The Santa Monica College Architecture Program and its students have earned recognition in national architecture competitions, statewide California design-build competitions, and California Community Colleges system-wide program awards.
Architecture Program Recognition at a Glance
- 2 National NOMA Barbara G. Laurie Student Design Competition recognitions
- 1 Third Place national NOMA BGL award — 2025
- 1 Special Recognition national NOMA BGL award — 2024
- 5 Cal Poly SLO Design Village Competition awards
- Best Overall — 2025
- Best Theme — 2025
- Most Innovative Design — 2024
- 2 Honorable Mentions — 2026
- California Community Colleges Board of Governors & Chancellor's Office Exemplary Program Award — 2026 Honorable Mention
- 3 SoCal NOMA regional recognitions — 2024
- National Winner — Santa Monica College
- Student Chapter of the Year — Santa Monica College NOMAS
- Faculty Member of the Year — Javier Cambron
- First community college to advance to the NOMA BGL final round
- Only community college to reach the NOMA BGL final round in two consecutive years
National Architecture Competitions
National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) Barbara G. Laurie Student Design Competition
The Barbara G. Laurie (BGL) Student Design Competition is a national architecture student design competition hosted by the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) and its student chapters.
2025 — Third Place
Project: “Cadence”
SMC Architecture and Interior Architectural Design students earned Third Place in the 2025 NOMA Barbara G. Laurie Student Design Competition. The competition featured 41 NOMA student chapters from colleges and universities across the United States. SMC was the only community college to advance to the final round and reached the finals for the second consecutive year.
2024 — Special Recognition
Project: “SCAR”
SMC Architecture and Interior Architectural Design students received Special Recognition in the 2024 NOMA Barbara G. Laurie Student Design Competition. SMC became the first community college to advance to the final round of the national competition.
California Statewide Design-Build Competitions
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Design Village Competition
The Design Village Competition is a statewide design-build competition hosted by California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly SLO) that brings together student teams from colleges and universities in California.
2026 — Honorable Mention
Project: “Millipede”
SMC Architecture students received an Honorable Mention for “Millipede” in the 2026 Cal Poly SLO Design Village Competition.
2026 — Honorable Mention
Project: “Pivot”
SMC Architecture students received an Honorable Mention for “Pivot” in the 2026 Cal Poly SLO Design Village Competition.
2025 — Best Overall
Project: “Phage”
SMC Architecture students won the Best Overall award for “Phage” at the 2025 Cal Poly SLO Design Village Competition.
2025 — Best Theme
Project: “Tentsion”
SMC Architecture students won the Best Theme award for “Tentsion” at the 2025 Cal Poly SLO Design Village Competition.
2024 — Most Innovative Design
Project: “Roly-Poly”
SMC Architecture students won the Most Innovative Design award for “Roly-Poly” at the 2024 Cal Poly SLO Design Village Competition.
Regional Southern California Architecture Recognition
Southern California National Organization of Minority Architects (SoCal NOMA)
SoCal NOMA recognizes architecture students, student chapters, faculty, and architecture programs throughout Southern California. Santa Monica College and members of its Architecture community received three SoCal NOMA recognitions in 2024.
2024 — National Winner: Santa Monica College
SoCal NOMA recognized Santa Monica College as its 2024 National Winner following SMC students' recognition in the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) Barbara G. Laurie Student Design Competition.
2024 — Student Chapter of the Year: Santa Monica College NOMAS
The Santa Monica College National Organization of Minority Architects Student (NOMAS) chapter was named SoCal NOMA Student Chapter of the Year in 2024.
2024 — Faculty Member of the Year: Prof. Javier Cambron
Javier Cambron, Santa Monica College Architecture faculty member, was named SoCal NOMA Faculty Member of the Year in 2024.
California Community Colleges System Recognition
California Community Colleges Board of Governors & Chancellor's Office Exemplary Program Award
2026 — Honorable Mention
Santa Monica College Architecture Program
The SMC Architecture Program received an Honorable Mention for the California Community Colleges Board of Governors & Chancellor's Office Exemplary Program Award, recognizing the program's educational practices and contributions within the California Community Colleges system.