SAME Design Awards

SAME Design Awards

The purpose of the SAME Design Awards is to celebrate design excellence in the built environment.  The program aims to promote architectural and engineering contributions to national security for planned and constructed works of agencies including but not limited to DOD, VA, DHS, and PHS throughout the world. The SAME Design Awards are presented every two years.

Nominations for the awards to be presented in 2024 closes on Friday, February 2, 2024.

Awards Categories

• Administrative/Command & Control
• Research/Education/Healthcare
• Industrial/Operations
• Quality of Life
• Renovation/Addition/Adaptation
• Planning

Awards will be given for projects that exhibit the highest level of quality achievement as described by the purpose statement and determined by reviewers.

Eligibility and Criteria

• For categories 1 to 5, Any facility, infrastructure, fully designed, and constructed in the last five (5) years for an SAME partner agency (DoD, VA, DHS, Public Health Service). 
• For category 6, Any planning project is fully completed in the last five (5) years for an SAME partner agency (DoD, VA, DHS, Public Health Service). 
• Who can submit? Any entity involved in the project to include, but not limited to, A/E firms, general contractors, partner agencies.

Submittal Requirements

The submittal package has two parts: 

Part 1 – Identification of the Project and Team participants: Please fill out the Project Identification questions on the application form.

Part 2 – Technical submission highlighting the merits of the project: Please submit up to 10 pages of information. The content and style of the pages is up to you. In those pages, please mention the title of the project, its location, and its customers. There should be no mention on those pages of the architect, engineers, contractor or others that are part of the project team. If you include text make sure that the text is readable on a typical computer or printed on 8.5-in x 11-in paper. This document is to be uploaded on the application form.

For review, the Part 1 – Project Identification Form (identifying the team members) will be separated from Part 2, the 10-page submittal, so that the jury is judging the projects on the merits of each project and not the participants.

Nomination and Submission Process

• A company must nominate itself for the award. Written referrals from Posts are welcome as part of the nomination package.
• No nominations will be processed without a complete nomination package. 
• It is the nominator’s responsibility to ensure that the nomination package is successfully completed. 

Completed Nomination Packages Include

Nominations for this award must be made by a Society member using the nomination form. No endorsements are required. Any entity involved in the project to include, but not limited to A/E firms, general contractor, and partner agencies, may submit an award nomination in the appropriate category. The nominator will verify that the project meets the eligibility criteria for the award and is responsible for ensuring the package is submitted to and received by National on or before the due date. Jury members will be selected from members within the SAME Architectural Practice Community of Interest and recognized professionals from the fields typically represented in the award packages.