The biannual Edmonton Urban Design Awards are now open for entries. Submissions from designers, as well as nominations from the public, can be submitted online until July 31.
Edmonton’s awards program has been in place since 2005. Jointly supported by the City of Edmonton and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), they recognize individuals, organizations, firms and projects that have contributed to the quality of life in the city. The awards aim to promote public and private awareness of urban design.
“We’re a city that is putting its money where its mouth is, to help spur greater design throughout our built landscapes,” says City of Edmonton Principal Urban Designer Jane Handa.
This year, a jury from Winnipeg, Toronto and New York will evaluate the submissions. The jury includes: Johanna Hurme (Winnipeg), Brent Bellamy (Winnipeg), Liz Wreford (Winnipeg), Antonio Gomez-Palacio (Toronto), and Marc Fornes (New York).
Media Architecture Design Edmonton (MADE) will host a public presentation by the judges on October 4, 2019. The winners will be announced on November 15, 2019.
Edmonton residents are encouraged to nominate their favourite projects that have made a difference in their neighbourhood.
“Nominations from the community-at-large help us identify designers who we should encourage to submit to the awards,” said David Holdsworth, Chair of the Urban Design Awards Committee. “Our work is all for nothing if we don’t have submissions from Edmonton’s best projects — residents can help us by identifying the projects that they find valuable and meaningful in their daily lives.”
Projects that receive an award will be eligible for the National Urban Design Awards, to be adjudicated in 2020.