2026 AIA St. Louis Design Awards

CATEGORIES:
Architecture, Interiors, Small Projects, and Unbuilt

Arthi has led some of our largest and most complex projects. Her work is most often mission-driven, where the architect must weigh social and civic impacts with architectural and environmental considerations. Design, for Arthi, is a compassionate act where elegant solutions align in the cooperative beliefs and systems of organizations. Skillful, adroit, smart, for Arthi, it comes down to her faith in people:

“Humans are a source of infinite potential. Architecture grounded in empathy can advance the ambitions of its users.  Buildings and spaces can inspire, bring comfort and even joy. Architecture is an art when it strikes a chord.  And it should.”

Arthi has managed our projects for Cummins and for The Women’s Building, and led our project for Princeton University. She has designed all our projects for foundations, including for International Planned Parenthood Federation and the Wallace Foundation. Today, Arthi is leading our project at Smith College.

Arthi serves on the board of the Queens Museum, an institution dedicated to presenting the highest quality visual arts and educational programming for people in the New York metropolitan area, and particularly for the residents of Queens, a uniquely diverse, ethnic, cultural, and international community.

Arthi received her B.S. in Architectural Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and an M.Arch. from the University of Pennsylvania. Arthi is a Principal of TenBerke.

Michelle Amt is a licensed architect with thirty-one years of national and international experience covering a wide range of project types. A consistent thread that runs through her work is an unwavering commitment to creating meaningful, beautiful, and regenerative places for this and future generations.

Michelle believes that sustainability is the foundation of design excellence, and that a robust sustainability agenda can deepen the connections between our buildings, their local and global communities, and the natural world. These values rooted her eight-year tenure as VMDO’s Director of Sustainability and Inclusion.

As VMDO’s Co-Managing Principal, she stewards VMDO’s long-term vision by fostering an inclusive internal culture, mentoring the next generation of architects, and ensuring the firm’s business practices serve the best interests of its clients and the natural world.

Michelle has served as Chair of the AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) and was inducted into the AIA College of Fellows in 2024.

David Whitehill is a principal at Shepley Bulfinch who leads higher education, cultural, and institutional projects. His work focuses on creating mission-driven environments that balance human-focused design, technical performance, and respect for historic context. David has particular expertise in academic libraries, adaptive reuse, and integrating sustainability goals into historic buildings.

Jerome Tryon is a critic at the Yale School of Architecture and a designer whose work investigates the intersection of architectural space, perception, and memory. His practice focuses on architectural design and drawing methodologies for spatial exploration. Drawing is central to his process of inquiry, using architectural drawing conventions as analytic and projective tools to investigate and recalibrate spatial perception. His drawings have been widely published, and he has received fellowships and awards including the Rieger Graham Prize (for a fellowship at the American Academy in Rome), the Sir John Soane’s Museum Foundation Graduate Fellowship, the Cavin Family Traveling Fellowship, and the Yale School of Architecture’s William Wirt Winchester Prize.

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Architecture, Small Project, Interiors, and Unbuilt
Entry Guidelines

*ONLY TWO Sponsorship Packages Available*

Purchase Signature Sponsorship

 BENEFITS INCLUDE:

• Logo on post ceremony winning slideshow.
• Signature listing on our home web page and during award presentation.
• Opportunity to speak live at the ceremony.
• Opportunity to provide a 60 second interview to be screened during the Awards Ceremony.
  • Must sponsor by 8/31/25 to receive video benefit
• 10 total guaranteed tickets to Awards event.

INCLUDES ALL SUSTAINING LEVEL BENEFITS

Purchase Sustaining Sponsorship

Purchase $2500 Sustaining Sponsorship

 BENEFITS INCLUDE:

• Logo on AIA St. Louis Design Awards Graphics.
• Sustaining listing on our home web page and during award presentation.
• One individual Sustaining Sponsor slide listing during Awards ceremony.
• One separate dedicated post and additional pre-event promotion on AIA St. Louis social media platforms.
• 4 total guaranteed tickets to Awards Event.

For an additional $1000 (Total of $2500)

• Opportunity to provide 30 second statement to be screened during the Awards Ceremony.
  • Must sponsor by 8/31/26 to receive video benefit
•  6 total guaranteed tickets to Awards event.

INCLUDES ALL CHAMPION LEVEL BENEFITS

 BENEFITS INCLUDE:

• Logo on banner that remains in AIA St. Louis office year round.
• Verbal announcement and mention on collective Champion Sponsors group slide during Awards ceremony.
• Listing on pre-function slideshow and social media promotion.
• 2 total guaranteed tickets to Awards event.

 FRIENDS OF THE AIA - $500
 BENEFITS INCLUDE:

• Night-of and AIA St. Louis website promotion, only pre-function slide show (not during run of show).
• 1 guaranteed ticket to Awards event.