2023 National Design Awards
About the Awards
Past Honorees & Jurors
National Design Week
Celebrate & Support

National Design Week

The words "National Design Week" appear in white on a multi-colored gradient background.

National Design Week: October 2–8, 2023

Celebrate National Design Week with America’s design museum! Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum’s doors are open with free museum admission for all on October 2–8.

Located in the landmark Andrew Carnegie mansion, Cooper Hewitt makes design come alive with temporary exhibitions and installations of the permanent collection. Now’s your chance to experience Cooper Hewitt’s groundbreaking current exhibitions, including Give Me a Sign: The Language of Symbols and A Dark, A Light, A Bright: The Designs of Dorothy Liebes.

Launched in 2006, National Design Week is held in conjunction with the National Design Awards. National Design Week celebrates the important role design plays in all aspects of everyday life and will feature a range of in-person and virtual programs.

2023 National Design Week Programs

10/02
Monday
– 10/08
Sunday
Mon. October 2, 2023 to Sun. October 8, 2023
1:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. ET
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum is housed in the former home of industrial magnate Andrew Carnegie. The 64-room mansion, built from 1899 to 1902, is an impressive testament to the desire of Carnegie and his wife, Louise Whitfield Carnegie, to build a spacious, comfortable, and light-filled home in which to raise their daughter, Margaret. The mansion, designed in the Georgian style with Beaux Arts accents, was groundbreaking in its uptown location, technological features, and steel-frame construction. Join us on this tour exploring the Carnegie Mansion, its history, and highlights of the art and design still found within. .
Event Address:
2 East 91st Street, New York, NY
Free, book your museum admission in advance or walk in. Space is limited: first come day-of, first served.
10/02
Monday
Mon. October 2, 2023
4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET
In conjunction with the current exhibition A Dark, A Light, A Bright: The Designs of Dorothy Liebes, please join a contemporary textile designer and weaver who is equally acclaimed for her experimental approach to materials: Suzanne Tick.  In an illustrated conversation with Susan Brown, Cooper Hewitt’s Acting Head of Textiles and co-curator of the exhibition, the program will consider Tick's designs, how she has helped build sustainability into the contract textile industry, and how her handweaving practice intersects with her commercial designs. .
Event Address:
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
2 East 91st Street
New York, New York
10/03
Tuesday
Tue. October 3, 2023
4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. ET
Thinking about a creative career and wondering where to start? Join us for the Design Career Fair at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum! This annual event welcomes high school students to speak with National Design Award winners, guest designers, and colleges on the many pathways toward design. Designers from every discipline, including fashion, architecture, product design, graphic design, UX, and more, will be available to discuss everything from mentorship and college to the future of the field.  .
Event Address:
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
2 E 91st Street
New York, NY 10128
10/04
Wednesday
Wed. October 4, 2023
6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET
How has communication design evolved over the course of two centuries? Join 2023 National Design Award Winners—Seymour Chwast, Design Visionary; Arem Duplessis, Communication Design; and Beatriz Lozano, Emerging Designer—in a conversation about how changes in communication design have shaped their work, as well as where they see the future of the field. Conversation moderated by Ellen Lupton, Curator Emerita, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.  .
Event Address:
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
2 East 91st Street
New York, New York
Sold Out! Tune into the livestream.
A photo of a person donning a vibrant pink, patterned face mask with a clear panel in the center, followed by a photo of a gray smartwatch with a Braille interface, followed by the international symbol of accessibility, which is an icon of a wheelchair user in motion, with lines identifying different parts of the symbol's design.
10/05
Thursday
Thu. October 5, 2023
3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET
What does it look like when disabled people are viewed not as edge cases or afterthoughts in the design process, but as the default users? What happens when, instead of flattening disability into an indistinguishable group of “all abilities,” we understand and design for the unique and varied experiences of disabled people? How can we prioritize, honor, and celebrate disability in our design practice? Join our panelists in conversation to answer these questions about designing FOR and WITH disability.  .
Event Address:
Zoom Webinar. Registrants will be provided with a Zoom link.
A man stands behind a large table covered with papers and items, and a woman to the right sits on the desk, both smiling to camera.
10/06
Friday
Fri. October 6, 2023
6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET
Join us as we go behind the scenes with the firm nARCHITECTS, winner of the 2023 National Design Award for Architecture. nARCHITECTS was founded by Eric Bunge and Mimi Hoang in 1999, with the goal of addressing urgent issues through socially engaging architecture. The firm works for the public good, maximizing the mutual positive impact between communities, buildings, public spaces, and their environment.  .
Event Address:
DUMBO, Brooklyn (exact location will be shared with attendees upon completed registration)
10/07
Saturday
Sat. October 7, 2023
3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET
Winner of the 2023 National Design Award for Landscape Architecture, Kongjian Yu is a globally recognized landscape designer, founder of Turenscape, and a founder of Peking University College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. Several of Yu’s core ideas for nature-based climate adaptations, including the sponge city concept, have been implemented nationwide in China. In this illustrated talk, Yu will discuss his work and how his landscape architecture methods and ideas can help mitigate climate events such as flash floods, superstorms, and tidal surges. .
Event Address:
2 East 91st Street, New York, NY
10/08
Sunday
Sun. October 8, 2023
11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET
Introduce the child in your life to beloved retro toys. Take a whirl with a Spirograph, add to an urban neighborhood made of Legos, and design a new outfit with fashion plates. Contribute your creative designs to our community wall. Fun for the whole family!  .
Event Address:
2 East 91st Street, New York, NY
Free, book your museum admission in advance or walk in. Space is limited: first come day-of, first served.

2023 Special Thanks

National Design Awards Partners

Shelby and Frederick Gans
Helen and Edward Hintz

National Design Awards Sponsors
Apple
Alexandra and Paul Herzan
Lisa Roberts and David Seltzer
Crystal and Chris Sacca

National Design Awards Patrons
Kimberly Schuessler
Richard M. Smith and Dr. Soon-Young Yoon
Jon C. Iwata
Agnes Gund
Scott Belsky
Champions Design
Heller Furniture
Bobby Martin
Thomas Robinson
Margaret Stewart

Design learning at Cooper Hewitt is made possible by eBay Inc., The Hirsch Family Foundation, The Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, The Pinkerton Foundation, PwC Charitable Foundation, The Richard and Jean Coyne Family Foundation, with internal Smithsonian Institution funds from the Youth Access Grants for Youth Innovation in Rural America, and public funds from New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

National Design Awards trophies are created by The Corning Museum of Glass.