AIA Minnesota

AIA Minnesota Awards

Residential Emerging Architect Award

Recognizing early-career residential architects (10 years licensed or fewer) for emerging design leadership and notable contributions to residential design.

The Residential Emerging Architect Award (formerly the Residential Emerging Talent Award and the Emerging Talent of the Year Award) recognizes up to two emerging residential architects every two years. Eligible recipients must have been licensed for 10 or fewer years at the time of submission.

This award honors architects who demonstrate a strong and distinct architectural voice through thoughtful design, craftsmanship, and material expression, or who have made notable early contributions to advancing residential design.

The submission window for the 2027 AIA Minnesota Residential Emerging Architect Award will open January 29, 2027, and close March 12 at 12:00 noon CST.

Two Receive 2025 Residential Emerging Architect Award

Architect Matthew Erickson, AIA

Matthew Erickson, AIA »

“Matthew does not advocate a particular style but creates a particular aesthetic based on the goals of the client. This insight and approach drive his designs, integrating all functional aspects into a cohesive whole.”

Architect Katie Loecken, AIA

Katie Loecken, AIA »

“Katie’s consistently thoughtful approach to reuse and reconceiving floor plans in very practical ways isn’t just preservation-minded and sustainable—it’s life-changing for the homeowners.”

Eligibility

Applicants must:

  • Be current AIA Minnesota members in good standing.
  • Have been licensed to practice architecture for 10 or fewer years by the submission deadline.

Selection Criteria

Submissions must demonstrate the emergence of a strong architectural voice in one or both of the following areas:

  • Design Excellence: Creation of residential buildings and environments that enhance the built community.
  • Practice Excellence: Leadership, management, project delivery, and/or technical expertise in professional practice.

Optional Supporting Criteria

The jury may also consider the following:

  • Commitment to Sustainability: Projects that demonstrate resource efficiency, resilience, and contributions to a healthy environment. Submissions should identify alignment with relevant measures of the AIA Framework for Design Excellence.
  • Service to the Client: Demonstrated commitment to client well-being and project success.
  • Service to the Community: Involvement in AIA, historic preservation boards, or similar organizations.
  • Advocacy: Advancement of the value of and broader access to residential architecture through public speaking, publications, or public policy efforts.
  • Mentorship: Support of emerging professionals through academic teaching or professional guidance.

Residential Emerging Architect Award Process & Past Recipients

Submission Requirements

All materials must be submitted through AIA Minnesota’s online awards platform. Candidates may self-submit, or any current AIA member may nominate an eligible individual.

Each submission must include:

  • Design Philosophy Statement (maximum 250 words): A description of the candidate’s design philosophy and architectural approach.
  • Achievements Summary (maximum 500 words): A list of professional and/or personal accomplishments.
  • Project Portfolio: Visual documentation of three built single-family residential projects that reflect the candidate’s design philosophy. The candidate must have served in a leading or critical supporting role on each project. At least one project must have been completed within the past five years.
  • Project Descriptions (maximum 200 words per project): Include a description of each project and explain how it addresses one or more measures of the AIA Framework for Design Excellence.
  • Letters of Recommendation: Two to three letters from a client, employer, colleague, collaborator, or contractor. If the candidate is nominated, one letter must be from the nominator.
  • Optional: Additional documentation supporting the candidate’s qualifications, such as unbuilt work, publications, lectures, or other forms of public advocacy.
Timeline

January 29, 2027: Submission window opens

March 12 at 12:00 noon CST: Submission window closes

Late March/Early April: Jury

April: Recipients and unsuccessful candidates informed of selections

August: Recipients honored at the AIA Minnesota Summer Awards Celebration

Jury Composition

The Residential Emerging Architect Award jury is composed of:

  • One AIA Minnesota Committee on Design member
  • One previous Residential Emerging Architect Award recipient
  • One previous Young Architect Award recipient
  • Two additional AIA member leaders

The members of the 2027 Residential Emerging Architect Award jury will be listed here in February 2027.

Anonymity Requirement

All submissions must remain anonymous. The architect’s name and firm must not appear in project images, descriptions, or supporting documents. Candidate identification information will not be visible to jurors during review. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in disqualification.

Past Recipients

2025  Matthew Erickson, AIA; Katie Loecken, AIA
2024  Carl Gauley, AIA
2022  Jessica Harner, AIA
2019  Bob Le Moine, AIA
2018  Jackie Millea, AIA
2017  Jody McGuire, AIA
2016  Bob Ganser, AIA
2015   Michael Roehr, AIA
2014   Christopher Strom, AIA
2013   Ben Awes, AIA
2012   Bryan Anderson, AIA
2011   Meghan Kell Cornell, AIA
2010   Christian Dean, AIA
2009   Kerrik Wessel, AIA
2008   Todd Hansen, AIA
2007   Geoffrey Warner, FAIA
2006   Jean Rehkamp Larson, AIA
2005   Christine Albertsson, AIA
2004   Wynne Yelland, AIA

Entry Deadline

Application deadline is Friday, March 12, 2027, at 12:00 noon CST.

Recent Recipient

Architect Carl Gauley, AIA
Photo by Jennifer Simonson

2024 Recipient

Carl Gauley, AIA »

“Carl brings adaptability, creativity, and refinement to every project through an intense, iterative design process from conceptual exploration to detailing materials and systems.”

Staff

Editor-in-Chief

Chris Hudson, Hon. AIAMN

Public Outreach Manager

Ann Mayhew