Grantee: Thaden School

Design Firm: Eskew+Dumez+Ripple of New Orleans and Marlon Blackwell Architects of Fayetteville, Arkansas

Located on a 30-acre campus near downtown Bentonville, the school began opening in phases starting in 2017, with full campus development completed by 2021. The campus includes innovative academic buildings, outdoor learning spaces, a performing arts center, and athletic facilities, all centered around the school's unique curriculum focused on wheels (mobility), meals (nutrition), and reels (visual storytelling). Thaden School has received several major design accolades, including the 2025 Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize, the 2023 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Regional and Urban Design Award for its Master Plan, the 2022 AIA Architecture Award for the Home Building, and two AIA Education Facility Design Awards for the Reels Building (2022) and the Home Building (2021).