National Design Awards

• About the Awards
• How to Participate
• Press Information
• Selection Process
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Selection Process

Awards are given for a body of realized work, not for any one specific project. Eligibility is restricted to citizens or long-term residents of the United States and corporations or institutions that are headquartered in the country. Museum employees and trustees and their families are not considered. All candidates proposed by the Nominating Committee are invited to submit materials for the jury's review according to specifications provided by the National Design Awards office. Submissions consist of resumes, portfolios, publications by and about the candidates, and professional-quality visual samples, such as slides, videos, or image files.

The jury meets over a two-day period to thoroughly review every submission, considering each nominee with the challenging task of determining which designers' and firms' work best embody the Awards' mission. They assess portfolios in terms of the work's relationship to and impact on contemporary daily life. Extraordinary originality in identifying, shaping, and solving problems is valued highly, and nominees whose work significantly broadens the conventions of their discipline, introduces formal innovation, and exhibits consistently high levels of imagination and insight are given special consideration. Finally, in keeping with Cooper-Hewitt's definition of design as a force of change, the extent to which the general public has benefited from the explorations and achievements of the nominee is weighed.

The jurors are briefed by the Museum staff on the mission and review criteria for the Awards, but staff does not enter into the selection process. Jurors are asked to base their decisions primarily on the core criteria: excellence, innovation, and contribution to the quality of life. They are also asked to consider the broad spectrum of the design community-geographically, culturally, and artistically. All jury deliberations are kept confidential.

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