Governor General's Medals in Architecture

Eligibility

Eligible projects can be built anywhere in the world, and must be completed within the past seven (7) years from the deadline for submission. The project’s lead design architect or team of architects must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada and licensed/registered with a Canadian Provincial or Territorial Jurisdiction.

The following are NOT eligible:

• Projects having received a Governor General’s Medal in Architecture in a previous competition;
• Projects with involvement of a member of the RAIC Awards Advisory Committee or RAIC staff; or a member of the Board or staff of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Summary

Please note there is a submission fee for this award. Nominators and/or nominees will be responsible for the payment of this fee.

The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC)and the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA) are pleased to invite architects to participate in the competition for the Governor General’s Medals in Architecture. The RAIC is proud to organize and administer the competition. The Canada Council for the Arts is responsible for selecting and administering the peer assessment committee.

The objective of the Governor General’s Medals in Architecture is to recognize and celebrate outstanding design in recently completed built projects of any size, type and geographical location by Canadian architects. The competition continues a tradition initiated by the Massey Medals in 1950, providing an important source of understanding of the nature of Canadian architecture and the regional, cultural, and historic forces expressed in the built environment. Outstanding design considers exemplary approaches to sustainability, and the support and advancement of equity, diversity, and inclusion.

The competition will result in the awarding of up to 12 Governor General’s Medals in Architecture.

Application deadlines

Program application deadline

This competition was established by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada in collaboration with the Canada Council for the Arts in order to raise general public awareness of the cultural importance of architecture in our society and continue a tradition initiated by the Massey Medals in 1950.
 

Submission Date

Submissions must be received before 10:00 p.m. ET, Thursday, December 7, 2023. Entrants are solely responsible for timely submissions. This date and time are firm without exceptions.

Entry Fee

An entry fee, plus applicable taxes, must accompany each submission.

Fees are based on the submitted project's construction contract value / building cost of the project:

Under $2.5 million: $755.00  ($355.00 for RAIC members*) 
$2.5 million - $5 million: $975.00 ($575.00 for RAIC members*)
$5 million - 100 million: $1315.00 ($915.00 for RAIC members*)
$100 million + : $1730.00 ($1330.00 for RAIC members*)

*For member fees, the lead design architect must be a member of the RAIC.

Instructions

Submissions will be completed using the online submission platform.

Entries can be submitted either in English or in French.

Note: Once you have started the online submission process, you may 'save' and come back at a later date to complete your submission (prior to the submission deadline).