Nominate a Project
Nominations for 2026 are now open! Submit your Orchids and Onions by reviewing the nomination guidelines and completing the form below.
In 2025, we reintroduced “Onion” nominations for private development projects (non-publicly funded projects) following a three-year pause. Please note: under our updated rules, beginning in 2025 and going forward, any project previously nominated—whether as an Orchid or Onion—is no longer eligible for an Onion. Tijuana projects are eligible for Orchid nominations only.
2026 Nomination Rules
- Nominations for the 2026 Orchids & Onions program close at midnight July 31, 2026; no exceptions.
- You may nominate as many projects as you wish.
- Orchid nominated projects must be located within San Diego County or the City of Tijuana and must have been completed by no earlier than January 2023. Past winners within the same category are not eligible.
- Onion nominated projects must be located within San Diego County limits and must have been completed by no earlier than January 2023. We are not accepting Onion nominations located within the City of Tijuana at this time.
- Onion nominations are welcomed in all categories. The jury reserves the right to award an Onion for a trend exemplified by one or more Onion nominations.
- Unbuilt projects are not eligible but public or private master plans may be nominated.
- The jury reserves the right to name no winners in any category or to move a nomination from one category to another.
- Orchid and Onion awards go to the projects, not to the designers, developers or other individuals, firms, or organizations.
- Nomination descriptions should be respectful, honest, factual and complete within a 200-word maximum. They will be fact-checked prior to publication online and returned to the nominator if more information is required.
- Digital photos totaling no more than 5MB must be included with each nomination. Nominators are encouraged to submit their own photos. Do not submit a photo downloaded from the internet without the copyright holder's permission. A completed photo release form must accompany the nomination.
- Nominations cannot be posted without accompanying photos, so take your camera for a walk and capture a few photos that illustrate the reason(s) for your nomination. Renderings or drawings of completed projects are not acceptable.
- Please be patient, once your nomination is submitted, we will fact-check before posting.
- Please keep your nominations and your comments respectful; mind yourself!
Project eligibility requirements
- Orchids must be located in San Diego County or City of Tijuana.
- Onions must be located in San Diego County.
- Must not be a single-family residence. Multi-family projects (2+ units minimum) are accepted.
- Must be completed, and been so within the last 3 years.
- May be a rehabilitated building or structure.
You may submit projects in the following categories
- Public Architecture - Civic / Commercial / Institutional
- Private Architecture - Mixed-Use, Multi-family (10+ units), Infill Housing (2-9 units), ADUs (not Single-family houses)
- Historic Preservation & Adaptation
- Interior Design
- Landscape Architecture
- Public Policies (may be any level of policy proposal, i.e., Federal, State, City, or Community Plan)
- Public Art
- Architectural Lighting
- Environmental Graphics
- Miscellaneous (something related to the built environment that is not listed above)
What Makes a Project an Orchid or an Onion?
Orchid
- Exemplifies good place making, i.e. it is a functional and memorable place or space to be
- Contributes to its surrounding context and adds to community character
- Skillfully and thoughtfully detailed and crafted – showing respect for materials and the community
- Expresses something relevant to our time and place – San Diego / Tijuana, right now, as well as its function
- Provides social and economic benefit to residents of San Diego / Tijuana
- Encourages social interaction or a quiet moment
- Elicits a sense of civic pride
- Is technologically or environmentally innovative
- Supports community building
- Promotes sustainability
Guidance for Onion Nominations
In 2025, the San Diego Architectural Foundation (SDAF) reintroduced “Onion” nominations for private development projects (non-publicly funded projects) following a three-year pause. Onions may now be nominated for all project types, both public and private. This change comes with updated criteria and additional guidance to support thoughtful, constructive feedback.
Our goal is to elevate the quality of public nominations while continuing to encourage broad community participation. We want to ensure that nominations go beyond surface-level opinions and promote deeper, more informed critiques that help shape a more thoughtful dialogue around San Diego’s built environment and how we can improve it.
SDAF is committed to a design-focused, professionally guided process that values education, encourages critical thinking, and fosters better stewardship of our city.
Please note: SDAF organizes and hosts the Orchids & Onions program and serves as a steward of the awards. The final selections are made solely by an independent jury of design professionals and community advocates. SDAF itself does not determine which projects receive Orchids or Onions.
Before You Submit
Design and construction is complex – Zoning, codes, budgets, stakeholder needs, and environmental regulations all play a part. Please keep these complexities in mind when preparing your nomination.
What to Include in Your Nomination
1. Address at least 2 of these 4 areas
- Context – Does it relate to or enhance its surroundings?
- Quality – Is it well built and thoughtfully detailed?
- Function – Is it useful, accessible, sustainable?
- Community Impact – Does it serve or harm its neighborhood?
2. Answer these key prompts
- What about the design fails its users or the community?
- Does it miss opportunities to connect to its surroundings
- Are there issues with functionality, accessibility, or sustainability?
- Is your critique primarily about aesthetics? If so, explain its broader impact.
3. Organize your feedback by theme
- Context – Feels generic, disconnected, or out of place.
- Design Quality – Poor detailing, outdated style, or lack of cohesion.
- Community Impact – Discourages public use or civic engagement.
- Sustainability – Environmentally insensitive or short-sighted. Ignores environmental best practices.
Think about these questions before writing your nomination
- Missed opportunity? Could this project have improved the public space, celebrated its location, or served the community—but didn’t? What could have been done better?
- Eyesore or poor design? Does it look careless, unfinished, or clash with its surroundings? What about the design feels wrong?
- Poor construction? Are there signs of cheap materials, sloppy work, or damage—even though it’s new?
- Out of place? Is it out of scale, lacking connection to the context of the neighborhood, or simply feels wrong for the site?
What Not to Submit
Personal taste alone is not enough. Disliking the color, style, or look of a project does not make it Onion-worthy unless it ties into broader concerns such as context, design quality, or overall function.
Photo Requirements
Submit at least 2 original photos with captions explaining each issue (e.g., “Oversized for the block” or “Visible mechanical units disrupt pedestrian space”).
If You’re Not a Design Pro
Your voice matters! You don’t need to be a design professional to recognize when a building doesn’t serve its purpose or community. Just be sure your nomination speaks to more than personal taste and connects to broader impact using the guidance above.
Reminder: Orchids & Onions is an interactive, community-based platform that celebrates quality design, promotes educational engagement, and fosters civic dialogue. Its purpose is to raise awareness and inspire thoughtful stewardship of San Diego’s built environment.
Your nomination
After submission, nominations with photos will be reviewed by the committee (please allow at least 72 hours) for accuracy and will be posted on the website for all site visitors to view and comment on. The nominator remains anonymous. Check back in regularly to see what projects are most talked about! Comment on and share your favorite nominations!
Submit your nomination
The Orchids & Onions program celebrates the best — and worst — of architecture and design in the San Diego region. Anyone can nominate a project — you don't need to be a design professional to participate. Have the project address and at least one photo ready before you begin. This form takes about 5 minutes to complete. Nominations period is May 7 - July 31, 2026.
Questions? Contact us at nominations@sdarchitecture.org
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