Design is full of challenges, whether its working with unique materials, a limited budget, a sustainable requirement or just making good design. Nine organizations are looking to recognize great talent and innovative ideas through special contests and challenges, each with its own enticing reward.
The Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) is seeking nominations for CIDA's Future Vision session to be held November 6 – 8. CIDA's Future Vision convenes thought leaders from interior design and allied disciplines to envision the future of professional-level interior design education. The priorities established during the Future Vision session will serve as the foundation for the next generation of CIDA accreditation standards for interior design higher education programs. Recommendations and contact information for nominee(s) should be submitted to Holly Mattson in the CIDA office no later than May 5. Self-nominations should include credentials and a reference letter. CIDA will reimburse participant travel expenses.
Previous winners of the Fast Company Innovation By Design Awards
Fast Company is accepting entries for the 2014 Innovation By Design Awards. The awards celebrate the smartest, most ambitious, most inventive design that marries good business and cultural impact. This year, there are 10 categories including spaces, apps, data visualization, experimental, graphic, products, social good, health, experience and students. Winners and finalists are featured on Co.Design as well as in a special design issue of Fast Company magazine in the fall. The competition is open for entries through May 5 and the winners are announced at a ceremony in October.
National Office Furniture has launched a new video contest to support sustainability initiatives at schools and universities with a $4,000 reward. In order to enter, student designers need to create a video describing how $4,000 could enhance their school’s environmental efforts. The video’s main message should convey how that cash prize will aid in an educational institution’s environmentally friendly projects. The video should be no more than three minutes and should be submitted by midnight on May 15, on National’s Facebook page or online. Later this summer, two videos will be chosen and the schools will be awarded with the cash prize.
Coalesse Free Stand Desk
Coalesse is asking the architecture and design community to experiment and get creative with “Free Stand,” a portable/foldable work surface for the mobile worker designed by Stephan Copeland. Designers can contact a sales rep to arrange for a Free Stand to be dropped off at their office for a few days. Then, they can take Free Stand with them to their most creative place of work, snap a picture, and enter to win a $500 gift card towards a Coalesse product. Second and third place winners will receive a Free Stand. The deadline to enter is May 18.
Euramax factory
Euramax has invited architects and designers to fully transform its 200-square-meter factory wall front in the Netherlands using the brand-new facade technology Aludesign. The winning design will be installed using aluminum composite panels, which will result in a flat, high-gloss surface that covers the street side of the factory wall. The winning entry will be selected by a guest jury comprised of two Euramax representatives, Archello's Editor-in-Chief, Architectenweb’s Editor-in-Chief, the Creative Director for Materia and a guest curator, and a prize of €1500 will be awarded to the winner. It will also be featured on Archello, Architectenweb and Materia. The deadline to enter is May 20 and the winner will be announced on June 5.
The DBA Design Effectiveness Awards celebrate the power of design to drive business success and uniquely rewards both the client and agency. A win is an independent endorsement of the value of a designer’s work, a great PR story, a motivator and a reward for the team. Designers are encouraged to enter projects ranging from interiors to exhibitions, product packaging and service design. The deadline to enter is June 27.
Previous New Material Award winning projects
The New Material Award, a collaboration between the DOEN foundation, Materiaalfonds and the Het Nieuwe Instituut, calls for artists and designers to present designs that answer today's questions and tomorrow's challenges. The award focuses on the interface between science, design, art and technology, and aims to challenge participants to search for solutions for the future beyond the boundaries of their own field. Sustainability and innovation are of paramount importance when creating a product using unique materials. The prize has two distinctions: the New Material Award with a cash prize of €15,000 for a finished product, and the New Material Fellow, for a detailed idea linked to a research question. A committee of experts will nominate between sixteen and eighteen designs from all entries and the nominated designs will be on display at Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam from November 20 through January 5. During the opening of the exhibition, the jury will announce the two winners. The competition is open for entries through June 27.
The SBID Awards recognize innovative design and new talent on limited budgets. The 15 categories range from Best Retail Design, Best Hotel Design, Best Contract & Residential Product and Best Public Space to Best Visualization (3D renderings), Best Residential Interior Design Project Over £1 million and Best KBB (kitchen, bedroom and bathroom). Winners will receive special recognition during Maison Objet in Paris, September 9 – 15, as well as publication in the SBID International Design Excellence Awards book. The deadline for entries is July 14.
Viyet is celebrating its one-year anniversary with a “Spring Shopping Spree Sweepstakes” giveaway for $1,500. Designers and shoppers can click to enter, and by sharing with a friend, will double their chances to win.
