ArcD Advisory Board Design Excellence Awards
The Design Excellence Awards recognize students who demonstrate exceptional design skills and creativity in 3rd- and 4th-year studio projects.
See 2025 WinnersEstablished by the KU School of Architecture & Design's Professional Advisory Board, the annual Design Excellence Awards recognize students who demonstrate exceptional design skills and creativity. The program is open to students in both the architecture and design departments. One Excellence Award and one Honorable Mention will be given per studio level/ degree program for a total of up to 28 awards. Excellence Award winners will receive a cash award, and all winners will receive a certificate and digital recognition.
Eligibility
- Studio projects produced in the Spring 2026 and Fall 2026 semesters in students’ 3rd and 4th years.
- Students must have received Grade ‘A’ for the studio project.
- Students must have a current cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above.
- Only one submission per student.
- DesignBuild studio projects are not considered for this award.
ARCD STUDENT DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARD 2026
ELIGIBLE STUDIOS
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ARCHITECTURE | INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE | DESIGN | |||
SPRING 2026 | FALL 2026 | SPRING 2026 | FALL 2026 | SPRING 2026 | FALL 2026 |
ARCH 508 | ARCH 508 | IA 309 | IA 308 | ANIM 420/435 | ANIM 410/415 |
ARCH 609 | ARCH 608 | IA 409 |
| ANIM 450 | ANIM 440/445 |
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| ILLU 325/335 | ILLU 320/330 |
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| ILLU 465 | ILLU 455 |
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| INDD 325 | INDD 310/315/430 |
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| INDD 425 | INDD 410 |
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| IXD 412/414/430 | IXD 402/404 |
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| IXD 425/442 | IXD 415/432 |
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| VISC 402 | VISC 405 |
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| VISC 470 | VISC 465 |
Submission Guidelines
- The project document must be 50MB or less.
- Must have a cover page that includes: 1) year; 2) semester; 3) degree program; 4) studio course number; 5) studio course name; 6) studio instructor’s name; 7) 500-word summary of the project and its design intentions; 8) name(s) of student contributor(s); 9) If submitting video, include link.
- All the above information and project images should be submitted as a single PDF document.
Submission Deadline
11:59pm, February 15, 2027
Selection Criteria
- Innovative interpretation of the design challenge given.
- Creativity of the design strategy/concept developed.
- The level and quality of development and resolution of the design.
- The quality of representation/communication of the design project.
Selection Process
- Professional Advisory Board selects the award winners.
- Students and faculty names will be redacted for the evaluation.
- Award winners will be notified by April 01, 2027.
- Winning projects will be posted on school website.
Awards Ceremony
A formal award ceremony will recognize the achievements of the award recipients. This event would be combined with the school's spring/April meeting of the Professional Advisory Board. Award winners will be invited to the award ceremony including lunch with the Advisory Board members.