IIDA Showroom and Booth Design Competition

The IIDA Showroom and Booth Design Competition honors originality of design and visual impact of showrooms and booths at NeoCon in The Mart, and showrooms and pop-ups at Design Days in Fulton Market, emphasizing use of materials, space, color, texture, lighting, and graphics. Established in 2004, this competition recognizes the best of the best at the most important event of the year for the commercial interior design industry.

Who Should Submit
This competition is open to any permanent showrooms at The Mart or in Fulton Market and/or exhibition booths at NeoCon or pop-ups at the Design Days show.

Why Should I Submit?
Enter for the chance to have your work evaluated on-site by world-renowned interior and product designers like Midori Shim, IIDA; Cyd Shizuru, Ind. IIDA; and Bethany Williams, IIDA. Projects are judged on originality of design, visual impact, effective use of materials, use of space (creativity, product accessibility, etc.), use of color and textures, lighting, and graphics.

Winners will be honored at NeoCon and Design Days, featured on IIDA.org, and in an official press release distributed to leading industry outlets and media partners.

When
This competition is open annually, March through June—The 2025 competition is currently open.

To be notified directly when this competition opens, contact IIDA Design Competitions Manager Veronica Whitaker at competitions@iida.org.

2026 IIDA Best of Chicago Design Week Winner

Retro fitting room with green wallpaper, gold carpet, arched mirror, wooden panels with circular cutouts and globe lights and racks. — Best of Chicago Design Week- Takeform

Vinyl display in warm yellow lighting: black metal racks holding albums beneath framed gold records and neon 'Top of The' sign.

Black brick storefront labeled 'takeform' with a mannequin leg and vinyl record display behind glass, bench and vintage newspaper nearby.

Retro orange-red boutique interior with a circular tiered display of boxed goods centered on carpet, arched doorway revealing green room.

Five smiling staff stand behind a glass case of jewelry, purple carpet and metallic octopus wall art; center man holds a yellow bag.

Curvy orange sofa beside a spinning record player and magazine below a black-and-gold mural of an Afro woman's face with a 'takeform' sign.

Five smiling adults stand in a warmly lit room with retro records on the wall, the center man holding a small award plaque flanked by peers.

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2026 IIDA Showroom and Booth Best of Competition - Fulton Market

Sunlit café interior with round wooden tables and chairs in foreground and three yellow barstools suspended near floor-to-ceiling windows. — Best of Competition at Fulton Market- Allermuir

Sunlit loft lounge with a cream sofa, metal shelving of potted plants, black coffee table, teal armchair and large industrial windows.

Modern furniture showroom with colorful molded chairs displayed on black shelving and arranged around tables beneath exposed wooden beams.

Showroom display with a tropical-print armchair with leather seat on a white pedestal, yellow and blue tables, red stool and potted plants.

Cozy modern cafe with mustard-yellow upholstered swivel chairs around small round tables, warm circular backlit wall light and low plants.

Three caramel leather lounge chairs separated by black marble side tables with lamps sit before beige drapes and a tall floral arrangement.

Six smiling colleagues stand in front of a tall window in daylight; center person holds an award folder while others pose together.

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2026 Jurors - Fulton Market

Smiling brown-haired woman in a sleeveless black top and hoop earring stands by an office window with blurred city buildings behind her. — **Andrea Caputo, IIDA**
Director of Design, Arco Murra

Smiling woman with long dark hair, wearing gold hoop earrings, black turtleneck and plaid blazer against a blurred indoor background. — **Chelsea Jackson-Greene, IIDA**
Associate, Interior Designer III, Perkins&Will

Smiling woman with short auburn bob, wearing black-rimmed glasses, teal dress and silver necklace against soft gray backdrop. — **Kimberly Martin, IIDA**
Design Manager, Forward Space
IIDA Illinois Chapter Immediate Past President

Smiling woman with shoulder-length brown hair and black-rimmed glasses wearing yellow lace top and white cardigan in leafy green backdrop. — **Karie Vagedes, IIDA**
Principal, Huntsman Architectural Group

2026 Jurors - The Mart

Smiling woman with wavy shoulder-length brown hair and black-rimmed glasses wearing a dark blouse and gold necklace on a white background. — **Allie Bierman IIDA**
Interior Designer, Hastings

Isaac Holman, IIDA
Senior Interior Design Manager, Earl Swensson Associates, Inc.

Katy Imhoff, IIDA
Associate Senior Interior Designer, DLR Group

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For questions and more information regarding IIDA Design Awards and Competitions, please contact competitions@iida.org.