SARA National Design Awards 2019

SARA National Design Awards 2019

Deadline: August 3rd

Register: www.form.jotform.us/saracad/2019

The Society of American Registered Architects celebrates design excellence in architecture and design through The SARAs, an annual National Design Awards Program which attracts entries from across the country and around the world from individuals, firms, and students of architecture and allied disciplines. Awards are granted for a wide range of categories and project types, and all entrants are encouraged to attend the awards ceremony in Chicago on October 19th, 2019.

Eligibility: Architecture, planning, landscape architecture, and design projects may be submitted by individuals, firms, or students of these disciplines. See Project Categories for a complete list. No project may be submitted which has previously received a SARA National Design Award, and all built projects must have been completed no earlier than 2012.

Important dates:
Student & Professional Registration Deadline AUGUST 3
Student & Professional Submission Deadline AUGUST 3
Event Registration Deadline SEPTEMBER 20
Awards Celebration OCTOBER 19

Entry Fees:
SARA Members $250 / first entry, $225 / additional entries
Non-Members $300 / first entry, $275 / additional entries*
Categories O-Q $225/entry*
Students $50 / entry*
* Non-members who submit three or more projects will receive a free one-year membership to the Society of American Registered Architects for the individual listed on the registration form

Categories: Entries are to be submitted into any one of the categories listed below. Category assignments may be revised at the discretion of the jury. Each project will be judged upon its own merit separate from other submissions, regardless of category.

  • Single-Family Residential
  • Multi-Family Residential: Condominiums, Apartments
  • Multi-Family Residential: Affordable Housing
  • Commercial: Office, Retail, Industrial
  • Institutional: Educational, Health-Related, Religious
  • Cultural
  • Government
  • Additions and Small Projects
  • Renovation, Restoration, and Adaptive Re-use
  • Sustainable Design
  • Unbuilt and Theoretical Projects
  • Architectural Interiors
  • Landscape Architecture (in any of the above categories)
  • Planning: City and Regional, Urban, Feasibility Studies
  • Related Arts: Industrial Design, Furniture, Lighting, Hardware, etc.
  • Graphic Communication: Rendering, Computer Graphics, Modeling, Virtual Reality Imaging Material Sciences
  • Student Projects (in any of the above categories)

Submission Requirements: After the registration form and payment are received, additional submission information will be sent to each entrant.

  • Completed entry forms and 7-12 images (including photographs, architectural drawings, and other relevant materials) must be submitted through online link provided after registration.
  • Image files must be in .jpg format, 300 dpi resolution, maximum 3 MB per image. Label each file: SARA_[entry number]_[number in viewing order].
  • Categories A-N & R: Each entry must include a site plan and floor plan where applicable.
  • Submissions must be on-time and complete. Non-compliance will result in disqualification. All decisions of the jury and committee are final.

Awards: Awards will be given with the following distinctions: Excellence, Merit, Honor, and Jury’s Choice.

Entries will be judged based upon any or all of the following:

  • Clarity of Concept and Strength of Solution
  • Appropriateness, Applicability, and Function
  • Overall Design Aesthetics
  • Creativity, Innovation and Ingenuity
  • Social/Community Relevance

Award recipients will be notified by email by September 1, 2019.

Awards will be presented at the Architecture and Design Awards Celebration on Saturday, October 19, 2019, in Chicago. Entrants and winners are encouraged to attend along with their clients, consultants, and contractors.

Event tickets are not included in entry fees and will be available for purchase soon.

The Fine Print: Submission presumes all Photo Credits Rights are approved by the Photographer for use by SARA in print and electronic media.

All submitted materials become the property of SARA, with the expressed understanding they will never be loaned or given to third parties without the submitters’ knowledge or permission. Submittals will not be returned or deleted from the SARA Design Awards Data Base.

Questions? Contact Dennis Dong, FARA: TheSARAsAwards@gmail.com