2026 AIA COTE® Top Ten for Students Competition

The AIA COTE® Top Ten for Students Competition is sponsored by The American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment (AIA COTE®), in partnership with the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA). Each year, the competition recognizes ten exceptional student design studio projects that integrate health, sustainability, and equity, evaluated following the same categories of the AIA COTE® Top Ten Award for built work, and the AIA Framework for Design Excellence (now adopted as the basis of professional practice and awards across the AIA).

The Opportunities:

The 2026 AIA COTE Top Ten for Students Competition will offer architecture students the opportunity to compete in two separate categories:

Category I: FOUNDATION LEVEL

This category is open to students enrolled in first-year and second-year design studios, or related classes; in 2-year, 4-year, and undergraduate programs from any ACSA member school, including international member schools. Faculty will be required to confirm satisfaction of this requirement upon registration in this category.

Category II: UPPER LEVEL

This category is open to upper-level students (third year or above, including graduate students) from any ACSA member schools, including international member schools. Faculty will be required to confirm satisfaction of this requirement upon registration in this category.

Students may not enter both categories of the competition.

Awards + Recognition:

Ten projects will be chosen for recognition at the discretion of the jury. The ten winners will be based on the percentage of actual submissions received in each category. The approximately top 2-3% juror ranking for each category will be selected as winners. Winners and their faculty sponsors will be notified of the competition results directly. Winning projects will be displayed at the 2027 AIA National Convention. Winning projects will also be promoted on the ACSA website & the AIA COTE® website. Winning projects will be recognized during the 2027 AIA National Convention at the COTE reception. Winning students and their faculty sponsors will receive cash prizes totaling $13,500 with each of the 10 selected winners receiving:

Top Ten Winners: $1,000 (Student), $350 (Faculty)

Eligibility:

The competition is open to students from all ACSA member schools around the world. You can find a listing of all ACSA member schools online. Students are required to work under the direction of a faculty sponsor. Submissions will be accepted for individual as well as team projects. Teams must be limited to a maximum of three students. 

 An ACSA member school, faculty sponsor is required to enroll students by completing an online registration form prior to submission by April 8, 2026. Students are invited to submit their studio projects. Entries must be buildings, but can be of any program, at any scale, in any location. Projects can be a remodel or adaptive re-use. Work should have been completed in a design studio or related class within the 2025-2026 calendar year.

Learn More:

Click here for more competition details.