Entry Requirements / Rules
Eligible Projects: Entries will be accepted for any new or renovated educational projects designed and/or built within the past five (5) years. Firms and individuals are invited to submit up to five (5) projects per firm. Firms must be located within the Southern Region of A4LE. In order to be considered for exhibit, firms must submit a regulation PowerPoint, project dossier, exhibit boards, and high-resolution PDFs of each board.
Digital submissions are limited to twelve (12) Microsoft PowerPoint slides and must be submitted on the official template. Submissions not submitted on this template will not be considered.
Click here to download the official PowerPoint template.
Exhibit boards shall consist of one 40"L x 20"H horizontal designed board type material. Composition of boards will be the entrant's discretion. Attach four strips of Velcro to the back of each board. Association of Learning Environments will not be liable for loss or damage to exhibitor's property. See below for further information on display boards.
Award Categories
All projects are automatically eligible for all award categories.
- Summit Award – Awarded to the single most distinctive project, which best satisfies the criteria; one winner.
- Project of Distinction – These awards recognize exceptional projects that were not the Summit Award winner but are deserving of recognition according to the criteria. Number of awards is at the Jury’s discretion, if any.
- More with Less Award – This award recognizes exceptional projects that are less than 10,000 SF but display a disproportionate impact on the community they serve based on the criteria above. One project will be awarded at the jury’s discretion, if any.
Scoring Criteria
In order to be considered for exhibit, firms must submit a regulation PowerPoint, project dossier, exhibit boards, confidential sheet, photo release and high-resolution PDFs of each board.
The following criteria will be applied to all categories of the Summit Award Program entries:
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Community Environment:
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Describe how your planning and design respond to the function and identity of the community. |
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Learning Environment:
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Describe how the learning environment supports a variety of learning styles and methods for delivering instruction. |
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Physical Environment:
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Describe the physical attributes of the learning environment and how it demonstrates appropriate use of materials, systems, and other building elements and relates to the existing site and the greater environment. |
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Planning Process:
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Describe the planning process for this facility including methods used to ensure the final environment would align with the vision and goals set during the planning phase. |
Submittal Criteria
PowerPoint
Digital submissions are limited to twelve (12) Microsoft PowerPoint slides and must be submitted on the official template. Submissions not submitted on this template will not be considered.
Click here to download the official PowerPoint template.
Project Dossier
To address the above categories and illustrate the successful story of your project, please assemble a PDF document of no more than
15-pages in length and no larger than 15 MB. Include as many photographs, diagrams and/or images as necessary to illustrate and describe the process and overall project.
This will be uploaded to the the A4LE Submission platform.
Please use the name of the project as the file name. For example: ABC Elementary School. Please insert pdf tabs for each section of the dossier so jurors can easily navigate through the information. Either portrait or landscape layout can be used. Please consider that many jurors will review the material in electronic format.
The dossier should include the following sections:
- Executive Summary—describe the overall goals and outcomes of the project
- Scope of Work and Budget
- School & Community Engagement
- Describe the Community
- Identify stakeholders
- Name challenges
- Describe available assets
- Describe value of process and project to community at large
- Learning Environment
- Explain the educational vision and goals of the school.
- Describe & illustrate how the environment supports the curriculum.
- Describe & illustrate how the environment supports a variety of learning and teaching styles.
- Describe & illustrate how the environment is adaptable and flexible.
- Physical Environment
- Describe & illustrate the physical attributes of the environment.
- Describe & illustrate how the facility fits within the larger context of the community.
- Describe & illustrate how the project inspires and motivates.
- Results of the Planning Process & Project
- Explain how the project achieves educational goals and objectives.
- Explain how the project achieves school district goals.
- Explain how the project achieves community goals.
- Explain any unintended results and achievements of the process & project.
Confidential Data Sheet
Include the Confidential Data Sheet as a separate PDF with the project dossier.
Click here to download the form.
This will be uploaded to the the A4LE Submission platform.
Photo Release Form
Please complete, sign, and include the
Photo Release form in the submittal transmission. One release per project. Include as a separate PDF with the project dossier.
This will be uploaded to the the A4LE Submission platform.
Electronic File Submission
Architecture Exhibit due date for application: Microsoft PowerPoint (ppt) slides and fees submitted. Your project dossier, confidential form and photo release form shall be uploaded to A4LE's Award Force platform.
Direct email submissions will not be accepted. Instructions for submission on the platform are included in the A4LE registration link.
Judging
Note that projects will be judged on the Project Dossier and other electronic files submitted in advance of the deadline for the awards program, by the jury in accordance with the stated criteria. Awards are per the jury’s sole discretion and the jury’s decisions are final.
Jury
A distinguished jury representing both design and educational professionals will review entries. The Jury will have sole discretion in selecting entries that best represent exemplary practice in educational facilities design and planning. All awards or other special recognition will be awarded at their discretion. All decisions are final.
For impartiality the Jury will be selected from various locations outside the Southern Region and representing the variety of our membership (public and private, planner and designer). Jurors cannot be owners or design team members for any project submitted for the Summit Award.
Display Boards
Print and mount display boards on landscape-format 20”H X 40”L eco-board or other suitable rigid, light-weight material, with each project presented on one board. Boards will be mounted using “Velcro” attachments to exhibit frames. Please attach (or include in package) sticky-backed Velcro strips in 2” lengths for each corner of each panel. Text on Presentation Boards should be large enough for exhibit viewing and kept simple.
Teams are encouraged to submit boards for the exhibit that most accurately represent the project.
Packing & Shipping
Label and deliver exhibit boards to Architecture Exhibit set-up team no later than April 18, 2027.
Little Rock Marriott
Attn: A4LE / Donna Robinson
3 Statehouse Plaza
Little Rock, AR 72201
If you plan to hand deliver your boards, please send written e-mail notification to Donna Robinson, CMP at
[email protected] two weeks in advance of the conference.
Supervision & Services
Conference planners reserve the right to assign award space and to withhold from exhibition entries deemed to be unsuitable for display. Adequate general illumination will be provided. No special lighting system will be provided or permitted.
Collection and Disposal of Materials
Project boards are to be retrieved by the submitting firm. Association for Learning Environments is not responsible for project boards after 12:00 PM on April 22, 2027.
Participant Notice
Companies are reminded that these are exhibitions of school architecture and not a commercial display. Personal solicitation or distribution of literature in conjunction with the Design Exhibit is prohibited.