CALL FOR ENTRIES
The Arizona ASLA Awards program celebrates professional and student excellence by recognizing the firms, individuals, and agencies responsible for outstanding works of landscape architecture and environmental planning that promote an enhanced quality of life in Arizona and beyond.
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DESIGN AWARDS GALA
Please join us for an evening of great food and socializing as we celebrate our design community! The 2026 Design Awards Gala will be held at The Clayton House on Saturday, March 21, 2026. Additional information will be emailed and posted at www.azasla.org.
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ELIGIBILITY (PROFESSIONALS)
Entrant(s) must reside in Arizona, or the project must be located in Arizona. Individuals, firms, owners, public agencies, organizations, or other entities may enter as long as the project’s creative team includes an Arizona registered landscape architect, a graduate of a landscape architecture program or a faculty member of a landscape architecture program.
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ELIGIBILITY (STUDENTS)
To enter any of the award categories, the official entrant must be a Student, Student Affiliate, International Student, or first-year Associate member of ASLA or join ASLA in one of those member categories. With the exception of the Student Collaboration Category, student entries may be individual or team efforts.
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SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS
Projects previously submitted which have not received an award in any category are eligible for resubmission, however, the project construction or design (if un-built) must have been completed within the last 10 years.
The deadline for all entry submissions is Friday, JANUARY 9, 2026 / 4pm - standard and/or Friday, JANUARY 16, 2026 / 4pm - late deadline, an additional $50.00 late fee will apply. Late entries after Friday, JANUARY 16, 2026 / 4pm will not be accepted.
View the Awards Submittal and follow instructions on the form.
All entries become the property of AZASLA and will be retained in the AZASLA Archives. Entrants are responsible for clearing photographs with photographers for publication and reproduction by AZASLA. AZASLA retains the right to publish photos submitted in winning entries in the Mesquite Journal Magazine, on the ASLA website, in promoting the awards program, and in other products in conjunction with promoting landscape architecture.
All questions regarding the Arizona ASLA Awards should be submitted via email to: communications@azasla.org.
Winning submittals will be posted in the Mesquite Journal.
AWARDS (PROFESSIONAL)
PRESIDENT’S AWARD
The jury may select one overall entry that represents an outstanding advancement in leadership, contribution, understanding and/or achievement in the field of landscape architecture in Arizona.
AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
The jury may select one overall entry that represents an award of excellence (the highest level of achievement) in each category at the discretion of the jury.
HONOR AWARD
Recognizes superior achievement in landscape architecture. Any number of honor awards in each category may be given at the discretion of the jury.
LANDMARK AWARD
A distinguished landscape architecture project completed between 15 and 50 years ago that retains its original design integrity and contributes significantly to the public realm of the community in which it is located.
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AWARDS (STUDENT)
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AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
The jury may select one overall entry that represents an award of excellence (the highest level of achievement) in each category at the discretion of the jury.
HONOR AWARD
Recognizes superior achievement in landscape architecture. Any number of honor awards in each category may be given at the discretion of the jury
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SELECTIONS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Professional Awards Jury will review all eligible submissions and may select one Award of Excellence and any number of Honor Awards in the General Design, Residential Design, Analysis & Planning, Communications, and Research categories. The Professional Awards Jury may select one Landmark Award recipient.
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Entrants will be notified of the results following the jury meetings.
The awards will be announced to the media in coordination with special coverage in Mesquite Journal and on the AZASLA website.
Recipients will be honored at the awards presentation ceremony during the AZASLA Awards Ceremony in Spring 2026. Tickets go on sale mid-February.
Questions? Contact the AZASLA Honors and Awards Program Manager at Communications@azasla.org
WINNING STRATEGIES
What makes a submission a winner? Here are some tips for improving submissions to awards programs:
KEEP IT SIMPLE AND FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS.
While it is tempting to customize a submission in hopes it will stand out from all the others, the best way to draw the jury’s attention is through clear narrative description combined with high-quality photos and graphics. Printing out the narrative description in landscape style instead of portrait, using colored ink, or submitting a collage in order to include more images can detract from your presentation or even get the submission disqualified. Keep the focus on communicating the project’s value to the jury.
CONSIDER SUBMITTING PROJECTS IN LESS-TRADITIONAL CATEGORIES.
Most competitions have several categories for submission. For example, the AZASLA Professional Awards Program features five: General Design, Residential Design, Analysis and Planning, Communications, and Research. The combined design categories are by far the most competitive, with twice as better photography or allowing plantings to mature, can turn the project into a winner.
FOCUS ON THE NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION.
Provide the information requested in a direct, simple style. Highlight what makes the project unique, its environmental components, its long-term value, and how it raises the bar for the profession. Resist the temptation to overwrite. Use an easily readable font—Arial is good—in at least 10-point size. Increasing line spacing from single to 1.2 and double-spacing between paragraphs makes the narrative more readable as well.
LET PLANTINGS MATURE.
Where site plantings are a key design component of a project, wait for the plantings to mature before photographing it for your portfolio or for awards submissions. Some firms wait up to three years before photographing projects.
BE PREPARED TO WIN.
Find out when the results will be announced and get ready. If you do not have a regular public relations staff person in place, designate someone to field media calls and to coordinate your firm’s promotion of the award. And remember to let your receptionist know what types of calls may be coming in and who the contact person is.
REMEMBER—PHOTOGRAPHY IS KEY.
Let’s face it, the best narrative in the world cannot make up for poor photography. For design competitions, hire a professional photographer to shoot your project. Lighting is particularly important, and professional photographers can show your project to its best advantage. Be creative: Shoot the project in different seasons, during the day, and at night, if appropriate. Have the photos shot or scanned in a high-resolution (dimensions should be 3,000 pixels x 2,400 pixels, at a minimum of 300 ppi, pixels per inch) electronic format (jpeg is fairly universal). Do not submit color copies of photos; submit professionally processed photos no smaller than 8 x 10 inches.
ORGANIZE.
Do not wait until the last minute to prepare your awards submission. Maintain an awards file. Most entry requirements for awards programs are set from year to year, and changes in procedure are minimal. Gather materials early and allow plenty of time for review. Two-person proof the narrative and captions for misspellings and typos. Neatness counts.
AWARDS JURY
The 2026 Award Entries will be juried by the New Jersey ASLA Chapter.
DESIGN AWARDS GALA
Please join us for an evening of great food and socializing as we celebrate our design community! The 2026 Design Awards Gala will be held at The Clayton House in Scottsdale on Saturday, March 21, 2026. More info coming soon!
