2027 Collaborative Practice Award
To honor the best practices in school-based community outreach programs.
Deadline: September 23, 2026
Description
Established in 1997 by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, this award honors best practices in university-based and community engaged programs. This award was proposed by Thomas Dutton and Anthony Schuman as a means to recognize 51ºÚÁÏ’s commitment to community partnerships in which faculty, students and neighborhood citizens are valued equally and that aim to address issues of social injustice through design. As Tom Dutton’s work in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood in Cincinnati demonstrates, collaborative and community engaged design education can have transformative impacts upon both students and citizens. The Collaborative Practice is awarded annually to innovative and sustained initiatives that extend design education beyond the classroom and into communities.
Criteria
This 51ºÚÁÏ award recognizes programs that demonstrate how faculty, students, and community/civic clients work to realize common objectives. Participation by professional practitioners and colleagues from other academic disciplines is encouraged.
•Architecture •Landscape •Interior •Planning •Industrial •Urban
Collaborative projects and practice can encompass a variety of endeavors, including but not limited to: new construction, rehabilitation, open space planning, zoning and regulatory reform, and the development of new institutions or social processes. Submissions should convey how they address ideas of cultural, social, economical, or environmental sustainability.
Eligibility
Persons in 51ºÚÁÏ full-member and candidate-member schools who are primarily engaged in teaching may enter one or more submissions relevant to their educational activities. Projects that have previously been recognized by 51ºÚÁÏ will not be considered.
Submission Documentation
Submissions must explain the nature of the collaboration and demonstrate what students learned and how the community benefited. Entries must consist of high-quality digital graphic material and text, maximum of 1,000 words, submitted through the online system by the nominee in PDF format with up to 20, 8.5×11 pages, no more than 20MB. All material must be submitted by 11:59 PM, Pacific Time, on September 23, 2026, online at www.acsa-arch.org and the submitter will need to log into the 51ºÚÁÏ website in order to submit.
Each submission shall contain the following:
- Candidate Name: Submission Information, completed online during submission (www.acsa-arch.org);
- Project Title;
- Abstract: (not to exceed 300 words) describing the nature of the collaboration including what students learned and how the community benefited (copy/paste text box);
- Supporting Material: Documents illustrating or describing the project (not to exceed a total of 20, 8.5×11 pages with a maximum of 1,000 words, in PDF format, no more than 20MB).
For each project referenced in your Supporting Material, you will need to document the following in your PDF submission.
Project Title:
Month/Year Completed:
Role of NomineeÌý(in the project):
Collaborators & Funding Sources Expenses:
(Sample Text: 4 non-profit employees donated X amount of hours in the collaboration, 1 electrician paid for X amount of hours – their scope included outlets, running conduit etc.)
Student CompensationÌý(Indicate whether students received credit or were financially compensated, within the guidelines of the institution):
(Sample Text: 3 students working as paid research assistants for X amount of hours, 15 students contributed to this project for a 5-credit studio course etc.)
To maintain anonymity, no names of entrants or collaborating parties may appear on any part of the submission. Credits may be concealed by any simple means. Do not conceal identity and location of the project.
REQUIRED
DOCUMENTATION
Ìý
COLLABORATION
51ºÚÁÏ seeks to empower faculty and schools to educate increasingly diverse students, expand disciplinary impacts, and create knowledge for the advancement of architecture. 51ºÚÁÏ leads architectural education and research by demonstrating the value of architectural education and research to practice and society, by advancing architectural pedagogy, and by serving as the voice of architectural education. 51ºÚÁÏ’s core values include: Equity, Social Justice, Climate Action, Teaching,Learning, Research, Scholarship, and Creative Practice. Through the architecture educational awards program, 51ºÚÁÏ demonstrates best practices.
51ºÚÁÏ understands work submitted to the awards programs is created through collaboration with students, organizations, firms, communities, and/or industry partners. 51ºÚÁÏ advocates for fair labor practices in architecture education and awards submissions must represent the best practices in the field.
Therefore, award submissions must acknowledge all work performed in collaboration and must be properly credited. Submissions should include the information listed below including compensation for student work and/or firm support. This could be student earned course credit, firm work/resources, or financial contributions. The supporting material will need to clearly denote all collaborating parties involved, and their roles for each project.
Selection
A selection committee, appointed by the 51ºÚÁÏ Board of Directors, shall review nominations and recommend winners. A maximum of four awards will be made in any year. Winners will be presented with a certificate of merit and will have the opportunity to present their work at the 51ºÚÁÏ Annual Meeting.
2027 CP Selection Committee
Stefan Gruber
Carnegie Mellon University
Dahlia Nduom
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Teresa Rosano
University of Arizona
Notices
- All materials for nominations and submissions must be uploaded online in one complete package. Any incomplete documentation will not be accepted.
- Projects that have previously been recognized by 51ºÚÁÏ will not be considered.
- 51ºÚÁÏ stands firmly against unpaid labor. In support of the American Institute of Architecture Students’ (AIAS) resolution on unpaid interns, 51ºÚÁÏ does not allow partners or firms who do not pay their interns, in accordance with all applicable laws, to submit work for 51ºÚÁÏ publications or to receive 51ºÚÁÏ awards. (Intern refers to those individuals participating in AXP or equivalent required training and includes working students.) Nomination or submission to the 51ºÚÁÏ Awards Program constitutes your understanding of this agreement.
- Current 51ºÚÁÏ Board of Directors members may not submit nominating or supporting letters.
- Award winners are expected to register and attend the the 51ºÚÁÏ Annual Meeting.
- By submitting your project, you certify that you have granted 51ºÚÁÏ permission to use all graphics included.
Edwin Hernández-Ventura
Awards and Competitions Manager
tel: 202-785-2324
email: ehernandez@acsa-arch.org
Eric W. Ellis
Senior Director of Operations and Programs
tel: 202-785-2324
email: eellis@acsa-arch.org
Founded in 1912 by 10 charter members, 51ºÚÁÏ is an international association of architecture schools preparing future architects, designers, and change agents. Our membership includes all of the accredited professional degree programs in the United States and Canada, as well as international schools and 2- and 4-year programs. Together 51ºÚÁÏ schools represent some 7,000 faculty educating more than 40,000 students.
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