image via Cooper Hewitt

The National Design Awards program celebrates design as a vital humanistic tool in shaping the world, and seeks to increase national awareness of design by educating the public and promoting excellence, innovation, and lasting achievement.

The National Design Awards were conceived by Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum to honor lasting achievement in American design. The Awards are bestowed in recognition of excellence, innovation, and enhancement of the quality of life. First launched at the White House in 2000 as an official project of the White House Millennium Council, the annual Awards program celebrates design as a vital humanistic tool in shaping the world, and seeks to increase national awareness of the impact of design through education initiatives.

The National Design Awards is one of the few programs of its kind structured to continue to benefit the nation long after the National Design Awards Gala. A suite of educational programs is offered in conjunction with the Awards during National Design Week, an initiative launched in 2006 that aims to draw national attention to the ways in which design enriches everyday life. During National Design Week, the Museum hosts a series of public programs based on the vision and work of the honorees, and helps promote design events held across the country.

Reflecting the ever-growing scope of design, the National Design Awards program now includes ten jury-selected award categories and a Director’s Award selected by the museum;Lifetime Achievement Design Mind,Director’s Award,Corporate & Institutional Achievement,Architecture Design,Communication Design,Fashion Design,Interaction Design,Interior Design,Landscape Architecture,Product Design

photo courtesy of Cooper Hewitt

Lifetime Achievement;Michael Graves:Michael Graves was a renowned architect and industrial designer, credited with broadening the role of architects and raising public interest in good design as essential to the quality of everyday life.

Alessi;Whistling Bird Teakettle, Sugar Bowl and Creamer,1985;photo courtesy of Cooper Hewitt

photo courtesy of Cooper Hewitt

Director's Award;Jack Lenor Larsen;Jack Lenor Larsen is an internationally renowned textile designer, author, and collector, and one of the world’s foremost advocates of traditional and contemporary crafts.

Fabric Wall Panels, First Unitarian Church of Rochester;photo courtesy of Cooper Hewitt

photo courtesy of Cooper Hewitt

Design Mind:Rosanne Haggerty;For thirty years, Rosanne Haggerty has worked to demonstrate the potential of design to improve the lives of people living in poverty through affordable housing and human services.

The Brook;photo courtesy of Cooper Hewitt

Honor this year’s National Design Award winners by attending the Gala in New York City on Thursday, October 15, 2015, or by making a contribution to the Awards. All proceeds support Cooper Hewitt’s programs that educate, inspire, and empower people through design.

photo courtesy of MOS Architects

Architecture Design:MOS Architects;MOS Architects is a New York–based architecture studio, founded by principals Hilary Sample and Michael Meredith in 2005. Sample and Meredith teach at Columbia University and Princeton University, respectively, and their academic research occurs in parallel to the real-world constraints and contingencies of practice, informing and elevating both.

House No. 5, Element House;photo courtesy of MOS Architects

Store No. 2, Chamber;photo courtesy of MOS Architects

National Design Week:October 10-18,2015

National Design Week celebrates the important role that design plays in all aspects of daily life. Launched in 2006, National Design Week is held each year in conjunction with the National Design Awards, Cooper Hewitt’s largest and most visible education initiative.During National Design Week, Cooper Hewitt’s award-winning Education Departmenthosts a series of free public programs based on the vision and work of the National Design Award honorees. National Design Week culminates with the National Design Awards Gala benefit and awards ceremony.

In recognition of the importance of design education, organizations and institutions across the country sponsor design events throughout the month. The online Educator Resource Center features design-focused lesson plans and discussion boards for K–12 educators interested in incorporating design in their classrooms. The site includes lesson plans aligned to national standards for all grade levels and helps teachers of all subjects learn ways to promote innovation, critical thinking, visual literacy, and problem-solving across the curriculum.

The other Category Winners as follows;

Corporate and Institutional Achievement:Heath Ceramics

Communication Design:Project Projects

Fashion Design:threeASFOUR

Interaction Design:John Underkoffler

Landscape Architecture:Coen + Partners

Interior Design:Commune

Product Design:Stephen Burks

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