2026 IIDA Student Design Competition
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Coming Soon
Eligibility
The 2026 IIDA Student Design Competition is open to students around the world who are currently enrolled at an interior design program or institution. Participants can enter individually or as a team with a maximum of five (5) members.
Important Dates
| Submission Open | January 5, 2026 |
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| Submission Closed | February 6, 2026 |
Pricing
All fees must be submitted electronically. Apply for IIDA membership to take advantage of our member pricing!
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$35
IIDA Student Members | Individual
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$60
Non-members | Individual
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$50
IIDA Student Member | Team (At least one student on the team must be an IIDA member)
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$90
Non-IIDA Member | Team
Sponsored by
Competition Guidelines
Submission Requirements
Download the 2026 Student Design Brief Here
The competition will open Monday, January 5, 2026, it is advised that you begin the application and project before that date. Students must follow the design criteria and requirements outlined in the 2026 Student Design Brief provided (above).
All submissions must be submitted 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
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Your contact information including participant name(s), member ID (if applicable), address, phone number, and email
- Your design project's information including project title
- Project description outlining why your concept demonstrates the best solutions possible for the design prompt (500 words)
Digital Presentation Board
Please submit one (1) 24” x 36” digital presentation board in PDF format with a file size between 3MB and 10MB and containing the following:
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One (1) dimensioned floor plan drawn to scale
- One (1) furniture and materials plan (may be combined with dimensioned floor plan)
- One (1) reflected ceiling plan, created with the assumption that the ceiling is a blank slate
- Two to four (2-4) renderings of the completed space
- Two (2) additional drawings of the space, which can be elevation, perspective, isometric, axonometric, or orthographic.
- Additional elements to convey the overall concept including, but not limited to, furniture and fixture specifications, color palettes, wall sections, electrical plans, schedules, additional renderings, etc.
- Your board should NOT contain your name or any identifying information. Your file name should be: SDC + initials + year_board (SDCLHH2025_board.pdf)
Images
Please submit individual images of the 10-12 images outlined above. All images should be submitted in JPG or JPEG format with a file size between 2MB and 10MB. Take note of the following additional guidelines:
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Images should be saved in RGB color mode with a minimum 150 dpi (300 dpi is preferred)
- Images should have a minimum dimension of 8.5” x 11”
- Your images should NOT contain your name or any identifying information. Your file names: SDC + initials + year_number (SDCLHH2026_1.jpg)
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.
Prize
Winners will be announced Spring 2026, and will be featured on IIDA.org, in the Spring 2026 issue of QUAD, and in DesignMatters newsletters. OFS provides the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place winners with a financial prize of $2,500, $1,500, and $750, respectively. Winners will also receive official digital assets, including competition winner logos for self-promotion, coverage and mention on IIDA’s social media accounts, and in an official press release distributed to leading industry outlets and media partners.
For questions or more information, contact IIDA Design Competitions Manager at competitions@iida.org, and IIDA Student Relations Manager at students@iida.org
