The Victorian Architecture Awards are granted annually by the Victorian Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects.[1] They began with the Street Architecture Medal, awarded between 1929 and 1942. Apart from a single award in 1954, annual awards did not resume until 1964, backdated by one year.[2]
To mark the 75th Victorian Architecture Awards in 2003, the Institute published Judging Architecture – Issues, Divisions, Triumphs, which lists all awards since 1929.
The most prestigious award has been variously called the Medal, the Bronze Medal, or Merit Award, but since but since 1987 it has been called the Victorian Architecture Medal.
The numbers and categories of awards has expanded and changed over the years. Since the 1990s, some categories have been named after significant architects or firms who have practiced in Victoria.[3]
In 2024 the AIA Victoria Chapter received the largest total entries of all Australian States and Territories chapters with 228 submissions across 15 categories for judging. At the awards held on Friday 7 June, 2024 a total of 15 named awards, 24 architecture awards and 22 commendations were presented.[5]