This One’s For You: An Open Letter to Hardworking Architects

The final entry deadline for the 6th Annual A+Awards is this Friday, May 25th 2018 — this is your final call! Click here to submit your projects or products now.

Dear architects,

It’s time to put down your coffee, take a break from CAD and read on, because this is about you.

Every year since its inception, Architizer’s A+Awards — the world’s largest awards program for architecture and products — has evolved to reflect the changing face of the profession. We’ve introduced new categories for projects harnessing new technologies, highlighted products that take design into another dimension and held amazing events that ensure the planet’s best contemporary architecture is firmly in the spotlight.

However, despite these continual developments, the secret ingredient to producing a great building remains constant: YOU, the architect.

Image via Time

While we in the media often take these things for granted, it is worth remembering a simple but significant truth: Designing a built project is incredibly HARD. Traveling on the journey from concept to completion — with all the design dilemmas, decision-making and deadlines that come along the way — is not for the faint of heart. Architects in every type of firm, from local studios to international practices, share an incredible commitment to the cause. You navigate through endless pitfalls to produce buildings that range from the highly practical to the truly breathtaking.

It is a battle, but it is a battle you have won, time and again — and that is what this year’s A+Awards is all about. It’s about celebrating the people behind the drawing boards and the computer screens, and highlighting the incredible work they put into every building typology imaginable — not just the latest cultural icon by the usual famous architects, but every single house, hospital, school, shop, bookstore and bus stop by each one of you.

This is the moment to recognize the hardworking individuals whose long hours and late nights help create the architectural landscape we inhabit every day.

Image via Renovacis

Renowned names and unsung heroes alike, the 2018 A+Awards is for everyone. For this reason, the program remains completely accessible to everyone, with two awards dedicated to each category — one according to votes cast by our list of over 400 amazing jurors, the other by the general public. Each of these awards is considered equal in importance, and both are decided wholly by counting the votes. Unlike awards such as the Pritzker Prize, which is chosen by a small group with their own agenda, this is a truly democratic system: Everyone has an equal chance of being recognized, no matter how large or small their firm is.

With a completely online submission and voting system, the A+Awards is also proud to be the most far-reaching awards program in the world.

Whether you are practicing your craft in the most remote part of Siberia, working away in the heart of Mexico City or designing your heart out on the south coast of Australia, you can enter — all you need is a Wi-Fi connection and an amazing project, built or unbuilt. This is a truly global celebration, and this year, we’ll take you on a virtual tour around the world to see what great architecture looks like today.

Image via isgif

With a number of brand new categories, a host of inspiring new jurors and a series of fascinating winners features to come, the 2018 A+Awards is set to be one of the most exciting yet. To get you in the mood, delve into this comprehensive history of the A+Awards through the years, and for ample inspiration as you consider which works you’ll submit, explore last year’s winners here.

In the meantime, keep on designing — and rest assured your work is appreciated.

The 2018 A+Awards is accepting submissions until midnight on Friday, May 25th. To submit your project for any award category, click here.

Top image via Rockford Buzz

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