Emerging Voices and League Prize Biennial Cycle

What is changing about the Emerging Voices and League Prize programs?
- Beginning in 2025, the Emerging Voices and League Prize programs will transition from annual to biennial cycles. The programs will alternate each year: one year will focus on the League Prize, while the next will feature Emerging Voices.
Why is The Architectural League making this change?
- This decision reflects our commitment to maintaining the highest quality and impact for both programs. Alternating cycles will allow:
  - More time for thoughtful applicant outreach, research, and selection processes.
  - Increased opportunities to amplify the voices of winners through expanded programming, storytelling, and public engagement.
  - Greater focus on each program’s unique goals in its respective year.

When will this change take effect?
- The change will take effect starting 2025, with the League Prize running in the spring. Emerging Voices outreach will begin in the fall of 2025, with the announcement of winners and public programs taking place in the winter and spring of 2026. This alternating cycle will continue moving forward.
Will this change the format or mission of the programs?
- No. This change in timing will enhance the ability to deliver on program goals. Both programs will remain true to their missions:
  - Emerging Voices will continue to recognize and celebrate architects, landscape architects, and urban designers whose distinctive voices promise to influence architectural discourse, design, and practice for years to come.
  - The League Prize will remain committed to recent graduates whose work is pushing design in new directions. The additional space in the spring to focus on the League Prize is intended to enable, among other benefits, a return to the in-person exhibition format that was long a central component of the program’s public face.
How will this affect applicants?
- The application process will remain the same, but the timing will shift to reflect the biennial cycle.
  - The League Prize will accept applications in Winter 2024, with winners announced in the spring of 2025.
  - Emerging Voices will conduct applicant outreach in 2025, with winners announced in the winter and/or spring of 2026.

Does this mean fewer opportunities for architects and designers?
- While in the short term this will spread the total amount of each program’s awardees across a longer period of time, in the long term this will ensure that both prizes are meaningfully sustained, and that this important recognition is made available for applicants long into the future.
How will this change benefit participants and audiences?
- The alternating cycle allows for:
  - More dedicated outreach during the application cycle for each program, growing not only the potential applicant pool for each, but also meaningfully enhancing awareness of these programs’ impact, building an audience of invested lay people interested in what’s current in architecture and design.
  - More dedicated documentation and sharing of winners’ work, establishing a more dynamic and widely circulating record of these projects and people for an interested audience. Concretely we hope that this means more video content, more in-person exhibition work, and more press outreach.
  - Additional mission-focused work at the League during the spring seasons.

What happens during the “off” years for each program?
- During off years, we will concentrate on exploring ways to strengthen the less-active program’s reach and impact. Initially we are excited to do more on-the-ground community building and outreach with “Next Generation” trips, meeting alumni of the programs where they are and contributing to the conversations outside of New York City regarding the practice of architecture and design today, and how these programs are able to support its critical development. The “off” years also allow us to refine processes, conduct outreach, and enhance the programs’ infrastructures, in service of improved and sustained experiences for program participants and audiences alike.
Will there be other new programming related to these changes?
- Yes! We are exploring additional ways to engage past winners, support emerging talent, and highlight architectural innovation. Stay tuned for announcements about new events, publications, and digital content.
How can I stay informed about these changes?
- We will keep our community updated through our website, email newsletters, and social media. You can also contact us directly with any questions at programs(at)archleague.org.