The AIA COTE Top Ten / Top Ten + Awards program recognizes exemplary and innovative, built projects that establish a standard of over-all design excellence creatively integrating sustainable design strategies, demonstrating their benefits while educating and inspiring the profession and the public.
In acknowledgement of the increasingly important role architects must play in helping to address the challenges of climate change, and in keeping with the Institute's core values surrounding this issue, submissions are expected to make every effort to comply with the goals of the AIA 2030 Commitment.
Past AIA COTE Top Ten Award winners with actual performance data for a minimum of one year are eligible for The AIA COTE Top Ten + Award. This award recognizes projects that have been previously acknowledged for design excellence in the COTE Top Ten, and for which verifiable design metrics are readily available.
Eligibility
All architects licensed in the U.S. are invited to submit their completed, built projects, regardless of project size, budget, style, building type, or location. Entries are welcomed and encouraged from both established and new practitioners and designers, and from small firms and large.
Entry Fee
An architect or firm may submit more than one project, but each entry requires payment of a separate, non-refundable registration fee.
$425 (AIA members) | $850 (nonmembers)
Award Recognition
The awarded projects will receive significant recognition, including acknowledgement in AIA publications, electronic media, and at the 2016 AIA National Convention and Design Exposition in Philadelphia from May 19-21.
Recipients may be asked by the AIA Communications department, or by various media representatives, for additional information about their projects. All submitted materials will become property of the American Institute of Architects.
Submit Your Project
Please log in here to submit your project data, images, and legal release forms. Payment is then made to the AIA through a separate, registration system.
Reference the Call for Entries document for overall information about this program and additional resources. Detailed, project entry requirements are available for download to assist in submission planning.