Drawing Awards

2023 Excellence Awardees

This biennial award recognizes excellence in architecture drawing.

Submissions must relate to a real, proposed, or visionary architectural project. Formal and informal drawings are admissable, including travel sketches, concept sketches, presentation drawings, and technical drawings. Media may be any drawing technique used to portray or refine an architectural project. This includes pencil, marker, ink, watercolor, tempera, collage, xerography, computer generated drawings, and various photographic processes.

Drawings must be submitted electronically.

Please do not include any personally identifiable information on the drawing itself. This may result in disqualification.

Registration Opens:
April 30, 2025
Submission Deadline: 
May 23, 2025

Ice Arena

Brendan O'Rourke

This image depicts a proposed hockey arena and athletics expansion for an independent school, beautifully located in the Hudson Valley. The design makes reference to the many barn structures that exist on campus, but also introduces modern elements at the entries that would serve as inviting lanterns during the evening hours. Using SketchUp as a design tool and to establish a view, the image was then brought into Procreate on the iPad for many layers of digital pencil and paint.

“The dramatic lighting achieved with the multiple techniques used to create this image is very impactful. While the rendering manages to quietly highlight the proposed building, the thoughtful attention given to several special details in the foreground clearly show how the building is connected to the campus in ways beyond the built environment.”

Stubborn Farmer

Brendan O'Rourke

The image is a fictitious look at a farmer’s life, who has always loved his Victorian house and surrounding fields. Over the year’s however, he’s had to be stubborn in not selling his property, and resist the invasion of a city growing around him.

“This image evokes the imagination with its uniquely original theme. The contrast between the pastoral subject and the enveloping urban context offers a memorable moment. Indeed, the scene is enticing, inviting the viewer to explore its subtle elements.”

2023 Merit Awardees

Goodwin University Technical High School

Rocco Petitto, AIA

An un-built proposal for a new Technical High School on the Goodwin University Campus. The transparent, Multi-Story lab rooms were designed to inspire the students and passerby alike. A traditional-esque colonnade defines the pedestrian paths and entry points, while the contemporary glazing and sun-shading provide a view out into the world. The image is a representation of the design process, where elements become more clear, focused, and vibrant, as the vision develops. The image is also contrived to evoke the dichotomy of Architectural representation, the hard digital linework of the computer age morphing with the essence of a physical model to the softer look of pencil, marker, and watercolor. Where does the Architectural aesthetic go from here? The ‘New Tools’ of the digital age have provided us with the ability to create a ‘realistic photograph’ of creative work not yet realized, yet we are still drawn to the softer vision.

“Amazing use of digital tools and progression, along with pleasing tones and design.”

Eligibility

Any registered architect, architectural firm, or professional employee of an architectural firm whose office is located in Connecticut, or any registered architect residing in Connecticut.

Architectural students who attend schools in Connecticut and architectural students who are residents of Connecticut but attend out-of-state schools may also enter.

  • Contact information
  • AIA member number (if you are a member)
  • Submission description (no more than 150 words)
  • High resolution PDF, PNG, or JPG of your drawing
  • Credit card payment
  • AIA Connecticut/Allied Member – $50
  • Non-member – Employee of CT firm – $60
  • Student- $10
  • Non-member – Architect – $100
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