Sometimes, an absurd idea is just too good to not follow through with. This fall, the AIAVT Awards & Scholarships committee, Co-Chaired by Jeff Stetter, AIA and Ryan Edwards, AIA had an idea- why not find a way to recognize our annual Architectural Trivia night winners with a little pomp & circumstance? What started as a tongue in cheek idea thrown out during a committee meeting soon turned into a (pseudo) serious endeavor. Trophy catalogs were perused, and options weighed, until finally a WWF style (fake) gold Championship Belt that could hold the engraved names of each year's winning team was presented as the favorite option.

Once ordered, naming the belt became the next quandary, and offered a great opportunity for the committee to set up an interactive table at our 75th Anniversary event in December where attendees could participate in the "Name this Belt" game. A variety of creative names were collected, and the committee ultimately voted on their favorite, with the "Society of Overwhelming Architectural Knowledge'', or SOAK being the clear winner.

Now named, the belt was sent off to the engravers to have each of the past years' winning teams' names engraved and added. Once it was returned, it was time to present the Championship SOAK Belt to the current champions- Duncan Wisniewski's team, "God is in the Details", a quote by American Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. 

The team members, Michael Wisnkiewski, Bob Duncan, Arthur Chukhman, and Eli Maroscher were paid a visit at their Burlington studio by the Awards Committee's Co-Chairs last Friday, where a proclamation was read aloud with the NFL Fox theme song playing from an iPhone in the background, and the belt was ceremoniously presented to the reigning champions, and inductees into the Society of Overwhelming Architectural Knowledge. 

As per the proclamation, in order to retain their championship status, and the belt, God is in the Details will need to win again at the upcoming Architectural Trivia Night, taking place on April 24th in Burlington, VT. For those who might want a run at dethroning the Duncan Wisniewski team and claiming the SOAK title, registration is now open. We look forward to seeing you there! 

Disclaimer: For anyone wondering if this is how your AIA dues money is being spent- please rest easy. The SOAK belt was paid for by a donation from a member of the awards committee who felt that a completely over-the-top gold championship belt was a worthy cause.