2026 RED Awards

IIDA Illinois Chapter is pleased to announce submissions are now open for the 2026 Red Awards! The RED Awards seek to Recognize Exemplary Design and continue to build awareness of the impact of Interior Design in the state of Illinois.

The winners will be announced at the RED Awards ceremony on May 12, 2026. We welcome all to attend the ceremony and help us Recognize Exemplary Design.

The IIDA IL 2026 RED Awards includes the following design categories:

• Civic (Community & Culture)
• Workspace - Small (Under 30,000 Sq Ft)
• Workspace - Medium (30,000 - 80,000 Sq Ft)
• Workspace - Large (Over 80,000 Sq Ft)
• Education (K-12, Higher Education)
• Furniture (Furniture Dealerships mainly furniture focused, installed project not submitted in another category by A&D Firm)
• Healthcare (Hospitals, Outpatient Clinics, Medical Facilities)
• Hospitality (Hotels, Restaurants, Resorts, Entertainment Venues)
• Multi-Family Housing (Student Housing, Senior Living, Residential Multi-Unit)
• Philanthropic (A philanthropic project that goes above and beyond to support the community)
• Residential (Single Family Homes, Condos, Townhouses, Apartments, Mobile Homes, Houseboats)
• Retail + Wellness (Gymnasiums, Fitness Centers, Retail Stores, Boutiques, Spas)
• Student Award (For all projects submitted by IIDA Student Member)
• Unbuilt Project (Creative challenges, exploratory prompts, or projects that have been cancelled or will not be built but are a rendered reality)

All eligible entries will also be included in a People's Choice award.

Judging Criteria:

All entries will be judged by a volunteer from an IIDA Chapter outside of Illinois.

Submissions will be judged based on the impact the completed project has on the desired outcomes and project goals identified by the client or end user as stated in the project design statement. Additional criteria include design creativity and innovation, function, solutions appropriate to the design challenges, scale and proportion, color and composition, architectural detailing, furnishings, lighting, materials and patterns.

Submission Criteria:

Project Information

1. Firm Name
2. Team Members
3. Client & Project Name
4. Project Completion Date
5. Square Footage
6. General Contractor
7. MEP/FP Engineering
8. Other Engineering
9. Main Furniture Manufacturer
10. Furniture Dealer
11. Main Flooring Manufacturer/Installer
12. Other manufacturers
13. DE&I Component (Optional Criteria)

Project Narratives (not to exceed 150 words) and a Consolidated Project Description (not to exceed 50 words) are required for judging consideration. Consolidated Project Descriptions will only be read at the ceremony, if your project is the winner of that category.

1. Project Description (150 Words) | Provide an overall description of the project including the design concept.
2. Client Goals (150 Words) | Provide a description of the client's goals for the project and how the design achieves those goals.
3. Project Challenges (150 Words) | Include the unique project challenges and the solutions provided by the design team.
4. Exemplary Design (150 Words) | Provide a description of how the design contributes to creating space that is innovative, supports well-being, contributes to the advancement of equity in design, and/or demonstrates sustainable practices.

Floor Plan(s)

Include image(s) of the floor plan/drawing. No identifying or distinguishing marks or information, including firm name, logo, or client should be visible. If the project is multi-level, each plan should be on a separate page and be labeled with floor designations.

Photography

Include 6-10 jpg/png images of the completed project. All images should be labeled with the room/area names. Photos of less than 300 dpi will not be accepted. Photos shall not have names or logos displayed.

Important Dates

RED Awards Submissions Open: March 3, 2026

RED Awards Submission Deadline: March 27, 2026

RED Awards May 12, 2026

Entry Requirements

1. Entrant must be an Illinois resident and/or must practice interior design in Illinois.
2. All "Member" submissions must include the IIDA membership number of at least one team member within the application to obtain the member rate. Any "member" submissions that does not include the membership number will be charged the non-member fee.
3. Completed interior design projects must be completed by a team in Illinois.
4. Project must be completed between March 2024 and March 2026.
5. Projects can be entered into multiple categories if desired. Multiple submission fees would apply.
6. Project narrative shall be no more than 150 words and shall not include any identifiying information including firm or client name. Submission will be disqualified if narrative requirements are not adhered to.
7. A consolidated project description is required with each entry and shall be a maximum of 50 words. Consolidated descriptions will only be read if the project is selected as the winner of that category.
8. Project photos are required for each entry and shall not include any identifying information including firm or client name. Submission will be disqualified if photos requirements are not adhered to.

Deadlines

All entries must be received via CPJ by 11:59 pm on March 27, 2026

Fees

Member Submission: $250.00

Member Additional Submission: $175.00

Non-Member Submission: $350.00

Non-Member Additional Submission: $275.00

IIDA Student Member Submission: $50.00