals, and the public to achieve climate action and climate justice through design. We believe that design excellence is the foundation of a healthy, sustainable, and equitable future. Our work promotes design strategies that empower all AIA members to realize the best social and environmental outcomes with the clients and the communities they serve.
AIA Memphis is committed to enroll our members to adopt the best practices established by COTE® and to elevate their projects through our Celebration of Architecture Awards Program. As you showcase your work, please consider taking these additional steps in your entry to qualify for the Sustainability Award.
Step 1: Study the principles of the
The Framework
for Design Excellence
Comprised of 10 principles and accompanied by searching questions, the Framework seeks to inform progress toward a zero-carbon, equitable, resilient, and healthy built environment. These are to be thoughtfully considered by designer and client at the initiation of every project and incorporated into the work as appropriate to the project scope. The Framework is intended to be accessible and relevant for every architect, every client, and every project, regardless of size, typology, or aspiration.
The Framework for Design Excellence challenges architects with a vision of what the profession strives to achieve, the toolkit provides practical resources to help all architects achieve the vision.
AIA Memphis elevates and celebrates our members who embrace a higher calling for the sustainability of their work.
Step 2: Report performance using the
Common App
AIA recognizes the urgency of climate action given the broad impacts the built environment places on both people and planet.
For these reasons, AIA Memphis has adopted the Common App as part of the submission requirements to help identify how each project responds to these issues. Successful awardees will need to demonstrate an increasingly comprehensive design approach – one that is broad and inclusive, and goes beyond building aesthetics and performance. Exemplary designs should also address issues including resilience, ecological stewardship and equity, revealing the designer’s skill and creativity in balancing multiple formal, functional, social and technical requirements.
Completing the Common App with metrics and narrative information about your submission will give the jury a better understanding of your design approach and basic building performance metrics. Download the Common App, complete it, and upload the document with your submission.
> Download the Common App tool
> View the AIA San Francisco video tutorial
Step 3: Join other architects in the
2030 Commitment
Let's get to carbon neutral, together!
The AIA 2030 Commitment is an actionable climate strategy that gives us a set of standards and goals for reaching net zero emissions in the built environment.
The latest climate data tells us that reducing carbon emissions is not enough. To make the biggest impact, we must all commit to net zero emissions by 2030—a path that requires strong, immediate action. Since the built environment creates a staggering 40% of the world’s emissions, architects, engineers, and owners play a key role.
More than 1,100 firms have already committed to reaching carbon neutrality by 2030.
