Promotion: this year's Brick in Architecture Awards has opened for submissions, with competitors encouraged to submit innovative brick projects to showcase "brick's virtually limitless versatility".

The annual competition, described as "the leading international design competition featuring fired-clay brick," is open to submissions that use clay brick as their primary building material.

Organised by US trade association The Brick Industry Association (BIA), it features nine categories, in which architects and designers will compete to win the Best in Class, Gold, Silver or Bronze awards.

The 2024 Brick in Architecture Awards also has an overall Craftsmanship Award, which will be given to a project by an individual mason or team who has created an "exceptionally artful or unique installation".

"The awards showcase brick's virtually limitless versatility for inspired and sustainable design that can achieve any aesthetic," BIA president and CEO Ray Leonhard said.

The Brick in Architecture Awards has nine categories: commercial, education – K-12, higher education - colleges and universities, residential – single family, residential – multi-family, thin brick, paving and landscape projects, historic renovation and international (projects outside of the US, Canada or a US territory).

The competition is open to architects or designers who are employed by an architectural, design-build or landscaping design firm. Any member of the design team is invited to serve as the submitting architect, the organisers said.

Submissions require all team members who "substantially contributed to the project’s design" to be given credit on the submission form.

In addition, "manufacturers and distributors may enter projects of which they have been a part on behalf of the architect", the BIA added. Clay brick regional associations and other masonry associations may also enter projects from their own regional competitions or from their members, the organisers also said.

Submitted projects must have been completed since 1 January 2018.

Submissions can be any work of architecture in which new clay brick products comprise the predominant exterior building or paving material (over 50 per cent). Materials can include face or hollow brick, building brick, thin brick, paving brick, glazed brick, structural glazed facing tile, new clay brick products in special shapes and/or a combination.

Entrants are invited to submit more than one project for consideration. Previously submitted projects that were unsuccessful in winning a Best in Class, Gold, Silver or Bronze can be put forward again as long as they were completed since 2018.

Entries must be submitted by November 1, and a jury of peers will choose a winner in December to be announced in early 2025.

Previous winners include a lobby with a curved volume formed of more than 9,000 bricks and a Toronto hotel with dramatic brick arches.

To find out more and enter the 2024 Brick in Architecture Awards, visit its website.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for The Brick Industry Association as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.