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Dates

January 2 – February 23 February 28, 11:59pm EST: Submissions Period

April 18, 2024Finalists are announced and People’s Choice voting opens

May 17, 2024: People’s Choice voting closes

Friday, June 21, 2024: Winners are reveal and are published in print and online

Eligibility

The 2024 AZ Awards is open to:

  • Designers and design firms from all disciplines
  • Architects, landscape architects and architectural firms
  • Urban designers and developers
  • Post-secondary students enrolled in design and architecture programs in 2023
  • Clients and manufacturers
  • Projects must be completed on or before December 31, 2023
  • Products must be prototyped or in production
  • Concepts must have been developed or presented for the first time in 2022 (This criterion refers only to entries in the CONCEPTS categories.)

Categories

Design

  • Furniture, single piece: Residential, office, contract and outdoor furniture 

  • Furniture systems & collections: Entire systems and collections, with multiple pieces and variations, for residential and/or contract uses (office systems, kitchen and bath furniture systems, storage systems, office and residential furniture collections) 

  • Lighting fixtures: Indoor and outdoor fixtures and systems 

  • Lighting schemes: Permanent architectural lighting programs for commercial, institutional or residential projects; and temporary light-art installations. 

  • Interior products: Finishes and accessories, including wall and floor coverings (wallpaper, rugs, tiles, etc.), flooring (wood, tiles, broadloom, etc), housewares, textiles, window coverings, hardware 

  • Architectural products: Built-in and heavy-duty items, including sanitary fixtures and fittings (sinks, tubs, faucets, etc.), appliances, doors and windows

  • Tech Products: Consumer technology, electronics and wearables including tech-enabled products, accessories and gadgets for the home, sports industry, transportation and other markets; smart self-care products, medical devices, robotics and other.

     

Architecture

  • Residential buildings, Houses: new builds, renovations and additions 

  • Residential buildings, Multi-unit: new builds, renovations and additions 

  • Commercial & institutional buildings over 1,000 square metres 

  • Commercial & institutional buildings under 1,000 square metres 

  • Temporary OR experiential installations: Exhibition designs, experiential installations, showrooms, pop-ups, theatre sets, displays and similar projects whether temporary or permanent.

  • Adaptive re-use: Projects that reimagine existing buildings or sites in innovative and sustainable ways 

Landscape Architecture

  • Public and private landscapes

Urban Design

  • Built Development Projects: Completed commercial, residential or mixed-use developments consisting of more than one building 

  • Unbuilt Development Projects: Unbuilt commercial, residential or mixed-use developments consisting of more than one building 

  • Infrastructure: Completed bridges, transportation structures, etc. 

  • Urban Interventions: Redesigns to incorporate new green and public spaces into the built environment and schemes for ameliorating transit, cycling and pedestrian circulation 

Experiential Graphic Design

  • Way finding, sign programs, information and map design, experiential brand identity 

Interiors

  • Residential Interiors
  • Commercial and institutional interiors

Concepts

  • Unbuilt projects: Proposals for buildings, landscapes and interiors that are abstract, hypothetical or speculative intended for a credible client commission – whether planned to be built or not – or a purely experimental idea. 

  • Ideas /prototypes: Conceptual works, design solutions and objects not yet realized or not in production 

A+ Award for Student Work

  • Student work: Any industrial design product, architectural structure, landscape, interior space or unbuilt/unrealized concept developed by a student enrolled in a post-secondary design or architecture program in 2023. The winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize. 

Social Good Award and Environmental Leadership Award

In addition to the category in which they are submitted, entries may also be considered for the SOCIAL GOOD AWARD and/or the ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP AWARD. A winner in each of these categories will be selected. 

For the SOCIAL GOOD AWARD, projects must advance social equity and have a positive impact on the collective realm. For the ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP AWARD, projects must show sensitivity and respect for the use and management of natural resources throughout their lifecycle, especially with respect to materials and energy use. Projects may be entered in one or both categories. 

Competition Details

Guidelines

  • Entries must be submitted and received via the online entry system by 11:59 pm EST on Friday, February 23, 2024.
  • Full payment must be received by the submission deadline. Entries submitted without the appropriate submission fee will not be eligible for judging. Payments are only accepted online.
  • All images must be jpg format, at least 300 dpi resolution.
  • Project descriptions and images must not contain the name or logo of the designer, architect, firm, company, client or manufacturer.

General Terms and Conditions

  • All information and requested materials must be provided by the deadline or the submission will be disqualified without notice or return of payment.
  • No refunds will be issued under any circumstances.
  • Works are excluded from the competition if their presentation would infringe a right.
  • The entrant authorizes Azure Publishing Inc. (“AZURE”) to publish the submission in the print edition of AZURE Magazine, on azuremagazine. com, on AZURE’s social media channels and on any online platforms affiliated with the AZ Awards competition. The submission may be reproduced, in whole or in part, for editorial and promotional purposes.
  • By entering the AZ Awards the submitter grants AZURE Publishing Inc. (“AZURE”) a royalty-free, transferable worldwide right to use and publish in print, online and on social media, all entries and their corresponding photographs and videos, as well as any photos and/or videos of the submitter and their team members. The submitter also grants AZURE a royalty-free right to share the said entries, photo- graphs and videos with AZURE’s international partners who would be posting news about the AZ Awards on their website, newsletter and social channels.
  • If the photography/videography rights are owned by a party other than the submitter, the submitter must obtain copyright permission on behalf of Azure Publishing Inc. (“AZURE”). When entering the AZ Awards, the submitter indemnifies and holds harmless AZURE Publishing Inc. (“AZURE”) and its partners against any claims or causes of action that would allege that the use of the submitter’s entries, photos and videos by AZURE and/or AZURE’s partners’ violates a third party’s intellectual property rights.

Submission Specs

  • Images: You may submit up to 20 images and/or drawings/renderings in jpg format, at least 300 dpi (minimum of 9” height and width). If submitting a rendering, please ensure that this is clearly indicated in the file name. Make sure to credit the photographer. When submitting images from multiple photographers, include the photographer’s name in the file name. 
  • Video: Entrants are encouraged to share videos of their work that help to communicate the project. It is preferred if the video is shared via web link (e.g. YouTube, Vimeo), but we will accept direct uploads in .mov, .mp4 or mpg format with a file size less than 1 GB. NOTE: Images and videos are primarily for the jurors to get a better representation and thorough understanding of your projects. If there are any images or videos that should not be published – should your entry be shortlisted – make sure to add DO NOT PUBLISH in the image/video file name. 
  • Project name: Indicate the name that represents your project/product and that should be used when referring to your project/product. 
  • Project description: Include objectives and how they were met, design challenges, technological and/or material innovations, social and environmental impact. 
  • Project specs: Indicate dimensions, materials, fabrication techniques, manufacturing process. 

Fees

Early-bird Fees: For entries submitted by Tuesday January 31, 2024 at
11:59 pm EST

  • A+ Award for Student Work: $35 per submission
  • All other categories: $175 per submission for the first two submissions;
    $150 for each following submission

Regular Fees: Entries submitted after the early-bird deadline

  • A+ Award for Student Work – $45 per submission
  • All other categories – $195 for the first submission; $175 for the second submission; $150 for the third and all subsequent submissions

Each entry includes a 1-year digital subscription to AZURE Magazine, valued at $28.95 CAD.

Full payment must be received by the submission deadline. Entries submitted without the appropriate submission fee will not be eligible for judging. Payments are only accepted online.

People’s Choice

All finalists are considered for the People’s Choice selection, decided by the general public. Voting will take place in April and May.

Judging Criteria

Each project is evaluated on its own merits according to the following four criteria:

  • Aesthetics – Is the design contemporary, visually and intellectually stimulating? Does it provoke curiosity, have the capacity to uplift spirits or simply delight?
  • Function – How well does it serve its intended use? Does it effectively resolve problems?
  • Creativity –  Does it incorporate a unique approach, use a new medium or materials? Is it technologically innovative, forward-looking?
  • Social and Environmental Responsibility –  Does it make respectful use of materials and resources? Does it possess a long life span? Does it contain recycled materials and/or can it be recycled? Does it provide a social benefit?




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