Eligibility
General
All entries must be architectural or spatial in nature. Entries can include but are not limited to orthographic drawings, conceptual diagrams, renderings, or animations. Exploration and innovation in unique techniques are encouraged. While there is no limit to the number of entries one can submit, submissions awarded in past Ken Roberts competitions are not eligible. Sketchbooks as a whole will not be accepted; a single, clearly marked page within the sketchbook may be entered. If AI was used to generate any portion of your work, that work may only be submitted in the Alternative Technologies category. Animated GIFs and videos may only be submitted to the Animation category.
Professional Eligibility
Each entry must have been executed while the entrant is a professional in architecture or in related fields (architectural illustrator, educator, engineer, cg animation). Due to the versatile nature of the architectural profession, it is not required for the entrant to be employed at the time submitting work for KRob. All work completed after graduation from a design program is considered professional.
Student Eligibility
Each entry must have been executed while the entrant was enrolled at an academic institution (either high school or pursuing a higher education degree in architecture or design). Student entries can be submitted no later than 12 months following the entrant’s final graduation date.
Guidelines on the eligibility for prize categories
Each entry will be sorted into the appropriate prize category, guided by the following rules:
The entrant must be currently enrolled as a student to be eligible for the student prize categories. Any changes made to a student drawing after graduation will make it a professional entry.
If the work entered was completed at any point after graduation from a design program, it will be eligible for both the Hand Delineation Prize and the Hybrid Media Prize in the professional category. Since architectural delineation at the professional level takes place in a variety of circumstances, whether in response to client demands, design competitions, or research, it is not required for one to be employed by a traditional architectural design firm or studio. Any changes made to a student drawing after graduation will make it a professional entry.
Guidelines on the eligibility for the Travel Sketch Award
The content of the drawing must be architectural – a space, building, an urban formation and/or a landscape or garden.
Submittals must have been drawn in situ – at the place, in a bound or unbound sketchbook.
Any view, diagram and graphic notation should be clear.
Either a single image or a page combining different views, diagrams and conventions is encouraged.
Awards
The Award for Excellence in Digital/Hybrid Media
This prize is awarded to the best student and professional entries that demonstrate excellence through an innovative use of media and technology. Submissions may be digital, or hybrid mixed media with preference given to those that push the envelope of architectural representation, including drawings produced through algorithmic processes. The winners of this category will be awarded a $300 cash prize.
The HKS Award for Excellence in Hand Delineation
This prize is awarded to the best student and professional entries that embodies and celebrates the art of architecture as a tool for communication through hand delineations, sketches and renderings. The winners of this category will be awarded a $300 cash prize.
The Richard B. Ferrier Award for Best Physical Delineation
In response to the large majority of entries being submitted electronically, this prize has been created to highlight and honor the unique properties inherent to physical drawings. KRob has traditionally been an event that honored physical submissions, and this prize is intended to maintain this practice. To be considered for this prize, the entry must be submitted physically to the AIA Dallas office. Please carefully follow the instructions for physical submissions above. For entrants registered with a U.S. mailing address only. The winner of this category will be awarded a $300 cash prize.
The Kevin Sloan Award for Best Travel Sketch
This award acknowledges individuals interested in the time honored activity of drawing architecture and places to learn and understand. In lieu of drawings made to “interpret”, drawings submitted for this category are made to observe, analyze and record in a sketchbook. The winner of this category will be awarded a $300 cash prize.
The Award for Excellence in Process Visualization [NEW]
A new member in the KRob category library – this prize is awarded to the entry that best shows an individual’s ability to communicate with those in their profession. This category was created to step away from the highly polished product typically found in other categories. Focusing on the unfinished, on-the-spot drawings and diagrams that serve as in exploratory step in resolving a larger problem, these entries range from quick partis and planning diagrams to site sketches and section details and serve as a pure representation of the creators understanding of our shared illustrative language. The winner of this category will be awarded a $300 cash prize.
The Award for Excellence in Alternative Technologies [NEW]
Marrying two previous categories – Animation and Emerging Technologies – this prize is awarded to the entries that best demonstrate excellence in utilizing an innovative use of non-traditional mediums of exploration and representation. Entries in this category range from animations, AI-aided imagery, AR + VR Experiences, and other similar technologies. This category was re-envisioned to give space to all works produced with atypical methodologies or processes that may not fit in other categories. The winner of this category will be awarded a $300 cash prize.
Jurors Citation
These citations allow the jurors to independently select any student or professional piece that they personally wish to see recognized. Winners will receive a Certificate of Recognition.
