All projects completed for cultural or civic clients that are accessible to the public, either free of charge or through an admission fee/ticket. This includes but is not limited to civic amenities, community centers, transit facilities, parks, public plazas, museums, performance venues, event venues, sport/athletic venues, convention centers, local/state/federal government offices, embassies, consulates, and courthouses. (Parks and public plazas are also eligible for the Landscape category, depending upon the scope of work on the project.)

All projects completed for educational institutions and projects that incorporate learning and research as a significant portion of their program. This includes but is not limited to schools, colleges, universities, research centers, innovation centers, laboratories, and training facilities. (Student housing must be entered in the Multifamily/Mixed-Use category.)

All projects completed for clients who provide health care services. This includes but is not limited to hospitals, clinics, therapeutic facilities, veterinary facilities, medical/dental/vision specialist facilities.

All projects completed for clients who provide hospitality services. This includes but is not limited to hotels, bars, restaurants, eateries, cafés, resorts, spas, commercial kitchens, and event venues.

All projects where landscape architecture is the main service rendered to the client. This includes but is not limited to parks, plazas, waterfronts, gardens, grounds, outdoor work or hospitality areas, and brownfield remediation.

All projects which include more than one residential unit. This includes but is not limited to apartment buildings, housing developments, affordable housing, supportive housing, homeless housing, transitional housing, senior living, assisted living, retirement communities, student housing, and mixed-use buildings combining residential units with retail or office space. (Hotel buildings with residential units must be entered in the Hospitality category.)

All free-standing home projects that are designed to be used as a single-dwelling unit. This includes but is not limited to fully detached, semi-detached, a row house or a townhome.

All projects designed for sale of goods, including but not limited to retail outlets, showrooms, malls, and pop-ups.

All projects for private clients where knowledge work is a significant part of the program. This includes but is not limited to offices, headquarters, co-working facilities, conferencing facilities, and administrative facilities. (Projects focused on real estate repositioning may be entered in this category or in any of the categories above, based on what program occupies most of the square footage.)

This award recognizes one architecture and interior design firm for all-around leadership on design for sustainability, wellness, equity, and resilience. 

This award recognizes early- and mid-career individuals who have made significant contributions to sustainable, equitable, healthy, and resilient design at their firms.

This award recognizes rigorous and visionary work by a student of architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, or planning that focuses on design for a sustainable, healthy, resilient, equitable, and regenerative future. Students can apply themselves and don't need to be nominated.

This award recognizes educators in architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture who nurture creative approaches to future challenges in the next generation of professionals. Educators can apply themselves and don't need to be nominated.

The building industry is responsible for 40% of global carbon emissions. This award recognizes project playing their part in fighting climate change through decarbonization.

By 2050, embodied carbon emissions are set to represent 49% of the building industry’s total emissions. This award celebrates projects that reduce embodied carbon in core and shell or interiors.

A big portion of any building’s impacts on people and the planet can be influenced by material choices and careful analysis of supply chain impacts. This award honors creative choices and uses of materials and products.

Architecture and design projects touch the lives of many communities, and the best way to understand those impacts is to engage those people in meaningful ways. This award recognizes projects with deep and impactful community engagement.

Communities and societies can be empowered and uplifted through the kinds of spaces that they can access, use, or influence. This award recognizes projects that fulfill the potential of the built environment to improve the lives of people.

Water is one of the most precious resources on the planet, and man-made environments have placed an excessive burden on water in many places. This award recognizes projects that help sustain our world through responsible use of water.

Human-made environments, whether indoors or outdoors, are a key determinant of both personal health and public health. This award celebrates projects that help keep individuals and communities healthy.

Communities everywhere can benefit from a resilient built environment, but buildings and spaces that bounce back from catastrophe can be critical to vulnerable populations. This award celebrates projects that can support communities during times of crisis and help them recover after.

The biggest challenges in the world—like climate action, social justice, or public health—need imaginative solutions. This award celebrates an unbuilt project that has the potential for extraordinary impact.