Napkin Sketch Contest
The Beauty and Inspiration of Travel
ALA's 2024 Napkin Sketch Contest
Learn More and Enter
Showcase your originality and sketching skill, and win!
Let's embark on a creative journey and celebrate the beauty and inspiration of travel. Whether you venture close to home or far away, show us your favorite building or place. Are you visiting a well-known city or landmark or just your little corner of the world? Tell us through your sketch--the possibilities are endless! A panel of experts will judge your 5-inch by 5-inch napkin sketches based on creativity, originality and technical skill.
There is no entry fee and both ALA members and non-members can enter. Various prizes will be awarded!
Sketches must be received by 5 p.m. Sunday, September 29.
2024 Panel of Judges To be Announced Soon
Chair: Howard Hirsch, ALA, Principal, Hirsch MPG
Howard M. Hirsch is the founder of Hirsch MPG LLC , offering Architectural and Planning Services to a wide range of clients on a variety of project types. As Managing Principal of the firm, Howard is ultimately responsible for all aspects of the firm’s operations and output. He takes a personal responsibility and an active role in all projects, whether large or small. He has designed numerous award winning projects and fondly remembers his days of sketching while living and studying in Versailles.Steven J. Suski, AIA, LEED AP, NCARB
Steven J. Suski is the founder of Suski Design, a practice dedicated to thoughtfully designed residential, commercial, educational, and hospitality projects. After nearly two decades working in large commercial and historic renovation firms, Steven started his own firm in 2003, which has since received numerous design awards.
Steven was a founding member of AIA Chicago’s Small Projects Group, which promotes the crucial work of smaller firms and sole practitioners. He also served on the AIA CRAN (Custom Residential Architects Network) national leadership committee for many years. Steven holds both a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Rhode Island School of Design, and he was selected to participate in the prestigious European Honors program in Rome. To this day, sketching remains a key part of Steven’s design process, and he continues to travel internationally, drawing inspiration from each experience.
Martin Majkrak
Martin Majkrak is an architect, artist, and professor who teaches freehand rendering electives and conducts traveling sketching seminars. To date, he has taken students across 15 countries to sketch notable works of architecture, including most of the projects realized by Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe.
Based in Chicago, Martin practices both architecture and art, focusing on the intersection of these two disciplines. His significant contributions include working on the Thompson Center redesign with Jahn Architecture in 2022 and serving as Design Lead for Chicago artist Amanda Williams on her submissions to MoMA New York in 2021. Martin has held teaching assignments at both the City Colleges of Chicago and the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Jenny Jing Zhang
Jenny Jing Zhang is an architectural designer, artist, illustrator, and educator based in Chicago. She has been passionate about sketching since childhood and has had the opportunity to sketch in various cities across China. Jenny holds a Master’s degree in Architecture from Texas A&M University, where she continued to cultivate her passion for both art and architecture.
Her specialty is freehand ink drawings with light watercolor, inspired by Paul Klee's quote, "A drawing is simply a line going for a walk." Jenny has been a member of Urban Sketchers Chicago since 2016 and has taught workshops at UskChicago Seminars in 2019, 2022, and 2024. In 2022, Jenny was awarded a Fellowship to conduct urban sketching in Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy.
View Previous Winners
This is the fourth iteration of ALA's Napkin Sketch Contest. View details and winners from previous contests below.
2023: Architectural Ornamentation
View the 2023 winning sketches
2021: Building Bridges
View the 2021 winning sketches.
2020: Treehouse
View the 2020 winning sketches.
Questions?
Email us at ala@alatoday.org or call 847-382-0630.