Architecture graduate awards

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Student engagement awards

This category of awards recognizes a variety of non-academic contributions and activities by students. Each award will give the student $250 and will recognize a range of important issues. The student governments WASA (Waterloo Architecture Student Association) and SWAG (Society of Waterloo Architecture Graduates) will be jurying these awards. 

Awards Description
Indigenous Solidarity For activities toward decolonization and indigenous solidarity.
Diasporic Narratives For activities that supports immigrant experiences and the diverse cultures represented at the school.
Environmental Action For activities that fight climate change and advocate for sustainability.
Inclusivity and accessibility For advocacy for inclusivity and accessibility for people of all abilities and genders in the school.
Community Engagement For activities that engage with communities and community organizations outside the university.
Student Life and Wellbeing Award For activities that support student life, mental health and well-being.
Mentorship  For activities that support other students' development
Critical discourse For activities that promote a critical discussion within the school about the relationship between architecture and the world.
Past recipients

Department-nominated awards

For this group of awards, no submission is necessary. Recipients are selected from among eligible students. 

Awards Description
OAA Guild Medal

The Ontario Association of Architects Guild Medal is awarded to a student whose thesis demonstrates an exemplary response to the climate crisis.

SOPREMA Award

These prizes are for students who enrolled in ARCH 473, ARCH 493, ARCH 673 or ARCH 693. Selection will be made on the basis of a strong technical understanding of the building envelope and great design skills as evidenced by the grades received in the final project and technical report. Nominees will be selected by the instructor(s) in Winter term and final projects will be forwarded to Soprema for final selection of winners.

RAIC Medal

This medal is given annually to a graduating student  who has achieved the highest level of academic excellence and/or has completed the outstanding final design project/thesis for that academic year.

RAIC Honour Roll This recognition is for the top 4 students who have achieved high academic standing in the top 10% of their graduating class.
Alpha Rho Chi Medal The medal is presented to the graduating student who has shown an ability for leadershipperformed willing service for his or her school or department, and gives promise of real professional merit through his or her attitude and personality.
Ron Sims Purchase Prize Outstanding artifact work in MArch Thesis
Edward Allen Student Award This award is given by BTES to a student who has demonstrated commitment, passion, curiosity, and excellence in the integration of building technology and architectural design over their academic career. 
Design Studio Award Top Standing Arch 690 & 691
TR&D Achievement Award TR&D Achievement Award is given to the student with top standing in Arch 692/693.
ARCC King Student Medal This medal is given to a student based upon criteria that acknowledge innovation, integrity, and scholarship in architectural and/or environmental design research.
AIA Medal & Certificate

This medal is given to the student who has shown general excellence in architecture throughout the four-year course to graduating students of architecture schools recognized by the Institute.

Excellence in Architecture TA Award This award is given to teaching asistants who have made excellent contributions to the undergraduate educational program.
Urban Strategies Inc. Award One award will be presented annually to a graduate student whose architectural thesis best exemplifies excellence in Urban Design. The selection will be based on merit and made by the Director of the School of Architecture and Urban Strategies Inc.

Commended Theses

Top ranked MArch theses from the previous academic year will receive commendation.
Nominees for Canadian Architect Student Award of Excellence

Student Awards of Excellence are awarded for final-year projects by Canadian architecture students. 

Submission requirements: PDF file, upto 12 pages no larger than 11"x17", max file size 25 MB. For judging process, single feature image no larger than 3MB needs to be submitted. Entires should include drawings and images including site plan, floor plans, sections, elevations and/or model views. It should also include 500 words on first page of PDF with description of project. Additional descriptive text of up to 1000 words more may be included within the PDF file. Optional to submit video as well. Full details on website. 

Canada Green Building Council Scholarship for Sustainable Design and Research

The CAGBC Scholarship was established to promote and encourage sustainable research and design in Canadian Schools of Architecture.

Past recipients 

Student-submitted awards

For this category of awards, students will have to submit their own work from the past calendar year by the award's deadline.

Awards Description Term

Dr. Daleep Singh Memorial Award

The award is given to a student based on the strength of the student's research proposal and interest in the area of Architecture in Africa.

Spring
Barry Bell Scholarship

This scholarship is awarded anually on the basis of academic excellence as well as study and interest in the area of international architecture. 

Spring
Vince Catalli Scholarship for Sustainable Architectural Innovation The intent of this scholarship is to promote and encourage innovative, practical, scalable and transferable approaches to sustainable design among the next generation of architects in Canada. Winter
MartinSimmons for Locally Focused Architecture This scholarship is given to students in their first term of their master's program in the School of Architecture in the Faculty of Engineering. Fall
Pella Awards Selection is based on submission and review of a project that demonstrates excellence in sustainable design, and that exemplifies careful consideration of materials, details, placement, and orientation of fenestration. Spring
Adosi Graduate Scholarship for Food + Agriculture Selection to be based on the student’s demonstrated interested in researching food and agriculture as demonstrated in their research proposal as part of their scholarship application.  Spring

KIRKOR Architects + Planners Graduate Scholarship in Entrepreneurship

Selection is based on research or a project demonstrating merit in entrepreneurship within the field of architecture. The recipient will be a current or aspiring start-up founder, and/or have an idea that solves a problem not yet demonstrated in the market. Research projects should have clear entrepreneurial applicability. 

Spring
Waterloo Architecture Student Award in Community Studies Selection is based on research or a project that profiles, researches, explores, and/or works to develop solutions for a not-for-profit organization and/or charity located in the City of Cambridge. This fund is made possible by donations from corporate partners, alumni and friends located in, or with strong connections to, the City of Cambridge.  Spring
Lemay Change Maker Award Selection to be based on excellence in design and/or design initiative with distinctively actionable potential to positively impact Canadian communities with architecture that is thought-provoking, collaborative, and sustainable. Spring
Past recipients