The Homes by Architects Tour is a hybrid event, offering both in-person and virtual ways of showcasing your project. The Homes by Architects Tour also features the Small Project Showcase. See a table comparing project types in the Call for Entries.

Small Projects Showcase
In addition to supporting the tour’s overall goals above, the Small Project Showcase aims to demonstrate the value of working with an architect for projects that are smaller than those historically shown on the tour, with a lower participation fee for the firms. Small Project Showcases projects are capped at 600 square feet (of work being showcased; total home square footage may be larger).

Core differences between a standard tour home and small project include:

• Small projects will receive a half-page in the tour program instead of a full page
• Firms will have to staff the greeter table

Virtual Tour
The virtual tour experience provides Minnesota architects with an option for showcasing their work outside of the Twin Cities metro area.

For virtual tour homes, the project is showcased online through photography and videos (provided by the architect) and via a virtual Matterport tour. If the home is virtual only, the physical property address will not be disclosed and no tour goers will have in-person access to the home.

All materials must be submitted through AIA Minnesota’s online awards platform. A submission is not considered complete until all required documents are signed and uploaded. By completing a submission, you are not guaranteed a spot on the tour.

Each submission must include:

• Project Information: Address, square footage, completion date, project type.
• Project Description: Information describing the project and its program, including the client’s needs and how they were addressed, any innovative material usage, sustainable design elements, or interesting design attributes, and a paragraph (min. 100 words) describing how the project demonstrates at least one category of the AIA Framework for Design Excellence.
• Tour Format: Indicate whether this project should be considered for the in-person and/or virtual tour.
• Architect Information: List of project team members, including the lead architect, firm contact information, a photo of the design team or lead architect, and a firm logo.
• Publicity Description: A written description (up to 300 words for standard and virtual homes, or up to 200 words for Small Projects) that will be used to publicize the project on the tour website and in the tour guidebook. Subject to editing by AIA Minnesota staff. 
• Floor Plans & Photography: Submissions must include at least five images, both exterior and interior, and floor plans. “Before” images are required for Small Project Showcase remodels and additions, and are strongly encouraged for all remodels and additions. If final photography is not yet available, the architect may submit renderings, sketches, and/or construction photos.
• Signed Architect Agreement: The submission is not considered complete until the signed Architect Agreement is uploaded. Download the In-Person Architect Agreement and Virtual Architect Agreement.
• Signed Homeowner Agreement: The submission is not considered complete until the signed Homeowner Agreement is uploaded. Download the In-Person Homeowner Agreement and Virtual Homeowner Agreement.
• Supplier List: The Supplier List should list all project partners, including their contact information and what service they provided. This information will be used by AIA Minnesota for sponsor and advertiser outreach. Download a blank List of Suppliers. All project partners—anyone who is not the architecture firm—must be paid sponsors to be associated with the project in tour publicity and marketing, and during the tour itself.

If a project is selected to be in the Homes by Architects Tour, the architect will also need to provide:

• Certificate of Liability Insurance: Architect will need to provide to AIA Minnesota a Certificate of Liability Insurance containing Commercial General Liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence/ $1,000,000 aggregate and Umbrella/ Excess Liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence/$1,000,000 aggregate, valid from September 19-September 20, 2026. Said Certificate of Liability Insurance will name AIA Minnesota as an additional insured, and should contain worker’s compensation insurance coverage. (Firms that do not hold worker’s comp will be provided a waiver to sign.)
• Certificate of Occupancy: New construction projects will need to provide to AIA Minnesota a copy of their Certificate of Occupancy by August 15.

All submissions must remain anonymous. The submitting architecture firm is responsible for ensuring that submission materials are anonymous, including references to the architecture firm or individual design team members in the project descriptions, floor plans, and image file names. Project firm, design team members, and other identifying information will not be visible to the committee during the review process. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in disqualification.

Submissions should exemplify the best qualities of an architect’s work, demonstrate an innovative use of design solutions and/or materials, and tell a compelling story.

Members of the Residential Architecture Committee will review all submitted projects in early May at a special in-person meeting, and evaluate each one fairly and objectively, with a primary goal of selecting a diverse and representative range of project types, scopes, and sites that best support the programmatic objectives of the tour. All submissions are subject to final approval by AIA Minnesota staff.

Submissions are evaluated by the committee using the following questions:

• Does the project demonstrate innovative use of design solutions and/or materials?
• Does the project tell a compelling story that would be appealing to a broad audience?
• Does the project illustrate the value of architectural services in the design solutions?
• Does the project feature sustainable design elements and/or processes?
• Taking into consideration the other tour submissions, how well would this project add variety to the tour?

In-person tour projects may be asked to re-submit for a future tour if there are no other tour projects in the home’s vicinity. Virtual tour projects may be asked to re-submit for a future tour if there are fewer than three virtual tour projects total.

There is no fee to submit a project to be considered for the tour.

Tour Participation Fees:

• In-person Standard Home format participation fee: $2,600
• In-person Small Project Showcase participation fee: $1,250
• Virtual format participation fee: $400 + the cost of the Matterport filming*

*AIA Minnesota staff will, to the best of their ability, research potential vendors and get quotes to share with the architecture firm. Architecture firm will coordinate Matterport scheduling and pay the vendor directly.

Participants may choose from two payment schedule options:

• Plan A. Payment in full by June 30, 2026.
• Plan B. Two installments: initial payment of 50% of participation fee on June 30 and final payment of remaining amount by July 31, 2026.

Fees Pertaining to Late Submissions and Withdrawals/Cancellations:

• After April 24: Projects submitted after April 24 will be charged a $100 late fee.
• Until July 31: Architect may change their tour home to a different project for a $250 fee.
• August 1–21: Architects that withdraw their project for any reason, including those out of the architect’s control, will receive a full refund minus the $250 fee.
• August 22–September 11: Architects that withdraw their project for any reason, including those out of the architect’s control, will receive a 50% refund.
• September 12–End of Tour: Architects that withdraw their project for any reason, including those out of the architect’s control, will receive a 25% refund.

Participation fees may not be transferred to a future tour in the event a home is withdrawn from the tour. All withdrawals must be submitted in writing immediately to AIA Minnesota.

• April 24, 2026, at 12:00 noon CST: Submission window closes. After this date, any projects accepted on the tour will be subject to a $100 late fee.
• Early May: The Residential Architecture Committee and AIA Minnesota staff review submissions
• Mid/Late May: Firms are informed of selections
• Late May/early June: First informational meeting for participating architects
• June: Website is updated
• June 30: Participation fee due, or first payment due if paying in installments
• July: Social media publicity begins
• July 15: Photography and any information, such as parking instructions, required for the tour guidebook is due
• July–August: Tour guidebook is completed
• July 31: Second participation fee payment due if paying in installments
• August 7: Tickets will go on sale
• August 15: Certification of Occupancy due to AIA Minnesota
• Late August: Second informational meeting for participating architects
• September 19 & 20: In-person tour weekend
• September 19–October 4: Virtual tour access

Dates Pertaining to Withdrawal/Cancellation:

• Until July 31: Architect may change their tour home to a different project for a $250 fee.
• August 1–21: Architects that withdraw their project for any reason, including those out of the architect’s control, will receive a full refund, minus the $250 fee.
• August 22–September 11: Architects that withdraw their project for any reason, including those out of the architect’s control, will receive a 50% refund.
• September 12–End of Tour: Architects that withdraw their project for any reason, including those out of the architect’s control, will receive a 25% refund.

Participation fees may not be transferred to a future tour in the event a home is withdrawn from the tour. All withdrawals must be submitted in writing immediately to AIA Minnesota.