ELIGIBILITY
The R+D Awards program is open to architects, engineers, fabricators, manufacturers, researchers, faculty, and students worldwide. Full-time faculty and students are eligible to receive a discounted registration rate.

Entries must have been in active development or completed after Jan. 1, 2019 (in-progress work is acceptable). Product submissions must be currently available on the U.S. commercial market, but entrants can be located worldwide.

To see the wide range of projects recognized by the R+D Awards program, visit our archive of past winners.

CATEGORIES
Awards will be judged in three categories, reflecting the different stages in the R+D process:

• Prototype: For entries that are in the experimental and testing phase.
• Production: For entries that are available on the commercial market.
• Application: For entries that demonstrate a novel use of a technology or product.

Entries will be judged for their documented R+D methodology, impact on the building industry, and potential to advance the aesthetic, environmental, and social value of architecture. Digital technologies such as software, modeling programs, mobile apps, and analysis tools are welcomed.

JUDGING
The R+D Awards will be reviewed by jurors, who are thought leaders and innovators in architecture and design.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Entering the R+D Awards is a three-step process:

• Step 1: Registration and Payment. Enter your contact information and basic entry information, and pay for your entries. This information cannot be edited once submitted. You will receive an emailed payment receipt and confirmation, which will direct you to log back into the site to begin Step 2. If you have more than one entry, you will have to register each entry individually. Hint: Click Copy Application in the Cart to save time in re-entering your contact information. You can also add a submission at a later time; use the same login credentials to receive the discounted registration rate for multiple submissions.


• Step 2: Upload Materials. After completing the registration form and paying the appropriate fee, you will be asked for a written abstract and support materials. The abstract (200 words max.) should cover your entry’s R+D objectives, process, and innovation. Acceptable support materials include images, photographs, diagrams, portfolio pages, PDF pages saved as JPEG files, drawings, screenshots, videos, and other visual collateral, as well as captions and supplementary text. You can save, edit, and return to your submission up until you check out and hit the Save and Finalize button. IMPORTANT: Judging will be blind. Do not include your name, firm, institution, and commercial or trademarked name of the product or entry anywhere in your abstract or support materials; rather, use a generic descriptor such as architect, design studio, lighting manufacturer, or software developer.


• Step 3: Finalize and Submit. Once you finalize and submit an entry, you will not be able to edit it further.

Upload specifications: Up to 20 files or pages can be submitted in Step 2. Preferred file types are JPG, JPEG, and MP4 videos. For the initial entry, submit images at 72 DPI and approximately 2,000 pixels in width or height. If you are recognized as a winner, you will be asked for a high-res version of each image you submitted for publication purposes. Note: If submitting PDF files, upload each page (up to 20) individually and not together as a booklet.