Study Architecture 
ProPEL 2026 New Faculty Teaching Award
To recognize demonstrated excellence and innovation in teaching performance during the formative years of an architectural teaching career.
An AIAS/ACSA Award.
Deadline: October 8, 2025
Criteria
ACSA and AIAS are jointly sponsoring the award to recognize outstanding teaching abilities exhibited by full-time and part-time faculty with a maximum of 10 academic semesters or 15 quarters of teaching experience cumulative at current and previous institutions and regardless of whether the appointment is full-time or part-time. Submissions should convey how they address ideas cultural, social, economic, or environmental sustainability in their teaching. Submissions should convey how they address ideas, history and/or theory of cultural, social, economic, or environmental sustainability in their teaching. Following are the two assessment criteria to be used by the selection committee.
- The candidate has a demonstrable and positive impact on students and/or an architectural curriculum.
- The candidate demonstrates use of innovative pedagogical approaches as evidenced by examples of student work.
Eligibility
Faculty must teach at an ACSA full-member and candidate-member school that has an established AIAS, CASA, or NOMAS chapter in good standing. Faculty members who have already received tenure are not eligible for this award. Any faculty member, administrator, AIAS, CASA, or NOMAS member at an ACSA full-member and candidate-member school may nominate a candidate for the ACSA/AIAS New Faculty Teaching Award.
Full-Time Faculty Category. Awards will be given to individuals who are full-time faculty at the time of their nomination. Full-time is defined as having a teaching appointment in architecture of more than 50% FTE.
Part-Time Faculty Category. Awards will be given to individuals who are part-time faculty at the time of their nomination. Part-time is defined as having a teaching appointment in architecture of less than 50% FTE. Faculty who have multiple concurrent part-time teaching appointments will be considered for the Part-time Category.
Nomination Documentation
All materials are to be submitted through the online system by the nominator or nominee; once the nomination is finalized all parties will receive a confirmation email. The résumé and supporting letters are best uploaded as PDF documents. The supporting material (portfolio) must not exceed a total of 20, 8.5×11 pages and be submitted in PDF format, no more than 20MB. All material must be submitted by 11:59 PM, Pacific Time, on October 8, 2025, online at www.acsa-arch.org and the submitter will need to log into the ACSA website in order to submit. Previous recipients are ineligible for this award.
Each submission shall contain the following information:
- Candidate Name: Nomination Information, completed online during submission (www.acsa-arch.org);
- Biographical Statement: The statement should be a narrative introduction to the candidate and the candidate’s career. Maximum 300 words.
- Curriculum Vitae: Focused on the achievements of the candidate, no more than 10 pages (PDF format).
- Letter of Nomination: A letter explaining the reasons for the nomination according to the established criteria, not to exceed 1 page (PDF format).
- Supporting Letters: No more than three supporting letters one of which needs to be from a former or current student (in addition to the letter of nomination) from colleagues and students commenting upon the significance of the specific achievements of the candidate (no more than 1 page each in separate PDF format).
⁃ If your project includes a collaborating partner, at least one of the supporting letters needs to be from the collaborator. - Teaching Verification Letter: A letter from the dean/chair of the nominee’s university, verifying the nominee has a maximum of 10 academic semesters or 15 quarters of teaching experience, cumulative at current and previous institutions, as well as the candidate’s current FTE teaching status (i.e., full- or part-time based on the criteria for the award). No more than 1 page in PDF format.
- Supporting Material: Illustrating or describing the candidate’s teaching achievements, which would include teaching evaluations, syllabi, or student work (not to exceed a total of 20 8.5” x 11” pages, in PDF format, no more than 20MB).
For each project referenced in your Supporting Material, you will need to document the following in your PDF submission.
Project Title:
Month/Year Completed:
Role of Nominee (in the project):
Collaborators & Funding Sources Expenses:
(Sample Text: 4 non-profit employees donated X amount of hours in the collaboration, 1 electrician paid for X amount of hours – their scope included outlets, running conduit etc.)
Student Compensation (Indicate whether students received credit or were financially compensated, within the guidelines of the institution):
(Sample Text: 3 students working as paid research assistants for X amount of hours, 15 students contributed to this project for a 5-credit studio course etc.)
REQUIRED
DOCUMENTATION
COLLABORATION
ACSA seeks to empower faculty and schools to educate increasingly diverse students, expand disciplinary impacts, and create knowledge for the advancement of architecture. ACSA leads architectural education and research by demonstrating the value of architectural education and research to practice and society, by advancing architectural pedagogy, and by serving as the voice of architectural education. ACSA’s core values include: Equity, Social Justice, Climate Action, Teaching,Learning, Research, Scholarship, and Creative Practice. Through the architecture educational awards program, ACSA demonstrates best practices.
ACSA understands work submitted to the awards programs is created through collaboration with students, organizations, firms, communities, and/or industry partners. ACSA advocates for fair labor practices in architecture education and awards submissions must represent the best practices in the field.
Therefore, award submissions must acknowledge all work performed in collaboration and must be properly credited. Submissions should include the information listed below including compensation for student work and/or firm support. This could be student earned course credit, firm work/resources, or financial contributions. The supporting material will need to clearly denote all collaborating parties involved, and their roles for each project.
Selection
A selection committee of four individuals, composed of two members of the AIAS national leadership and two members appointed by the ACSA Board of Directors, shall review nominations and recommend winners. A maximum of four awards, no fewer than one per category, will be made in any year. Winners will be presented with a certificate of merit and will have the opportunity to present their work at the ACSA Annual Meeting.
2026 NFT Selection Committee
Dahlia Nduom
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Noah Palmer
University of Oklahoma
Cathi Ho Schar
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Trevin
Thompson
American Institute of Architecture Students
Notices
- All materials for nominations and submissions must be uploaded online in one complete package. Any incomplete documentation will not be accepted.
- Projects that have previously been recognized by ACSA will not be considered.
- ACSA stands firmly against unpaid labor. In support of the American Institute of Architecture Students’ (AIAS) resolution on unpaid interns, ACSA does not allow partners or firms who do not pay their interns, in accordance with all applicable laws, to submit work for ACSA publications or to receive ACSA awards. (Intern refers to those individuals participating in AXP or equivalent required training and includes working students.) Nomination or submission to the ACSA Awards Program constitutes your understanding of this agreement.
- Current ACSA Board of Directors members may not submit nominating or supporting letters.
- Award winners are expected to register and attend the the ACSA Annual Meeting.
- By submitting your project, you certify that you have granted ACSA permission to use all graphics included.
Partners
Edwin Hernández-Ventura
Awards and Competitions Manager
tel: 202-785-2324
email: ehernandez@acsa-arch.org
Eric W. Ellis
Senior Director of Operations and Programs
tel: 202-785-2324
email: eellis@acsa-arch.org
Founded in 1912 by 10 charter members, ACSA is an international association of architecture schools preparing future architects, designers, and change agents. Our membership includes all of the accredited professional degree programs in the United States and Canada, as well as international schools and 2- and 4-year programs. Together ACSA schools represent some 7,000 faculty educating more than 40,000 students.
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