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Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Design Competition | John Stewardson Memorial Fellowship in Architecture 

The Community Design Collaborative, in partnership with the John Stewardson Memorial Fellowship in Architecture, is thrilled to announce its inaugural Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Design Competition! Recognizing the pivotal role ADUs play in diversifying housing options and enhancing affordability, this competition aims to ignite innovative design solutions that foster equitable and sustainable communities. We invite students and architects to showcase their creativity and contribute to addressing Philadelphia's housing challenges. 

Competition Goals

• Raise Awareness: Educate the public on the benefits of ADUs and their potential impact on diverse communities.
• Encourage Innovation: Inspire architects and designers to develop creative solutions for the city's housing needs.
• Showcase Skills: Provide a platform for participants to demonstrate their expertise in housing design.
• Inspire the Public: Present imaginative designs that motivate the community to envision new housing possibilities.
• Encourage Critical Examination of ADU Regulations: Promote thoughtful evaluation and constructive critique of existing ADU codes and specifications to identify opportunities for improvement.

This initiative seeks to foster sustainable, affordable, and accessible housing solutions for all residents. 

This initiative is made possible through the generous support of AARP, contributing to making Philadelphia a vibrant and inclusive city for residents of all ages. 

Important Dates: 

Saturday April 19, 2025: Final dates to submit entries. Projects must be submitted before 11:59 PM EST. 

Early June 2025: Notifications of award. 

Late August 2025: Results announced. 

Wednesday, October 1, 2025: Competition winners will be showcased during DesignPhiladelphia Festival.

*This is an idea-only competition and has no affiliation with the development of the project area related to the competition.

Scoring Criteria & Rubric

The Jury will use the following scoring criteria to assess design submissions, ensuring alignment with our community's goals and values. 

Inclusive & Accessible Living (30%) 

Designs should prioritize accessibility and inclusivity by incorporating universal design principles that accommodate individuals of all abilities and needs. Submissions are encouraged to support adaptable living arrangements that evolve with residents over time, enabling aging-in-place and fostering long-term comfort and independence. 

Creative & Aesthetic Excellence (30%) 

Submissions should present ADU designs that captivate visually, thoughtfully balance scale, and highlight distinctive solutions through innovation and creativity. We seek designs that creatively address contemporary living needs for diverse residents, both now and in the future. Proposals should incorporate imaginative use of space, inventive storage strategies, and groundbreaking concepts that push creative boundaries. We also welcome creative responses to limitations posed by regulations. 

Sustainable & Resilient Design (25%) 

Submissions should highlight innovative approaches to energy efficiency, water conservation, and hazard resilience. Designs are encouraged to use sustainable materials, adopt waste reduction strategies, and minimize environmental impact. Flexibility for future technologies, such as solar panels and EV charging, should also be thoughtfully integrated. 

Economic Feasibility & Cost Efficiency (15%) 

Designs should emphasize financial practicality by addressing construction expenses, maintenance requirements, and operational costs. Creative solutions that reduce costs while promoting long-term affordability are highly encouraged.

Acknowledgments 

This competition is made possible by the Community Design Collaborative, AIA Philadelphia, DesignPhiladelphia, the John Stewardson Memorial Competition, and AARP.

AIA Philadelphia 2025 Design Awards

  The 2025 AIA Philadelphia Design Awards program celebrates the best contemporary architecture regardless of budget, size, style, or type. These stunning projects demonstrate the range of outstanding work our members create and highlight the many ways buildings and spaces can improve our lives.

  In 2019, the AIA adopted the Framework for Design Excellence as the set of guidelines and requirements to assess project performance, recognizing that Design is not just about aesthetic components, but how buildings perform for people. Along with many of our peer Chapters, AIA Philadelphia has taken the lead on incorporating the Framework into our Design Awards program over the past two years. The Framework for Design Excellence is made up of 10 measures, formerly known as the COTE Top Ten. This Framework organizes our thinking, facilitates conversations with our clients and the communities we serve, and sets meaningful goals and targets for climate action, which requires a holistic approach addressing the interdependence among people, buildings, infrastructure, and the environment. The Framework for Design Excellence provides the elements that support this vision during project evaluation. While projects submitted do not need to address all the measures included in the framework, they do need to highlight how they perform in this context and highlight relevant narratives and metrics when applicable.

The jurors will review the information provided in the Framework for Design Excellence Form in addition to the traditional Project Submission, for all projects. The jury evaluates entries based on how successfully projects have met their individual requirements and relative to the AIA Framework for Design Excellence. All projects must demonstrate design achievement, including a sense of place and purpose, of ecology and environmental sustainability, and of history. Submitted projects do not have to adhere to all measures but need to address several of them. Submitters are strongly encouraged to consider their submission materials in this context.
 

To adhere to AIA National's submission guidelines, built projects submitted for the design competition must have been completed within the last five years.

  It is within the jury's discretion to select any built project from any built category for consideration for the Gold Medal. Likewise, it is also in the jury's discretion to select any unbuilt project for the Silver Medal.

  The jury process must remain blind, so do not include any identifying information on any slides, including on your title slide. Identifying information includes:

• Firm Name or Address
• Principal or Employee Names
• Company Logo
• Corporate Tagline

  This year's Design Awards celebration will be held Thursday, November 13, 2025. For more information about the Design Awards, please visit the AIA Philadelphia Design Awards program page.


Submission Fees
 

• Built Project Categories $225
• Unbuilt Project Categories $225
• Divine Detail Submissions $75

Submission Process

Step 1: Create Profile 

• Create a new username and password. If you are submitting more than one entry, you will be prompted for a payment at the end of each submission. 
• Your contact information will pre-populate in each new entry you begin. Click Save Address and Continue to begin your first entry.

Step 2: Submit Your Entry

• Check the boxes indicating you agree to and meet the eligibility requirements.
• Describe your firm's role in the project.
• Enter the names of your collaborating firms and their roles, if applicable.
• Enter your Firm Name, Contact Name, Job Title, Email Address, and Phone Number.
• Select your project subcategory.
• Check the box indicating that your project has been completed after January 1, 2020.
• Enter your Project Title.
• Enter your Project Description. If selected for an award, this description will be read aloud at the Design Awards Celebration.
• Select YES or NO from the dropdown menu indicating whether or not you would like your project to be included in the exhibition. Please note: This year we are returning to the 40x40 board template. Firms are responsible for logistics, printing, and shipping of boards. Please visit the Design Awards program page on the AIA Philadelphia website for more information.

Step 3: Uploads

• Project Submission - PDF File Only (File Size Limit 10MB). This is the file that will be reviewed by the jury. Please submit one PDF File Only. The submission file is limited to 17 pages total. Your project submission should be: 1 cover page + 12 page project submission + 4 page Framework for Design Excellence form, for a total of 17 pages in ONE PDF. All project categories will be automatically considered for the Sustainability Recognition Award.
• Project Team Information Page - PDF Files Only
• Design Awards Presentation Slide - JPG Files Only. The Design Awards presentation slide will be used during the awards ceremony. We are collecting slides from everyone, regardless of whether your project is selected for an award. Please save the PPT file as a JPG.
• Photo upload - JPG Files Only. Please upload 10 hi-res images of your project.
• Name of Photographer

Upload templates can be found here.

Step 4: Design Awards Entry Authorization

By entering your name, you agree to comply with the Design Awards submission criteria.


 Additional information and FAQs can be found here.

Late entries cannot be accepted. Thank you for your cooperation!

AIA Philadelphia 2025 Emanuel Kelly Award

  This year's Design Awards Celebration will be held November 13, 2025. For more information about the Design Awards, please visit: https://aiaphiladelphia.org/pages/awards


Application Process

Step 1: Create Profile

• Create a new username and password.
• There is no fee for the Emanuel Kelly Award.
• Click Save Address and Continue to begin your application.

Step 2: Submit Your Application

• Enter your Name, Place of Employment, and Job Title.

Step 3: Uploads

• Upload a copy of the Design Awards PowerPoint Template (please use one hi-res image and follow the formatting instructions on the template - PPT or PPTX files only).
• Upload a copy of your application to be reviewed by the jury (PDF files only).

About the Emanuel Kelly Award
  Our chapter created the Emanuel Kelly Award to be presented to an architectural educator in our community for impactful research, significant pedagogical development, or innovative teaching in the advancement of architectural education. This award recognizes the educator’s efforts in shaping the future leaders of our profession.

Criteria & Eligibility 

Adjuncts or Full Time Faculty, 5 year minimum teaching experience.

Application (PDF)

1. Accomplishments: A list summary of the candidate’s accomplishments including: impactful research, significant pedagogical development, or innovative teaching in the advancement of architectural education. This should also include service, teaching, and publications if applicable. 

2. Exhibits: Provide in-depth examples of the candidate’s work that emphasize their contributions and discuss how their involvement contributed to its success. Exhibits are not limited to scholarly work and can include practice/education models, volunteering, publications, organizational leadership, etc. However, all candidates are expected to show some scholarly work. A declaration of the candidate’s responsibility is required for each submitted scholarly work. The declaration should indicate:

• that the candidate was largely responsible for scholarly work, or;
• that the scholarly work was under the candidate’s direction, or;
• a described level of other responsibility.
   

3. Three letters of recommendation. Two of the letters can be from your current employer/colleagues. 

Late entries cannot be accepted. Thank you for your cooperation!

AIA Philadelphia 2025 Young Architect Award

This year's Design Awards Celebration will be held November 13, 2025. For more information about the Design Awards, please visit: https://aiaphiladelphia.org/pages/awards


Application Process

Step 1: Create Profile

• Create a new username and password.
• There is no fee for the Young Architect Award.
• Click Save Address and Continue to begin your application.

Step 2: Submit Your Application

• Enter your Name, Firm Name, Job Title, and Date of Birth.
• List the state(s) in which you are licensed.

Step 3: Uploads

• Upload a copy of your license (PDF files only).
• Upload a copy of the Design Awards PowerPoint Template (please use one hi-res image and follow the formatting instructions on the template - PPT or PPTX files only).
• Upload a copy of your application to be reviewed by the jury (PDF files only).

About the Young Architect Award
AIA Philadelphia annually recognizes a young architect who has demonstrated exceptional early achievement and future promise. The Fellows Committee of the Chapter serves as the jury. The award is intended not only to honor the recipient, but to introduce the design community and the public to new voices within the profession and to encourage other young practitioners in their careers.

Criteria
A successful candidate must display excellent past work, authored by the candidate, as well as promise of future merit in one, two, three, or all four of the following categories:

• Design Excellence: Work that demonstrates aesthetic, technical, and functional excellence;
• Practice: Demonstrated leadership, management, and/or specialized technical expertise;
• Education: Expanding the influence of the profession through teaching, publications, and/or research;
• Service: Exemplary service and contributions to the profession and/or society.

A candidate may choose to focus on contributions either broadly or in depth.

Eligibility
Candidates must be registered architect members of AIA Philadelphia between the ages of 25 and 39 as of the due date of the application.

Application
All items listed below should be submitted as a single pdf of a maximum of twenty 8 ½” x 11” pages and no larger than 18 MB. Please title the pdf with the candidate’s name, underscore, YA (i.e., JaneSmith_YA). Each application must include:

1.) A cover page including the candidate’s name, address, contact information and birthdate 

2.) Summary Statement - A one-page high level narrative describing the basis for the candidate’s nomination (that items 3, 4, and 5 will explore in greater detail).

3.) Accomplishments - A list summary of the candidate’s accomplishments including: education, employment, registrations, significant professional work, recognition. This should also include service, teaching, and publications if applicable. 

4.) Exhibits – Provide in-depth examples of the candidate’s work that emphasize their contributions and discuss how their involvement contributed to its success. Exhibits are not limited to design work and can include practice/education models, volunteering, publications, organizational leadership, etc. However, all candidates are expected to show some project work. A declaration of the candidate’s responsibility, signed by a firm principal, is required for each submitted project. The declaration should indicate:

• that the candidate was largely responsible for the project design; or
• that the project was under the candidate’s direction as project manager; or
• that the candidate was the project architect; or
• a described level of other responsibility.

5.)  Three letters of recommendation. Letters should be on company letterhead and no more than one page (8 ½” x 11”) long. At least two of the letters must be from AIA members (need not be AIA Philadelphia members). Only one of the letters may be from the candidate’s current employer or co-workers. Only one letter may be from a non-AIA member. Letters of recommendation must be from those who have direct knowledge of the candidate’s work as it pertains to this application.

Schedule

Application due: Friday, August 22, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.

Jury’s decision announced: Applicants will be confidentially notified of the jury’s decision in September 2025

Public announcement: The Young Architect Award will be publicly announced and presented to the recipient(s) at the Chapter’s Annual Design Awards Celebration in November. Successful candidates will be asked to participate in a short video interview, prepared by the Chapter, to be screened during the Design Awards Celebration.

Exhibit and Talk: Award recipients will be invited to participate in the On the Rise Exhibit that showcases their work, with that of other award winners. This program will take place at a date to be determined. Award recipients will additionally be asked to prepare a short talk about their work in concert with the exhibit.

More Information
Potential applicants or Chapter members who would like to propose applicants can obtain more information, on a confidential basis, by contacting any current member of the Chapter’s Fellows Committee.

• Michael L. Prifti, FAIA, Chair – (215) 563-3900 x108 mlp@blta.com (Co-chair)
• Joanne Aitken, FAIA – jaitken1823@gmail.com (Co-chair)
• Jules Dingle, FAIA – (215) 627-0808 jdingle@digsau.com
• Nancy Bastian, FAIA – nbastian@cbparchitects.com
• George L. Claflen Jr., FAIA – (215) 564-0878 gclaflen@claflenassociates.com 
• Peter Piven, FAIA – (215) 952-2781 peter.piven@gmail.com

Late entries cannot be accepted. Thank you for your cooperation!