The Grandview Area Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations for its 2012 Architectural Design Awards.

The awards program was created to recognize excellence in architectural design in the Grandview Heights, Marble Cliff, Clinton Township and Fifth by Northwest Columbus areas.

"Grandview is a place that has a lot of architectural firms," said Dave Pritchard, who heads the chamber's economic development committee and is coordinating the awards program.

"We want to recognize, honor and show our appreciation for outstanding architectural designs in our community," he said. "We want to recognize standards of excellence that can serve as a model for our community."

Nominations of both commercial and residential architecture are being accepted in three categories, he said.

The categories are:

* Architecture Awards -- an all-inclusive category that recognizes design excellence for completed architecture executed in all scales and types of buildings, including exteriors and interiors, new construction, restoration, preservation and adaptive re-uses.

* Interior Awards -- recognition of design excellence for completed interior designs executed in all scales and types of buildings, new construction, restoration, preservation and adaptive reuses.

* Hall of Fame Award -- recognizing existing structures that were built prior to 2002.

Entries may be any building, interior or complex of buildings constructed within the area served by the chamber -- generally the area between the Scioto River and the Olentangy River and from Kinnear Road to McKinley Avenue.

All entries must have been substantially complete after June 30, 2009.

Nominations must be received by Aug. 6 and there is a $30 registration fee for each entry.

Submitted images and drawings must be in electronic JPG format on a compact disc or memory stick that will not be returned.

Nomination and other forms for the awards are available on the chamber website home page at grandviewchamber.org.

The awards will be presented at the regular chamber luncheon in September, Pritchard said.

The chamber first presented the Architectural Design Awards in 2009.

"Our plan was to present them every other year, but we delayed it a year because of the economic downturn," Pritchard said. "We still plan to present the awards every two years."

The Metropolitan, a 20-unit urban condominium building, was awarded a 2009 Architectural Award for multifamily housing by the Grandview Area Chamber of Commerce.