The AIA Saint Paul Prize is an annual design competition that celebrates and recognizes innovative ideas from the next generation of design professionals. Since its inception, the competition has been open exclusively to emerging professionals living and working in Minnesota, providing a platform to showcase their creativity and vision.
In 2025, the competition expands its scope to encourage broader participation and interdisciplinary collaboration. For the first time, eligibility will include architecture students as well as multi-disciplinary teams. This change aims to foster diverse perspectives, promote cross-disciplinary innovation, and strengthen connections within the design community.
Participants are challenged to propose forward-thinking solutions that embody the spirit of design excellence, community engagement, and meaningful impact.
Eligibility
Individuals or teams of up to three (3) members may participate. Multi-disciplinary collaboration is strongly encouraged.
Each entry must have at least one participant who meets one of the following criteria:
- Emerging Professional
- Graduated from an accredited professional architecture degree program within the past 10 years.
- Currently living or working in Minnesota.
- Current Student
- Enrolled in an architecture degree program at the University of Minnesota or Dunwoody College of Technology at the time of submission.
Prior AIA Saint Paul Prize recipients and current members of the AIA Saint Paul Board of Directors are not eligible to participate.
Entry Fee
There is no entry fee for the AIA St. Paul Prize.
Prize
Compete alongside fellow emerging designers for a chance to win $3,000. As an added honor, the winner(s) will receive an exclusive invitation to present at AIA St. Paul’s Food for Thought seminar, set for the first quarter of 2026.
Submission Materials
Submittals will be accepted electronically as PDF or JPEG files, 300 dpi minimum resolution, in the form of two 24″x36″ digital project boards. See competition brief for full requirements.
Judging
All entry participant names are anonymous during the judging. Jury members may include AIA St. Paul members, architects, members of the AIA St. Paul Board, previous competition winners, local artists, or city/community representatives.
Registration
Register for the 2025 competition now through the completion. The program prompt will be revealed at 12:00pm CST on Thursday, November 6, 2026. All submissions will be due by 12:00pm CST on Tuesday, November 25, 2025.
Questions?
Contact Amber Allardyce, Hon. AIAMN
Previous Competition Winners
2024
Evan Hall, AIA
Austin Autrey – honorable mention
Jason Jirele, honorable mention
Jakob Mahla and Derek Ronding, Assoc. AIA, honorable mention
View the press release and submission >>
2023
Oleg Koslovskii, AIA (first place)
Tim Shortreed, AIA (first place)
Kenos Leong, Assoc. AIA (finalist)
Alyssa Maristela, AIA (finalist)
View all the 2023 submissions >>
2022
Yonggyun Noh (first place)
Timothy Shortreed, AIA (second place)
Kenos Leong, Assoc. AIA (third place)
2021
No competition was hosted.
2020
Theodore Wright, AIA (first place)
Dantes Ha, AIA and Alyssa Maristela, AIA (second place)
Zach Kern, Assoc. AIA (third place)
2019
Adam Lapacz, Assoc. AIA and Chirag Khurana (first place)
Zach Kern, Assoc. AIA (second place)
