Call for Presentations

Design in the Hills 2026

Deadline for Proposals: March 15, 2026

AIA South Dakota 2026 Annual Convention and Expo 

Deadline for Presentation Proposals: March 15, 2026

 

South Dakota professionals, statewide expertise

Welcome! AIA South Dakota values your knowledge and insight, and we welcome your submission to provide continuing education and promote learning across the organization.

AIA South Dakota is a professional membership organization of architects, design professionals who anticipate becoming licensed in the future, and partners with expertise in the built environment who seek opportunities to learn, share and advance the important idea that design matters in every South Dakota community. AIA South Dakota is a 501(c)6 non-profit organization, a component of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), and one of 217 Accredited AIA components across the globe. 

Design in the Hills

Design in the Hills is an interdisciplinary gathering of design professionals who work with individual communities to celebrate and elevate the standard of design in the Black Hills. Each year we focus on projects and places of interest in communities of the Black Hills by rotating the event between the various cities in the Black Hills region. This conference is unique in the design world; while there are sponsors and continuing education credits, very little of it is provided in a traditional classroom setting. The conference is interactive and mobile with a full day of tours and presentations.

AIA South Dakota Annual Convention and Expo 

The AIA SD Annual Convention and Expo is the largest architecture and design event in the state. The convention is valued for its commitment to hosting world-class speakers, relevant panels, and presentations as well as for facilitating strong connections between architects and suppliers to the built environment. In addition to architects, attendees often include engineers, landscape architects, interior designers, and others who contribute to the built environment. Tours often are present as part of the event, as are more traditional presentations and panels. Creative submissions are welcome.

Presentation formats

Submissions related to walking tours, building tours, presentations, hands-on workshops, trainings, charette subjects, etc. are all welcome. Share your innovative project or product, detail a unique experience or host a collaborative session. Presenters will typically be allotted 60 minutes per session, inclusive of Q&A. If you need an extended session, please communicate your preferred timeframe and communicate a rationale explaining why you need the additional time and how attendees will benefit.

If your idea doesn't precisely fit our typical presentation formats and you still believe would be a good session, propose it anyway. AIA SD event attendees want to learn about interesting projects and innovations related to architecture and design.

Review criteria and process

Throughout the evaluation process, AIA SD committees planning the events will use the following criteria in their review:

• Timeliness, innovation, and creativity of topic or project
• Practical application
• Specificity and quality of content
• Relevance to the South Dakota design community
• Interaction/audience participation opportunity
• Level of commercial bias
• Educational nature of program and likelihood of satisfying continuing education requirements

AIA SD committee members will contact individual submitters to communicate one of three actions:

• Proposal accepted
• Proposal remains under evaluation for a future event (may include request for additional information)
• Proposal was not selected

General submission guidelines

Presentation proposals must be submitted via the online form. One presentation idea per form, please. You are welcome to submit multiple forms.

Click here to view the form and submit a proposal.

If you have questions, please contact the AIA SD office.