More than 30 elementary school children showed off their award-winning dream homes at the 2014 DreamArchitecture Awards Ceremony on May 8 at the Saw Works Studio of Architecture Works. DreamArchitecture, a community outreach program sponsored by the Birmingham chapter of the American Institute of Architects, is in its 18th year of encouraging children to think about the built environment. This year’s contest, with the theme “Draw Your Dream House,” had a record-breaking 983 entries from 16 Birmingham area schools: Advent Episcopal School, Charles A. Brown Elementary, Cornerstone School of Alabama, Evangel Classical Christian School, Hemphill Elementary, Highlands School, Meadow View Elementary, N. E. Miles Jewish Day School, Robinson Elementary, Rocky Ridge Elementary, St. Rose Academy, Trace Crossings Elementary, Valley Elementary, Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights, Vestavia Hills Elementary Central and W. J. Christian School.

To enter the contest, students submitted an 8” by 11” drawing and a brief dream statement describing their ideal house. Winning artwork and dream statements were displayed at Saw Works Studio for the children’s friends and families to enjoy. Winners received prize packages that included art supplies and architecture-inspired toys, such as building blocks.

Following the ceremony, the artwork was displayed at the Alabama Center for Architecture until June 1. Winning dream statements are below.

To see all photos from the ceremony, click here for the art and click here for the ceremony.

DreamArchitecture Winners 2014
HONORABLE MENTION
Kindergarten
Honorable Mention: Arthur Lyublinskiy
NE Miles Jewish Day School
Marsha Henderson
“My dream house has bricks and rectangle windows. I drew my house like I remember my house is.”

Kindergarten
Honorable Mention: Whittaker Bourne
Evangel Classical Christian School
Beth Dorough
“My dream house is a white mansion with lots of windows.”

First Grade
Honorable Mention: Brandon Molina
Meadowview Elementary
Jesse Cunningham
“This is real, but in the future.”

First Grade
Honorable Mention: Austin Lewis
Valley Elementary
Jimmy McGowan
“My dream house is a happy, happy, happy, happy, happy place!!!!”

Second Grade
Honorable Mention: Rodney Holt
Robinson Elementary
Rebecca Gibb
“I like my house because there’s a lot of snow around it.”

Second Grade
Honorable Mention: Mikiaj Clarke
W.J. Christian
Jennifer Jones
“My architecture is cool to me because it’s colorful. My architecture is like a colorful temple with wings. I also like this because it has so many details.”

Third Grade
Honorable Mention: Madison Peller
NE Miles Jewish Day School
Marsha Henderson
“My house is a swirl house. It has a doggie door. Also, it has an aquarium. I made a swirl house because I like swirls.”

Third Grade
Honorable Mention: Martellius McCall
Robinson Elementary
Rebecca Gibb
“I got a round house, circle windows, a circle attic door, basement, and circle steps. It’s in North Carolina. Different colors.”

Fourth Grade
Honorable Mention: Jamon Pugh
Robinson Elementary
Rebecca Gibb
“I have a scary house.”

Fourth Grade
Honorable Mention: Elle Squires
Vestavia Hills Elementary School Central
Susie Caffey
“This is my dream house tree house.”

Fifth Grade
Honorable Mention: Andrew Couture
St. Rose Academy
Annette Taylor
“My dream house is very futuristic. It is also full of stuff that I like.”

Fifth Grade
Honorable Mention: Jamerya Wallace
Hemphill Elementary
Jerry Griffies
“1. My house is in Florida.
2. My house is a fancy dream.
3. And my house is a cupcake, with my puppy and I. And a rainbow sidewalk.”

THIRD PLACE
Kindergarten
Third Place: Kira White
W.J. Christian
Jennifer Jones
“My building is very tall, so I thought it would be fun to be on top. There is a slide and a rain cover. I also drew a lamp in case it gets dark. There is a garden and it grows raspberry bushes. I gave my house a face because I thought it would be pretty.”

First Grade
Third Place: Hannah Thornton
NE Miles Jewish Day School
Marsha Henderson
“My house is in Rainbow Rock Hills. There’s a lot of snow there. The house is made to keep the warm air in and the cold air out. This is an orphanage house.”

Second Grade
Third Place: Tori Adams
Cornerstone
Paige Larson
“This is my dream house. My house makes me fill happy. My house is under water and it is a fish house.”

Third Grade
Third Place: Annikah Mishra
Advent Episcopal School
Lee Stayer
“Come live in a tree house with me. We’ll have so much fun. Let us take a swim.”

Fourth Grade
Third Place: Rohan Karthik
Rocky Ridge Elementary
Judy Davidson
“My home is a happy home. When you come in sad, you’ll come out happy!! That’s how my home is happy.”

Fifth Grade
Third Place: Marie Harris
Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights
Katie Hicks
“This is my dream house because I love the mountains. I also made it the shape of to top of the mountain! Usually in the mountains there are lots of wood cabins and a very rustic feel so I feel I combined the two!”

SECOND PLACE
Kindergarten
Second Place: Shepard Wingo
Advent Episcopal School
Leslie Youngson

First Grade
Second Place: Emily Wilson
Rocky Ridge Elementary
Judy Davidson
“This is called the Shape House. The house has wings so it can fly.”

Second Grade
Second Place: Tyler Mason
Valley Elementary
Jimmy McGowan
“My dream house is made of steel and glass.”

Third Grade
Second Place: Jaida Bazemore
W.J. Christian
Jennifer Jones
“Hi! I was inspired by the Empire State building and the Willis Tower in Chicago. I have different colors and patterns. It’s called June’s Tower, and I wanted to be creative.”

Fourth Grade
Second Place: Tully Mitchell
Advent Episcopal
Cathy Vance
“This is my dream house. I tried to make it huge and fun. It is near the beach, and I like colors—so I splashed on more than just a splash of color. The best part is friends are never too many for this house!”

Fifth Grade
Second Place: Ella Pharo
St. Rose Academy
Annette Taylor
“My house is a tree house. I chose a tree house because I think they are really cool.”

FIRST PLACE
Kindergarten
First Place: Olive Freeman
Advent Episcopal School
Leslie Youngson

First Grade
First Place: Liam Crenshaw
Highlands School
Anna Clare Culp/Ashley Sams
“It has 11 houses. It has an 8-foot swimming pool.”

Second Grade
First Place: Raul Juarez
Valley Elementary
Jimmy McGowan
“My dream house is a whale house.”

Third Grade
First Place: Scarlett Daibes
Rocky Ridge Elementary
Judy Davidson
“My dream house is haunted and as I started to build it, it became more & more creative.”

Fourth Grade
First Place: Faith Pennino
Vestavia Hills Elementary Central
Susie Caffey
“I like art and nothing says art like the moon.”

Fifth Grade
First Place: Abby Byrd
Rocky Ridge Elementary
Judy Davidson
“My treehouse is a fun place to go and hang out with friends. The family would have 4 bedrooms, which includes the master above the kitchen. A large kitchen that you can cook in, a secret swing and a TV room plus a lookout. Come and enjoy the fun in my tree house.”

OVERALL WINNERS

3RD OVERALL
Miciah Johnson, Kindergarten
Robinson Elementary
Rebecca Gibb
“I colored my house.”

2ND OVERALL
Edith Kaplan, First Grade
NE Miles Jewish Day School
Marsha Henderson
“My dream house is behind a lake. My sister lives in the house with me and we have a little cat. I designed my house with colored wood. My house is slanted.”

1ST OVERALL
Natalia Gomez Sandoval, Second Grade
Rocky Ridge Elementary
Judy Davidson