2023 Sunday Prize Honorees Announced

The Alice Lehmen Sunday Prize was started by Alice Lehmen Sunday who ran a
Richmond Printing and Reproduction company. The award was created to elevate the
level of drawing and sketching, within the Richmond architectural community, by
recognizing young talented individuals. 

The competition is limited to young designers working towards licensure with less than
10 years of experience. The competition is comprised of 3 categories including Sketch,
Presentation, and Construction Drawings.

This years’ jury included: Nick Cooper, Jessie Gemmer, Ed Gillikin, Rachel Shelton and
Forrest Frazer. Thank you all for all for engaging our Richmond design community and
investing your heart and soul into the next generation of creatives.

Sketch                        
Merit in Sketch Category
Sketching in a Cafe
Submitter: Karim El-Araby, Assoc. AIA
Supervisor: Nick Cooper, AIA, NOMA
Firm: Hanbury

Jury Comments – 
You can see the range of sketch skill with this entry. The linework, the depth, the
shadow, all is explored in this composition. It’s a cool sketch that tells a story

Merit in Sketch Category                                                     
Jefferson Hotel
Submitter: John Tan
Supervisor: Nick Cooper, AIA, NOMA
Firm: Hanbury

Jury Comments – 
This is a classic sketch, where the strength is in the detail, restraint of not drawing too
much and how these individual leverages the white space. Great control of the pen.

Honor Award in Sketch Category                                                   
Trees
Submitter: Karim El-Araby, Assoc. AIA
Supervisor: Nick Cooper, AIA, NOMA
Firm: Hanbury

Jury Comments – 
This is a really nice study and rarely do you see this entered into the sketch category.
The plan/elevation is something I’d like to have in some of my drawings. It’s original
and you can see the progress being made from left to right

Honor Award in Sketch Category                                                   
Leicester Square
Submitter: John Tan
Supervisor: Nick Cooper, AIA, NOMA
Firm: Hanbury

Jury Comments – 
This sketch captured everyone’s attention immediately and was unanimously
considered as the strongest sketch of a very deep submission pool. The technique, the
clarity of place and the detail all are unmatched with this entry. Well done.

Construction Drawings                  

Merit in Construction Documentation Category    
Huntington Center
Submitter: Brian Gore
Supervisor: Charles Tilley, AIA
Firm: Quinn Evans

Jury Comments – 
This one sheet was a beautiful example of how you can tell the story with less. There is
every drawing you need to understand the project, in just one sheet and that is the
power of this submission.

Merit in Construction Documentation Category    
DCPL Southeast Library
Submitter: Elena Wrobel – Project Team Members include : Chuck Wray, Andrea
Quilici, Anthony Harris, Shannon Wray and Charles Sparkman
Supervisor: Chuck Wray, AIA, Andrea Quilici, AIA
Firm: Quinn Evans

Jury Comments – 
The set of five sheets were well laid out, simple and clearly communicated the project’s
intent. The dimensioning and use of line weights were especially strong, as well as the
elevations.

Honor Award in Construction Drawings Category     
CASA Play Factory
Submitter: Karim El-Araby, Perry Hammond, Josiah Kinney, Marcos Borjas
Supervisor: Don Kaupp, AIA
Firm: Hanbury

Jury Comments – 
The set could stand on it’s on as well as each individual sheet. The 3d axons are a
breath of fresh air and reminded us how powerful they are as a tool for describing the
build process. You can tell every detail was thought about in this small project and the
level of craft was ensured by this set of drawings.

Presentation                       

Merit in Presentation and Technology Category     
Kennet Street
Submitter: Josiah Kinney
Supervisor: Nick Cooper, AIA, NOMA
Firm: Hanbury

Jury Comments – 
The jury appreciated the depth of the rendering and how it captured the activity of the
grand stair to the left and the café to the right. It felt very well balanced. The light levels
could have been a bit more delicate, but overall a great rendering with motion and static
entourage that made the image come alive.

Merit in Presentation and Technology Category                
Spotsylvania Middle School Spirits Graphics
Submitter: Elena Wrobel
Supervisor: Charles Tilley, AIA
Firm: Quinn Evans

Jury Comments – 
A nice blend of technical and presentation graphics made this submission stand out.
We understood how hard it is to produce a strong elevation/section while also telling the
story of the graphic and it’s scale

Honor Award in Presentation and Technology Category                
Ancient Richmond
Submitter: KJ AmmonsSupervisor: Nick Cooper, AIA, NOMA
Firm: Hanbury

Jury Comments – A perfectly composed collage and lovely use of color. We were
curious about the interpretation of the word ancient and how Richmond fit into that, but
this is exactly the type of submission that rises to the top for this category. It caught our
eye from the beginning because of its strong presence and storytelling.

Honor Award in Presentation and Technology Category                
Community Design Laboratory
Submitter: Marcos Borjas
Supervisor: Nick Cooper, AIA, NOMA
Firm: Hanbury

Jury Comments – Of all the renderings submitted, this one stood above, and it wasn’t
close. It’s simply powerful in its image, color, light levels and depth of material while
also creating a sense of joy and wonder. It’s flawless.