Organised by The National Organization of Minority Architects

The National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) is pleased to announce the second Phil Freelon Professional Design Awards. With a legacy of recognizing outstanding architectural design work, NOMA renamed the decades-old prestigious design awards in honor of Phil Freelon's notable career, recognizing him as one of the most influential African American architects of our time. Freelon passed away July 9, 2019. The awards will be presented at the Annual NOMA Conference October 14-17, 2020, held virtually this year. 

Submissions to the NOMA Phil Freelon Professional Design Awards must be made by registered architects who are current NOMA members as of the submission deadline, September 11th, 2020. Awards will be announced at the NOMA Conference awards ceremony. Entries may include new construction, rehabilitation, restorations, additions, adaptive reuse, or conceptual work in the following award categories: Built Work; Unbuilt Work; Vision; Historic Preservation, Restoration and Renovation; and Small Projects.  

For more information on how to:

All award winners will be announced at the annual NOMA Conference awards event, an online virtual brunch and award ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020. 

About The NOMA Phil Freelon Awards: A lifelong NOMA member and advocate, Phil Freelon, NOMAC, FAIA, was one of the principal architects for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) on the Mall in Washington, D.C. He led national projects that recognized and celebrated the African American experience across the U.S., including Atlanta's National Center for Civil and Human Rights; San Francisco's Museum of the African Diaspora; and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in Jackson. He founded The Freelon Group, later acquired by Perkins & Will, where he served as design director until 2019. Former President Barack Obama appointed him to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts in 2011. Freelon was designated "America's Humanitarian Architect," and named Fast Company's 2017 Architect of The Year. 

"As an organization recognizing minority architects' successes, challenges and triumphs, there is no more fitting person to name our professional design awards after," said NOMA President, Kimberly Dowdell. "From the start of his career until the end, Phil Freelon was an inspiration to all. The awards, now in his name, will honor the greatest achievements in architectural design each year and remind us to always strive for excellence."