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Submissions

2022 ALA/IIDA Library Interior Design Awards

  • Closed
  • Winners Announced
ALA Comp Header
Honoring excellence in library interior design and promoting examples of extraordinary design reflected through innovative concepts across nine categories.

Submissions for the 2024 ALA/IIDA Library Interior Design Awards opens January 8, 2024. To learn more about the 2024 Awards, please contact IIDA Design Competitions Manager, Veronica Whitaker at vwhitaker@iida.org

Winners

  • Project Title

    North York Central Library Interior Renovation

    Photos by Lisa Logan Photography and Tom Arban Photography
    • Location

      North York, Canada

    • Firm

      Diamond Schmitt

    • Category

      Outstanding Historic Renovation Project

    • Award

      Best of Competition

    • 0 5
    • 0 7
    • 0 9 darkened
    • 0 10
  • Project Title

    Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine Renovations, Harvard Medical School

    Photos by Robert Benson Photography
    • Location

      Boston

    • Firm

      Shepley Bulfinch

    • Category

      Academic Libraries 30,000 sqft and under

    • Award

      Category Winner

    • 0 3 darkened
    • 0 4
    • 0 8
    • 0 9
  • Project Title

    Waterway Library

    Photos by Design Action
    • Location

      Tung Chung, Lantau Island

    • Firm

      Design Action

    • Category

      Academic Libraries 30,000 sqft and under

    • Award

      Category Winner

    • 0 1
    • 0 3
    • 0 5
    • 0 10
  • Project Title

    Hayden Library

    Photos by John Horner, and Kennedy & Violich Architecture
    • Location

      Cambridge, United States

    • Firm

      Kennedy & Violich Architecture

    • Category

      Academic Libraries Over 30,000 sqft

    • Award

      Category Winner

    • 0 1
    • 0 6
    • 0 7
    • 0 8
  • Project Title

    Idea Exchange Old Post Office

    Photos by Tom Arban
    • Location

      Cambridge, Canada

    • Firm

      RDH Architects (RDHA)

    • Category

      Outstanding Historic Renovation Project

    • Award

      Category Winner

    • 0 2 darkened
    • 0 3
    • 0 9
    • 0 10
  • Project Title

    Roxbury Branch of the Boston Public Library Renovation

    Photos by Anton Grassl Photography
    • Location

      Roxbury, Massachusetts

    • Firm

      Utile, Inc.

    • Category

      Public Libraries 30,000 sqft and under

    • Award

      Category Winner

    • 3
    • 4
    • 8
    • 9 darkened
  • Project Title

    Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL)

    Photos by Jonathan Blanc, courtesy of NYPL
    • Location

      New York

    • Firm

      Mecanoo in collaboration with Beyer Blinder Belle

    • Category

      Public Libraries Over 30,000 sqft

    • Award

      Category Winner

    • 0 1
    • 0 7
    • 0 8
    • 0 9 darkened
  • Project Title

    Fairfield Area Library

    Photos by Chris Cunningham
    • Location

      Henrico County, VA

    • Firm

      Quinn Evans

    • Category

      Public Libraries Over 30,000 sqft

    • Award

      Category Winner

    • 0 1
    • 0 4 crop
    • 0 6
    • 0 8
  • Project Title

    Western Reserve Historical Society Research Library Renovation

    Photos by Scott Pease Photography
    • Location

      Cleveland, United States

    • Firm

      AECOM

    • Category

      Special Libraries 30,000 sqft and under

    • Award

      Category Winner

    • 01
    • 02 crop
    • 03 darkened
    • 08
  • Project Title

    The Hive

    Photos by Lara Swimmer Photography
    • Location

      Spokane, United States

    • Firm

      Integrus Architecture

    • Category

      Special Libraries 30,000 sqft and under

    • Award

      Category Winner

    • 0 1
    • 0 2 crop
    • 0 4
    • 0 8

Competition Guidelines

Submission Requirements

All submissions must be completed electronically. No hard copy submissions will be accepted. To enter a project into this competition, you will need to prepare and submit the following:

Written Component

  • Your firm's contact information including name, address, phone number, and email

  • Your design project's information including name and location
  • Project description, a brief project summary (50-word maximum)
  • Challenge statement, a description of your design challenge (250-word maximum)
  • Solution statement, a description of specific solutions to project challenges (250-word maximum)

Images

Please submit color images of your completed project, in JPG or JPEG format with a maximum file size of 1MB. You may submit captions to your images, not to exceed 50 words. Take note of the following additional guidelines:

  • Submit 7-10 color images total, of these images, only one exterior image is permitted, and a maximum three (3) floorplans

  • No composite images, only one photograph per image upload
  • Conceptual renderings will not be accepted, unless submitting to the "On The Boards" category
  • Use numbers to name your image files, in order of uploads (01, 02, 03, etc). Please use the following format for floor plans: "floorplan1, floorplan2, floorplan3"
  • Do not reference or include your design/architectural firm name/logo in the images
  • Images may be edited to improve contrast ratio, color balance, and composition through cropping only
  • Images may not be edited to add, remove, or alter any aspect or element of the project including its context. Images should represent the project as it exists in the built environment

Categories

Projects must be submitted in one of the categories below. Categories may be renamed, consolidated, or eliminated (and projects reclassified) at the discretion of IIDA and/or the jurors.

  • Public Libraries, Small: 30,000 sq. ft. and under

  • Public Libraries, Large: Over 30,000 sq. ft.
  • Academic Libraries, Small: 30,000 sq. ft. and under
  • Academic Libraries, Large: Over 30,000 sq. ft.
  • Special Libraries, Small: 30,000 sq. ft. and under
  • Special Libraries, Large: Over 30,000 sq. ft.
  • Outstanding Historic Renovation Project
  • Single Space - a small project that focuses on a specific room or area in a library
  • On the Boards - a project currently in the design phase and not under construction

Judging

The winning design projects will be selected by a jury of design professionals. Submissions are judged on excellence in aesthetics, design, creativity, and function as well as the suitability of the design solution to the project challenge and the successful integration of the elements of design. The jury reserves the right not to select a winner from the entries submitted.

Prize

Winners and their clients will be honored at the Annual ALA Annual Conference in Washington D.C., June 23-28, 2022. There will be a special winner’s celebration on June 26th. Winners will be featured on IIDA.org, published in the American Libraries Magazine, receive official digital assets, including competition winner logos for self-promotion, mention on IIDA’s social media accounts, and coverage in an official press release distributed to leading industry outlets and media partners.

For questions, or more information, contact Veronica Whitaker at vwhitaker@iida.org