Words Gabrielle de la Cruz and Featured interior design competitions
In this day and age, competitions are no longer seen as mere platforms where people go against each other to win a prize. They have evolved into programs that offer participants the chance to take away insights to better themselves in their fields, meet respected names in their industries, and share their work and advocacies with a wider audience. In the design industry, competitions have become spaces for designers to showcase their work confidently, listen to talks and keynotes from industry luminaries, and network with people who can potentially become collaborators or clients in the future.
Here’s a list of interior design awards to help you be in the game this 2024! All programs are mostly online, conveniently allowing you to share your work and gain global exposure through the awards’ network and prestige. Each competition also covers other categories within and related to interior design, giving you the chance to widen your knowledge about the field. Well-attended awarding ceremonies, coveted trophies, and cash prizes await at the awards! Selected awards are also open to student designers and universities, giving young designers the chance to kickstart their careers and networking opportunities.
INSIDE World Festival of Interiors
INSIDE World Festival of Interiors is “the sister awards program of the World Architecture Festival (WAF) .” It celebrates the “finest examples of interior design” globally, welcoming interior designers from all over the world to present their projects live. INSIDE takes place alongside WAF, with the judging panel comprising over 140 leading architects, designers, journalists, and industry experts. Participants of INSIDE also get to listen to takes and keynote by architecture and design luminaries. The annual three-day event also guarantees networking and socializing, allowing delegates to meet their design heroes and peers. Local and global industry brands participate in the festival as well, with interactive product displays, demonstrations, and lounges for talks and discussions providing further design knowledge and exposure to participants.
All INSIDE winners will receive trophies during the WAF Gala Night and are provided by the festival with complimentary press kit distributions where their works will be shared to over 7,000 print and digital publications in more than 100 countries. WAF/INSIDE 2024 is set to happen at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, following the success of the previous edition in the same venue.
Eligibility and Submission Requirements
Like WAF, INSIDE is open to architects, interior designers, developers, and contractors from all over the world! Other associated organizations, including clients, may also enter on behalf of the designer if provided with consent. There are 11 built and unbuilt interior project categories to choose from.
Entries must contain a 200 to 500-word project write-up, a hero image, a maximum of six (6) additional project photos, and a total of three (3) project plans/sections. The highlight of each submission is the A2 entry boards, which should only contain relevant text, images, and plans about your project. Be creative with your boards as these will solely be used by the jury to judge your entry, and make sure you do not include any practice information on the designs.
Cost of joining INSIDE
Festival fees vary in price, depending on the date you enter. Here’s a tip: this year’s edition allows participants to upload partial information and incomplete boards upon submission. You can edit your entry even after payment. Just make sure to finalize everything by April 19, 2024!
Early Bird rate (before March 28): £645
Standard rate (after March 28): £725
For delegates (once you get shortlisted):
Early Bird rate (before June 14): £999
Standard rate (June 15 to September 6): £1199
Late rate (September 7 to November 8): £1299
Important dates
- March 28 – Deadline for early bird submissions
- April 19 – Entries close
- July – Shortlist announcement
- July 5 – Last day for finalists to purchase discounted festival passes
- November 6 to 8 – WAF/INSIDE 2024 in Singapore
- November 8 – Gala night and overall winners’ announcement
Visit the official website of the World Architecture Festival/INSIDE here.
SBID International Design Awards
Since 2009, the SBID International Design Awards “has revolutionized, innovated, and challenged conventional interior design.” The program was founded by the Society of British and International Interior Design (SBID), the United Kingdom’s largest membership organization for the interior design profession. It has “received more than 3,000 incredible entries from over 1,000 companies in more than 85 countries across the globe. It continues to expand year on year and is now generally regarded by the design industry as the best in the world, making it the most sought-after Design Award to receive.”
A total of 19 interior design categories are available. What’s good about each category is that it is very specific, with some setting a certain square meter size or project cost. The program also has a separate section for student competitions with cash prizes, which are available on the SBID page. They also have an interior fit-out category for specialist interior contractors fulfilling the interior design fit-out projects across the commercial and residential sectors. “Shortlisted entries and participants can benefit from increased visibility and exposure across the professional design community, as well as enhanced reputation and credibility,” says the awards. Winners will be recognized during the awards ceremony in November, and attendees will get the chance to meet and network with high-profile professionals across the design sectors, trade specialists, and industry media. All finalists are also listed in the program’s website.
Eligibility and Submission Requirements
The SBID Awards is open to any design professional from interior designers, architects, and property developers, to contractors, fit-out specialists, manufacturers, and product designers. Companies of any size are eligible to enter. Whether an interior design veteran or emerging designer, all entrants have a fair and equal chance of winning! As a global competition, there are no geographical limitations, entrants and projects can be based anywhere in the world,” says the awards. Students may also enter under the competitions listed on their page.
The online submission process can be completed via the SBID Awards entry portal. The awards summarized it in five steps:
Step 1: Register an account, here. If you registered for an account in 2022 or later, your email will automatically be activated. For entries before 2022, you will need to set up a new account.
Step 2: You will receive an email confirmation sent to the address you used to register your account. Remember to check your junk folder and approve our domain so you don’t miss any important information!
Step 3: Add submissions by clicking ‘Start new entry’.
Step 4: Follow the on-screen prompts and work through each stage of your submission, completing the required fields as you go. Read the tooltips and specifications for each section carefully to ensure you provide accurate information!
Step 5: Submit your entry before the deadline of the relevant entry period to redeem the advertised entry rate.
Remember that you can continue to make edits until the final deadline, so always save your entries every time you edit. Just make sure to complete your entry by June 28, 5:00 PM BST!
Cost of joining SBID International Design Awards
Early bird rate (until April 1): £250
Standard rate (until May 31): £275
Extended rate (until June 28): £300
Take note that all entry periods close at 5:00 PM BST and that all prices listed exclude VAT. No further extensions will be given by the awards. A one-off £50 admin fee is also applicable to all entries and is charged per entrant and not per submission.
If you are an SBID member, you are entitled to receive one (1) free submission and preferential entry rates. Discount codes will be provided to you so you can redeem your entry benefits.
Important Dates
- March 5 – Entries open
- April 1 – Early bird rate entry closes
- May 31 – Standard rate entry closes
- June 28 – Extended rate entry closes
- July 31 – Category finalists’ announcement and public voting opens
- September 11 – Public voting closes
- September 30 – Regional winners’ announcement
- November 1 – Overall category winners’ announcement and SBID International Design Awards ceremony
Visit the SBID International Design Awards page to know more.
International Design Awards
“The Farmani Group founded the IDA as the design sibling of the Annual Lucie Awards for Photography, which has emerged as one of the world’s most prestigious photography awards,” says the International Design Awards. The program was created in 2007 as a response to a lack of recognition among designers, thinkers, and entrepreneurs and is all about celebrating smart and sustainable multidisciplinary designs. It exists to recognize visionaries and discover emerging talent in the fields of Architecture, Interior, Product, Graphic, and Fashion Design worldwide.
Interior designers can choose from over seven (7) categories, including residential, industrial, cultural/community, hospitality, conceptual projects, and even temporary or pop-up structures. A selected professional jury committee evaluates each work based on its merit assigning it a score. Winners of the IDA will receive a trophy designed by Ron Taft. A media release on IDA’s official website will be granted to the winners. They will also be provided with media mentions as winners of the prestigious award through media websites and social media channels.
Eligibility and Submission Requirements
Interior designers from all over the world are welcome to submit entries to the IDA. Work submitted must have been created within the last five (5) years. Students are also welcome to submit under their category! The process starts with a profile where all relevant information should be provided. The 600-word project description, credits, and other information should be written in English, and participants are welcome to mention any awards they have previously won. You can upload up to ten (10) images of your project and should complete a PDF file containing additional project details, 3D drawings, product specifications, business plans, or any other information you may feel important to share with the Jury. The PDF will be only viewed by the jury and not the public.
Cost of joining the International Design Awards
Professional: $250; Additional entry: $200
Student: $80; Additional entry: $60
Additional categories for both will come with a 50% discount.
Important Dates
- May 30 – Early bird deadline with 10% discount
- June 30 – Extended early bird deadline with 5% discount
- September 30 – Regular deadline
- October 31– Final deadline
- November 15 – Extended final deadline
More about the International Design Awards here.
Loop Design Awards
Loop Design Awards 2024 boasts a total of “167 categories, in the areas Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Design, Product Design, Architecture Photography, Architecture Video, Concept, Graphic Design and Engineering. Each category celebrates the best works and talents in the world.” Its online platform has been carefully planned and programmed since its foundation in 2019 to provide all the entrants with “a prestigious, innovative, diverse, accessible, and most of all, an honest award.”
For its interior design category, participants can enter in over 20 sub-categories. The projects can either be residential, educational, healthcare, leisure, office, spiritual, restaurant, and more. They also have interior design categories that some competitions do not carry, such as exhibition & museum, spa & fitness, showrooms, wellness & mindfulness design, and even sales centers. Winners of Loop Design Awards will be presented with the coveted Snow White Winners Trophy, with their entries feature in the LOOP Design Awards Winners directory. They will also be given a dedicated, customized winner’s page to commemorate their achievement.
Each award recipient is handpicked by Loop’s jury, a collective of renowned Architects, Designers, Landscape Architects, Product Designers, Educators, Editors, and Photographers. “Their rigorous evaluation ensures that each winner truly exemplifies excellence in their category.”
Eligibility and Submission Requirements
LOOP Design Award 2024 is open to entries from all over the world. The program welcomes both established studios and starting companies or individuals. Entering the awards is completely online, and can be done in three (3) easy steps: register, choose a nomination pack, and complete your entry.
Take note that the program only accepts interior design entries that have been completed in the past eight (8) years. The program says that each entry should “include images that best illustrate your entry, along with a clear and short description.” Up to eight (8) single project photos will be accepted, and your description should be no more than 300 words. “Submitted images must not exceed 3MB per file and be no more than 3000 pixels on the longest side. Images must be saved as JPEGs or PNGs.” Collages are not accepted.
Make sure to fill in all essential information such as project title, project location, company name, team members, lead designer, project credits, and photography credits. You may also add a link to your project’s video, but it is not required. Make sure you’ve complied with everything that is being asked by the entry page before clicking submit!
Muskoka Lake House by Studio Paolo Ferrari. Loop Design Awards 2023’s Interior Design of the Year. Images from the Loop Design Awards website, photos by Joel Esposito.
Cost of joining Loop Design Awards
Entry fees for Loop Design Awards vary, depending on the date you enter. Early bird, regular, and late entry fees are €150, €200, and €250 per entry respectively. The program also crafted one-time payment early bird nomination packs for multiple entry benefits and additional discounts. All of these are available until the end of March.
- €150 – one early bird entry
- €285 – two early bird entries
- €405 – three early bird entries
- €510 – four early bird entries
- €600 – five early bird entries
- €711 – six early bird entries
- €819 – seven early bird entries
- €924 – eight early bird entries
- €1,026 – nine early bird entries
- €1,125 – ten early bird entries
Important Dates
- February to March – Early bird registration
- April, to June – Regular entry registration
- July – Late entry registration
- August to September – Jury voting
- October – Winners announcement
To know more about Loop Design Awards, visit their website.
International Property Awards
The International Property Awards is known for celebrating companies in all sectors of the property and real estate industry, recognizing those with the highest levels of achievement in their field. Winning an International Property Award means having a world-renowned mark of excellence, and awardees are free to use their logo in marketing their companies. Awardees are also invited to the Glittering Awards Dinner, where they will be recognized among their peers and respectable names in the industry.
Participants enter and are judged among their peers within their respective regions, with the awards covering Africa, Asia Pacific, Arabia, Canada, Caribbean, Central & South America, Europe, United Kingdom, and United States of America. The jury is made up of “highly experienced professionals who cover the whole range of property disciplines.” Submissions are made online and awardees are invited to a regional gala night of recognition and networking.
Eligibility and Submission Requirements
Residential and commercial property professionals from all over the world are welcome to submit their entries to the International Property Awards. This means any company with projects in the following awards categories: Architecture, Development, Real Estate, and Interior Design. The interior design section contains over 20 categories, spanning residential to commercial projects, including hotels, offices, mixed-use buildings, retail, leisure, and even bathrooms. Interior design websites and CGI companies can also join under their own categories.
Participants must follow the awards’ step-by-step process, which covers registration, a granted awards advisor, and selection of entry packs. The awards advisor will guide you and give you advice on how you can polish your entries.
Cost of joining the International Property Awards
Fees of the International Property Awards vary, depending on whether you wish to avail of the benefits the awards present:
Standard: £630 (including VAT, if applicable)
The standard rate covers one category registration for one project or company.
Enhanced: £1,295 (including VAT, if applicable)
On top of the category registration for one project or company, this package includes a quarter-page advert in the print and digital editions of International Property & Travel Magazine.
Enhanced Plus: £2,900 (including VAT, if applicable)
The enhanced plus package allows you to enter another project or company for free. It also includes a full-page advert in the print and digital editions of International Property & Travel Magazine.
Important Dates
The 2024-2025 International Property Awards are now open. Submissions are being received through their website, and entrants will be guided through important dates by their personal awards advisors. Should you wish to know more about the deadline, you may reach the awards through their official website. The Asia Pacific awards team can be contacted here.
Visit the International Property Awards website for more information. •
