AIA Minnesota

AIA Minnesota Awards

25 Year Award

Celebrating an outstanding architectural work that continues to inspire through its enduring quality and relevance.

The 25 Year Award recognizes completed building projects—either individual buildings or groups of buildings—finished between 25 and 50 years ago. Eligible projects must have been designed by firms with architects registered and professionally practicing in Minnesota.

This award honors one exemplary architectural project that has stood the test of time and continues to demonstrate excellence in architectural design and significance—both in its original context and by today’s standards.

The submission window for the 2026 AIA Minnesota 25 Year Award will open June 1, 2026, and close July 17 at 12:00 noon CST.

2025 25 Year Award Recipient

FAIR School for Arts designed by Cuningham
Learn more about the winning project.

FAIR School for Arts exterior
2025 25 Year Award | FAIR School for Arts | Cuningham | Photo credit: Morgan Sheff
FAIR School for Arts exterior
2025 25 Year Award | FAIR School for Arts | Cuningham | Photo credit: Morgan Sheff
FAIR School for Arts exterior
2025 25 Year Award | FAIR School for Arts | Cuningham | Photo credit: Morgan Sheff
2025 25 Year Award | FAIR School for Arts | Cuningham | Photo credit: Morgan Sheff
FAIR School for Arts exterior
2025 25 Year Award | FAIR School for Arts | Cuningham | Photo credit: Morgan Sheff
FAIR School for Arts gathering space
2025 25 Year Award | FAIR School for Arts | Cuningham | Photo credit: Morgan Sheff
FAIR School for Arts media center
2025 25 Year Award | FAIR School for Arts | Cuningham | Photo credit: Morgan Sheff
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FAIR School for Arts exterior FAIR School for Arts exterior FAIR School for Arts exterior FAIR School for Arts exterior FAIR School for Arts gathering space FAIR School for Arts media center
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Eligibility

    Eligible projects must:

    • Be built works, either individual buildings or groups of buildings
    • Have been completed between January 1, 1976, and December 31, 2000
    • Use the date the certificate of occupancy was issued as the official completion date
    • Have been designed by a firm with architects registered and practicing professionally in Minnesota

    Entries must be submitted or nominated by a current AIA Minnesota member. Any AIA Minnesota member may serve as the nominator; the nominator does not need to be the project’s original architect.

    25 Year Award Process & Recent Recipients

    Submission Requirements

    Submissions must include:

    • A minimum of three exterior images
    • A minimum of three interior images
    • One site plan

    There is no entry fee.

    Anonymity Requirement

    Entrants are responsible for ensuring that the architecture firm’s name does not appear in the submission materials. Failure to comply will result in automatic disqualification.

    Timeline

    June 1, 2026: Submission window opens

    July 17 at 12:00 noon CST: Submission window closes

    Late July/early August: Jury

    August: Recipients and nominators of unsuccessful entries informed of selections

    November: Celebration of 25 Year Award recipient at the AIA Minnesota Annual Conference (most likely on November 9)

    Jury Composition

    Submissions will be evaluated by a jury consisting of:

    • One Committee on Design member
    • One past 25 Year Award recipient or a faculty member from the University of Minnesota or Dunwoody College
    • One past Young Architect Award recipient
    • One AIA Minnesota Fellow
    • One additional AIA Minnesota member leader

    The members of the 2026 25 Year Award jury will be listed here in June 2026.

    Recent Recipients

    2025
    FAIR School for Arts in downtown Minneapolis, designed by Cuningham Group Architecture (now Cuningham)

    2024
    Hennepin County Public Works Facility in Medina, Minnesota, designed by Alliiance

    2023
    St. John’s University’s Sexton Commons in Collegeville, Minnesota, designed by Rafferty Rafferty Tollefson Lindeke (RRTL) Architects (now Architecture Advantage)

    2022
    Weesner Family Amphitheater, Minnesota Zoological Gardens, in Apple Valley, Minnesota, designed by HGA

    Entry Deadline

    Application deadline is Friday, July 17, 2026, at 12:00 noon CST.

    Staff

    Editor-in-Chief

    Chris Hudson, Hon. AIAMN