Conducted simultaneously at Hampton University, University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and the Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center, the AIA Virginia Prize is a design charrette that engages students at all of the accredited schools of architecture in Virginia. Students are given the competition program Friday at 5 p.m. They work over the weekend to create a board presenting their design solution by 9 a.m. the following Monday. Launched in 1980, the competition is intended to promote collaboration between the profession, students and professors in Virginia.

This year's competition asked its entrants to design a small oyster research hatchery on the shoreline of the Lafayette River in downtown Norfolk that would serve to inspire the public to learn about the significance of oyster farming to the local economy and health of the Chesapeake Bay.

The top award this year was given to Kyle Quinn, a graduate student at the Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center, for the submission "Coexist." A special jury citation was awarded to Shunsuke Araki from the Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center for "Pier Park," and Laurie Booth won Best of School from Virginia Tech with "Grit and Shine."

The following entrants were recognized with Honorable mention:

Emily Broadwell, Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center
Paris Casey, Hampton University
Vidusha Sridhar, Virginia Tech
Alex Boardwine, Virginia Tech
Randa Malkawi, Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center
Luke Rumage, Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center
Mustafa Shafique, Virginia Tech
Bryan Bay, Virginia Tech