;%20?){kind=logo}
AIA Miami and AIA Fort Lauderdale hosted the annual South Florida Young Architect Awards on May 7th in Miami to celebrate South Florida’s next generation of Emerging Professionals, up-and-coming Associates, Architecture Students, and the firms that best support them.
The awards recognize excellence in the Architecture profession by architects who have achieved licensure within the past ten years and Associates or AIAS members currently pursuing licensure.
We’re so grateful to everyone who came out to honor our nominees and winners! We hope you had as much fun as we did. 🥂🎶
A huge thank you to the sponsors who made this celebration possible 👏
🎧 DJ Sponsor: @studio_mcg_architecture
🍸 Bar Sponsors: @stantec, @ddscad, Cuesta Construction
🎤 Technology Sponsor: @acousticarchitects
🥤 Refreshment Sponsors: Rochell Engineering, Uzin Utz
🤝 Friends of AIA: SSA / Sarah Medcalf, @brodsoninc, @schlutersystemsna, @americanscreensolutions, RCI Engineering
Congratulations to our 2026 Young Architect Award winners:
Best Place to Work — Peacock Architects
Best Portfolio — Catalina Cabral-Framinan
Mentor of the Year — Vanessa Smith-Torres, AIA
Project Manager of the Year — Elliot N. Young, AIA
Rising Star of the Year (Associate) — Ecem Aksoy, Assoc. AIA
Rising Star of the Year (Young Architect) — Bryce Bounds, AIA
Studio Project of the Year — Yuva Nest by Ecem Aksoy, Assoc. AIA
Volunteer of the Year — Alyssa Scherger, Assoc. AIA
Your work, leadership, and passion are shaping the future of our profession!
A Special Thank You To Keely Brunkov, Candela Cicinelli, Jheier Azocar
Photography Credits To Sandy Dewitt @sandydewittphoto
