Say It Loud

Call for Entry

SAY IT LOUD California has been generously funded by AIA California’s Council of Architectural Component Executives as well as AIA Central Valley, AIA Los Angeles, AIA Orange County, AIA San Diego, and AIA San Francisco. SAY IT LOUD was founded and designed by Pascale Sablan, FAIA, creator of Beyond the Built Environment, and recipient of the 2021 AIA Whitney M. Young Jr. Award. The exhibition spotlights the contributions of diverse design professionals to the built environment. SAY IT LOUD California will feature a digital exhibition at the AIA Conference on Architecture in San Francisco in June 2023, an online virtual exhibition on the Beyond the Built Environment website and, following the Conference, local exhibitions hosted by California Chapters in 2023 and beyond. To date, SAY IT LOUD exhibitions have been viewed by over 55,000 visitors since January 2017. From inception, multiple online publications (such as Forbes, Curbed and The Architects Newspaper) with large subscription bases have helped promote the exhibitions further expanding its impact. The concept of SAY IT LOUD is: “To see our faces, hear our voices, [and] feel our impact within the colorful tapestry of our heritage.” SAY IT LOUD is the activation of a national movement of sharing, protecting, and celebrating the journey of the underrepresented to inspire the next generation. SAY IT LOUD engages diverse audiences to elevate the identities and contributions of minority architects and designers who testify to the provided value of their built work and its spatial impact.

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Entry Requirements

BIPOC (Black, indigenous, people of color) and women architects, engineers, designers, students and planners who reside in California are encouraged to submit.

• Applicants are required to live and/or work in California and be women or BIPOC designer, who have a significant role in the submitted project.
• Projects submitted for consideration may be located outside of California
• Women (She, Her) (female or transgender) of any ethnicity and Black, Indigenous, Person of Color
• Built / Unbuilt Work
• Each submission highlights one person and one of their projects; however, entrants may submit more than one project for the exhibit (ie. multiple entries).

Beyond the Built Environment strongly encourages submissions that reflect a broad and inclusive definition of design excellence. Each entry is judged for the success with which it has met its individual requirements. Submissions must exhibit design achievement that demonstrates exemplary skill and creativity in the resolution and integration of formal, functional, and technical requirements, including ecological stewardship and social responsibility. Submissions should also reflect a strong sense of place, history, and purpose.​ Architecture is a profession in which design capability is prized and intellectual property is the most common proof of worth, in terms of talent and experience. Contemporary practice is by its nature collaborative. The more complex the project, or the more prolonged the design and construction process, the more individuals may lay valid claim to credit for some part of the work.​ Please comply with the AIA Code of Ethics for credit and attribution below: https://www.aia.org/pages/3311-attribution-of-credit

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Why Enter?

Participation is critical to Say IT LOUD CA’s success! Entrants will: – Become a part of the SAY IT LOUD international movement, and bring a national presence to the great diverse designers of California. – Provide exposure and access to themselves, their firms, and their featured work through a nationally recognized and highly trafficked website. – Add their name to the “Great Diverse Designers Library ,” featuring nearly 1000 diverse designers. – Have opportunities to participate as panelists and/or featured guests surrounding the AIA Conference and/or subsequent local Chapter exhibitions. – Become part of a reference book that will include all featured designers—a future goal of SAY IT LOUD and Beyond the Built Environment.