About the Architecture Awards

The South Australian Architecture Awards have been held since 1981, in conjuction wtih the Australian Insitute of Architects National Award program. In 2009 we had a record 88 entries, and introduced our Named Awards which will carry forward in years to come. The Awards entry process starts at the beginning of the year, with jury deliberations taking place in March, site visits in April, and the Awards Presentation taking place on a Friday night in July.

For the 2010 Awards Entry Handbook Click here

National

The National Architecture Awards have been held annually since 1981. These Awards are the most prestigious in the design and construction industry, and have had a significant influence on trends in architectural design. The Institute is pleased to have Principal Corporate Partner BlueScope Steel and Supporting Corporate Partners Lockwood, Dulux, Autodesk, Kingspan and AWS as sponsors of the National Architecture Awards.

Entries close after a three to four month period, at which time the judging process in each state/territory begins. Selected buildings are visited by local jury members in accordance with the award’s conditions of entry. Selected projects of excellence then become the State finalists and/or award recipients.

In early July, all winning entries are forwarded to the National Office and the recipients of Chapter Awards come under the close scrutiny of the national jury. The national jury consists of five members: four prominent architects and one non-architect of national prominence.

In judging the projects, the overall quality of the work is considered. Issues include:
- how well the project meets its original intentions
- the client’s satisfaction with the project
- environmental performance and use of energy
- contribution to the advancement of architecture.

The jury imposes strict criteria for each of the nine national categories and applies these in the preliminary judging process and when it visits the short-listed projects across Australia. The cycle culminates in a celebratory awards’ dinner held in late October each year.