AIA Atlanta Announces 2024 High School Design Competition Winners

ATLANTA — April 11, 2024 — AIA Atlanta announces the winners of the 19th Annual High School Design Competition (HSDC) presented by YKK AP. Winners were revealed at the High School Design Awards at the Kennesaw State University College of Architecture and Construction Management on April 10.

HSDC invites Georgia high school students to immerse themselves in fundamental architecture concepts and learn skills that will be useful in college and beyond. The competition focuses on a design prompt to which students will create a solution using their creativity and architectural knowledge. HSDC comprises two levels to accommodate students’ varying levels of experience, including beginner and advanced.

AIA Atlanta partnered with the Blue Heron Nature Preserve to help beginner participants design a vivarium and butterfly house. At the advanced level, participants designed a field research center that responds to the natural environment and educates them about the ecology of the city of Atlanta.

The 2024 competition received a record 245 submissions from 19 schools. In addition to cash prizes awarded across the advanced level, the first-place winner received a scholarship to attend the SPIKE Studio Summer Academy. This year’s winners are as follows:

Beginner – Individual

• 1st Place: Megan Matovina, Empower College and Career Center
• 2nd Place: Isaac Wood, Etowah High School
• 3rd Place: Chloe Brown, Decatur High School
• Honorable Mention: Hannah Oduselu, Etowah High School
• Honorable Mention: Mila Le, Union Grove High School
• Honorable Mention: Cameron Dangar, Decatur High School

Advanced – Individual

• 1st Place: Jordi Silva, Union Grove High School
• 2nd Place: Finch Lau, Union Grove High School
• 3rd Place: Roy Diddy, Union Grove High School
• Honorable Mention: Pia Ramirez-Weninger, Decatur High School
• Honorable Mention: Curtis Nguyen, Union Grove High School
• Honorable Mention: Sariah Young, Union Grove High School

Advanced – Group

• 1st Place: Sara Caccamo and Hien Nguyen, Maxwell High School Of Technology
• 2nd Place: Katherine Gentner and Jacob Dymkowski, Wheeler High School
• 3rd Place: Stella Skillman and Jaemin Park, Decatur High School
• Honorable Mention: Rodolfo Saenz and Tomas Lopez, Maxwell High School Of Technology
• Honorable Mention: Darlene Bikulo and Christian Palacio Silva, Maxwell High School Of Technology

About AIA Atlanta
AIA Atlanta, the Atlanta Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, is a professional organization representing 1,900 architects and designers in Metro Atlanta. AIA advocates for the value of architects and provides architects with the resources to do their best work, including continuing education, political advocacy, networking, and leadership development.

About YKK AP America Inc.
YKK AP America Inc. is a technology-oriented manufacturer of commercial façade systems and residential doors and windows. With every finished good, we push the boundaries in next-generation manufacturing and create value for architectural applications. Driven by a desire to provide exceptional service in our markets, YKK AP America builds upon our foundation of advanced engineering, vertically integrated manufacturing, and customer focus on delivering the highest level of quality at a competitive price.