Winners Announced · November 5, 2026
2026 ALA Design Awards
Each year the ALA Design Awards honor the work of our members, from small residential projects to large institutional work. Entry is open to ALA Professional Members, including Senior and Emeritus Members. Solo practitioners and small firms are encouraged to enter alongside the region's largest offices. Every entry is judged the same way, on the strength of the project itself.
Entries for 2026 closed August 28. The 2027 call for entries opens next July.
Key Dates
The 2026 cycle. Judging is complete, and the winners were honored at the Gala on November 5.
Awards
Entries are judged overall, not against others in their category. Four levels of recognition are awarded.
Presidential Award
The program's top honor, given to one project selected from the full field of entries.
Gold Award
Given to projects the jury sees as the strongest work submitted this year.
Silver Award
Given to projects showing strong design thinking and skilled execution.
Merit Award
Given to projects the jury finds well resolved and worth recognizing.
Winning entries appear in the annual print issue of Licensed Architect and are published on the ALA website, with additional coverage through ALA's press and social media channels. Winners join past honored work in the Design Awards Archive.
How Entry Works
For reference ahead of the 2027 call. The process is the same each year.
Log in and register
Sign in to your ALA account and complete your Design Awards registration.
Get your portal link
Your confirmation page and email will include a link to Award Force, the platform ALA uses for entries.
Submit your entry
Set up your Award Force account, upload your project, and submit before the deadline.
Who can enter. The Design Awards are open to ALA Professional Members, including Senior and Emeritus Members. Any membership type can register, but every submission must list an ALA Professional Member on the project. If you aren't a member yet, join ALA first, then log in and register. Firms of one are just as welcome as firms of a hundred.
The 2026 Winners
Honored at the 2026 Design Awards Gala
Thursday, November 5, 2026 · Medinah Country Club. This year's Presidential, Gold, Silver, and Merit Award recipients were recognized in front of fellow ALA members and industry colleagues.
Meet the 2026 Judges
Our jury is made up of respected voices from across the architecture profession, brought together to give every entry a careful and fair review. The jury and the selection process are blind: jurors see only the project name and the entrant's description. All of the judges except one are not ALA members.
Juan Gabriel Moreno
President and Founder, JGMA
Eleanor Esser Gorski
Chief Executive Officer and President, Chicago Architecture Center
Charles Smith, FAIA
Principal and Chicago Office Practice Leader, CannonDesign
Darcy Bonner
Darcy Bonner & Associates
Michael Glynn
Architect and Professor, Illinois Institute of Technology
Design Awards Gala Emcee
Lee Bey
Architecture Critic, Chicago Sun-Times
Submission Guidelines →
Eligibility, required materials, and terms for entry.
Project Categories →
The full classification list for your submission.
The 2027 Awards Open in July
Not a member yet? Join ALA to enter the 2027 awards.
Questions? Contact the ALA office · ALA@licensedarchitect.org · 847.382.0630