NSW & Newcastle
Architecture
Awards Program
NSW Architecture Awards
Celebrating design excellence
and its contribution to communities Across australia
and abroad
The Institute is dedicated to the promotion of Australian architects and architecture in both national and global arenas. Since 1981, we have upheld excellence in the profession by recognising best practice in the field through our National Architecture Awards program and inspiring others to continue striving to positively shape communities through architecture.
NSW & NEWCASTLE Architecture Awards program
The Awards Program enables public and peer recognition of the innovative work of our members.
Participating in the awards can be an important step in strengthening your membership in the architectural community, and a celebrated career milestone.
Key dates relating to the 2021 NSW Architecture Awards and Newcastle Architecture Awards are listed here.
If you are planning to submit an entry into the 2021 NSW or Newcastle Architecture Awards, we recommend that prior to commencing your entry, you become familiar with the Awards, Prizes and Honours Policy.
For further details, contact us below.
Jury Chair and Immediate Past National President Professor Helen Lochhead recognised x projects with national awards and x with commendations.
About the NATIONAL Architecture AwardS PrograM
Recognising excellence at regional, chapter and national levels
The Institute’s Awards Program enables public and peer recognition of the innovative work of our members, and provides the Institute with a valuable mechanism to promote architects and architecture across Australia and internationally.
By entering into the NSW Architecture Awards, one of the entry points to the Institute’s National Architecture Awards program, members give yourself, your practice and your staff the opportunity to be judged for the work you are proud of, the issues you stand for and to demonstrate your work among your peers.
Participating in the awards can be an important step in strengthening your membership in the architectural community, and a celebrated milestone in your career, whether you are an emerging or established architect, a small firm or large practice.
2021 NSW Juries
2021 Jury announcement coming soon
The Institute’s Architecture Awards recognise excellence and innovation in design and are conferred via a rigorous system of peer review.
In NSW, each Awards category is presided over by a jury of at least three people. Juries are comprised of Institute members appointed and convened by the Institute’s NSW Chapter Awards Committee. In addition to submitting data and images online, each project entered for consideration in the NSW Architecture Awards must be presented in person to a Jury panel. In the period immediately after Presentation to Juries, Juries will carry out site visits before compiling their shortlists.
2021 NSW and Newcastle awards jury members will be announced shortly.
Meet your 2021 NSW AWARD jurors
Residential Architecture – Houses (New)
Blurb about jury here
- Juror Name
- Juror Name
Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions) / Small Project Architecture
Blurb about jury here
- Juror Name
- Juror Name
Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing / Urban Design
Blurb about jury here
- Juror Name
- Juror Name
Commercial Architecture - Urban Design
Blurb about jury here
- Juror Name
- Juror Name
Interior Architecture
Blurb about jury here
- Juror Name
- Juror Name
Public Architecture / Educational Architecture
Blurb about jury here
- Juror Name
- Juror Name
Sustainable Architecture
Blurb about jury here
- Juror Name
- Juror Name
Heritage
Blurb about jury here
- Juror Name
- Juror Name
Enduring Architecture
Blurb about jury here
- Juror Name
- Juror Name
Emerging Architects
Blurb about jury here
- Juror Name
- Juror Name
Entry requirements
Enter the 2021 NSW Awards
To enter the Australian Institute of Architects Architecture Awards Program, an entrant must be a registered architect and Institute member. To be eligible to enter, entrants must:
- be an architect registered in the State or Territory of the project, and
- be an Institute Member at the time of entry, and
- be a principal of the practice who owns, or is a formal licensee, of the copyright in the work being entered.
It is a requirement of entry that all entrants read and understand the Awards Entry Handbook. The Handbooks are an excellent resource of helping to develop a successful awards entry. Give your project the best possible chance to succeed and familiarise yourself with the Handbook before commencing your entry.
Entry fees
| Chapter | standard entry fee (ex gst) | a+ Membership Fee (10% discount) ex gst |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | $700 | $630 |
| Newcastle | $350 | $315 |
*Winners of Newcastle Awards will be required to pay an additional State entry fee to be considered for the NSW State Awards. There is no additional charge for progression to the National Architecture Awards. Entry fees are exclusive of GST.
Key dates
| chapter | Entries open | Presentation to Juries | Awards Presentations |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | 18 November 2020 - 19 February 2021 | 4 - 10 March 2021 | Friday 2 July 2021 |
| Newcastle | 18 November 2020 - 8 February 2021 | N/A | Friday 19 March 2021 |
NSW EndurIng Architecture Award
nOMINATE A Project for 2021 NSW EndurIng Architecture Award
Do you have a longstanding, favourite building in NSW you feel should be recognised with an award?
Open to buildings of at least 25 years of age, the Enduring Architecture Award recognises achievement for the design of buildings of outstanding merit, which remain important as high quality works of architecture when considered in a contemporary context. Nominations are welcome from Institute members, non-members and non-architects, but must provide adequate content for consideration by the jury. Nominations close on 9 April 2021.
Please note that this award category is designed to recognise the enduring features of the original work, not any substantial adaptive re-use, which should be considered under Category 7: HERITAGE. Projects will be works considered technically advanced or innovative for their time, which remain symbolically significant, are exponents of creative leadership or are works of national significance. Recommendations can be submitted via an online form each year following an open call for nominations. Nominations must provide adequate content for consideration by the jury, including a project description and/or a statement of significance, as well as any materials which may assist the jury such as drawings and photographs.
Please note that a short statement related to the heritage/cultural significance of the building is required.
If the building already has a heritage listing, the statement of significance can be found by searching for the relevant listing HERE.
If the building has no formal listing, please try to outline the project’s significance yourself. If you are preparing your own statement, the Institute’s Register of Significant Buildings provides a guide for what should be included in a Statement of Significance:
Previous winners
Previous NSW Enduring Architecture Award winners
2020 Palm Garden House, Richard Leplastrier
2019 350 George Street, Edward Raht
2018 Sirius Tao Gofers, NSW Department of Housing with Alexander & Lloyd Architects
2017 17 Wylde Street, Aaron M Bolot, 2017 National Architecture Awards – Enduring Award
2016 Reader’s Digest Building, John James & Associates, 2016 National Architecture Awards – Enduring Award
2015 Buhrich House II, Hugh Buhrich, 2015 National Architecture Awards – Enduring Award
2014 Tocal, Ian McKay and Philip Cox, Architects in Association, 2014 National Architecture Awards – Enduring Award
2013 AMP Building, Peddle Thorp & Walker
2012 Australia Square, Harry Seidler & Associates, 2012 National Architecture Awards – Enduring Award
2011 Magney House, Bingie Point, Glenn Murcutt
2010 Glen Street Offices, Milsons Point, Harry Seidler and Associates
2009 Curry House 2, Bruce Rickard
2008 The Wharf Theatre Walsh Bay, Vivian Fraser in Association with NSW Govt Architect
2007 First Extension to the Art Gallery of NSW, E H Farmer (NSW Government Architect) Andrew Andersons (Design Architect)
2006 The Concert Hall & Opera Theatre of the Sydney Opera House, Peter Hall of Hall Todd & Littlemore
2005 Kuring-gai College of Advanced Education, J.W. Thomson (NSW Government Architect), David Turner (Project Architect), Allen Jack+Cottier (Documentation), Bruce Mackenzie (Landscape Architect)
2004 Kempsey Farmhouse, Glenn Murcutt
2003 Sydney Opera House, Jorn Utzon
2020 NSW Chapter Awards winners
Watch the 2020 NSW Architecture awards
2020 was a strong year with many great projects to assess. The jury reviewed 194 entries and shortlisted 106 across 13
categories. Watch the 2020 NSW Architecture Awards Night on YouTube here.
List of NSW Architecture Award Winners 2020
List of Newcastle Architecture Award Winners 2020
Past NSW Awards page can be found here.
2020 NSW People's Choice Award
Vote for your NSW favourite house
Residential projects in the 2020 National Architecture Awards shortlist from both the Houses (New) and Houses (Alterations and Additions) categories are eligible for the People’s Choice Award.
This year 13 houses are in the running to become Australia’s favourite house. Vote for your favourite today!
Vote for your favourite house and go in the running to win one of three $500 Bunnings vouchers thanks to our Major National Corporate Partner Dulux.
2021 Winners
NSW Architecture Medallion
Image: The NSW Architecture Medallion | Phoenix Central Park | Durbach Block Jaggers and John Wardle Architects | Photographer: Martin Mischkulnig
Image: Sulman Medal for Public Architecture | Anzac Memorial Centenary
Extension | Johnson Pilton Walker with
the Government Architect NSW | Photographer: Matteo Salval
Sulman Medal for Public Architecture
Image: National Enduring Architecture Award | Palm Garden House | Richard Leplastrier | NSW | Photographer: Peter Salhani
Enduring Architecture
Heritage Architecture
Image: The Lachlan MacQuarie Award for Heritage – Joint Winner | Bozen’s Cottage | Taylor & Hinds Architects | TAS | Photographer: Adam Gibson
Image: The Emil Sodersten Award for Interior Architecture | Phoenix Central Park | Durbach Block Jaggers and John Wardle Architects | Photographer: Tom Ferguson
Interior Architecture
Image: The Arroyo Affordable Housing | Koning Eizenberg Architecture, Inc | Photographer: Eric Staudenmaier
International Architecture
Public Architecture
Image: The Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture – Joint Winner | Anzac Memorial Centenary Extension | Johnson Pilton Walker with the Government Architect NSW | NSW | Photographer: Peter Bennetts
Image: The Eleanor Cullis-Hill Award for Residential Architecture – Hours (Alts + Adds) | Redwood | Chenchow Little | NSW | Photographer: Peter Bennetts
Residential Architecture - Houses (Alts + Adds)
Image: The Robin Boyd Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (New) – Joint Winner | Basin Beach House | Peter Stutchbury Architecture | Photographer: Michael Nicholson
Residential Architecture - Houses (New)
Residential Architecture - Multiple Housing
Image: The Frederick Romberg Award for Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing | Studio Apartments | Hill Thalis Architecture and Urban Projects | Photographer: The Guthrie Project
Image: The Nicholas Murcutt Award for Small Project Architecture | For Our Country | Edition Office and Daniel Boyd | ACT | Photographer: Ben Hosking
Small Project Architecture
Image: The David Oppenheim Award for Sustainable Architecture | Marrickville Library | BVN | NSW | Photographer: Tom Roe
Sustainable ARchitecture
Urban Design
Image: The Walter Burley Griffin Award for Urban Design | Metro North West | Hassell, in collaboration with Turpin Crawford Studio and McGregor Westlake Architecture | NSW | Photographer: Brett Boardman
Image: COLORBOND® Award for Steel Architecture | Carlton Learning Precinct COLA | Law Architects | VIC | Photographer: Dianna Snape
COLORBOND® Award for Steel Architecture
![Outside [the] box | Troppo Architects | SA | Traditional Land Owners: Kaurna people | Photographer: Mitchell Lowe](https://www.architecture.com.au/wp-content/uploads/elementor/thumbs/4754-resaltsadds_Outsidethebox_TroppoArchitects_MitchellLowe_00-2-ovml498hoqrixl4opl5errk6be652j5ctwk5oa23k8.jpg "4754-resaltsadds_Outsidethebox_TroppoArchitects_MitchellLowe_00")
Image: People’s Choice Award | Outside [the] box | Troppo Architects | SA | Photographer: Mitchell Lowe