The architecture and design industry is built on forward-looking ideas brought to life by innovative individuals. The emergence of Web3 and the metaverse provide new platforms and opportunities for the industry’s most curious to test the boundaries of design. 

Interior Design’s Metaverse Architecture and Design (MAD) Awards, produced in partnership with digby, is the industry’s first awards program recognizing the people, projects, and brands leveraging their creative thinking to design for the metaverse.

“As Web3 is sweeping across the design and architecture community—including the next generation of designers—we are thrilled to announce our industry’s first awards program built around the metaverse,” said Cindy Allen, Editor in Chief of Interior Design, a global media and events brand and the trusted advisor to the A+D community, and Chief Design Officer of SANDOW Design Group. “We are excited to collaborate with digby to bring you the MAD Awards, and celebrate the individuals and firms who are driving change with creativity and ingenuity by leveraging emerging technologies. Interior Design has always cheered and promoted great design…everywhere––in any universe!”.

Image courtesy of Metaverse Architecture and Design (MAD) Awards

Interior Design has a rich history of recognizing design excellence through its awards programs, including the Best of Year Awards, NYCxDESIGN Awards, and the HiP Awards at NeoCon.

“As we connected with designers, manufacturers, and builders, we quickly realized the amount of important early work being done in this space and believed that it needed a platform where it could be shared and celebrated,” said Andrew Lane, who co-founded digby, a digital consulting firm, tech, and retail innovation company, with Tessa Bain. “From there it was only natural for us to partner with SANDOW Design Group and Interior Design, who have a long track record of pushing the industry forward, to create this new offering to highlight the exciting creative work being developed outside of the physical world,” adds Bain. 

In another exciting industry first, the MAD Awards Ceremony will take place live in the Spatial.io metaverse. Spatial.io is a collaborative community platform for cultural events, branding experiences, and creative exhibitions, all within the virtual world.  

"Spatial allows communities to create and host stunning virtual worlds for live events, music performances, NFT art galleries, runway shows, lectures, watch parties, to name just a few,” said Anand Agarawala, CEO and Co-founder, Spatial. 

"We’re thrilled that our first Awards Ceremony will be celebrating the next generation of designers, something so fundamental to Spatial’s heritage. Immersive architectural experiences allow anyone across the globe to be an active part of these momentous events."

MAD Innovation Award categories include awards for Metaverse Destination, Impossible Physics, Workplace Extension, Digital Twinning, Immersive Digital Art,  AI-Generated Design, Unreal Advertising, and Blockchain Technology (NFTs). 

Unbuilt and Built categories within the metaverse include awards for Commercial, Residential, Hospitality, and Experiential projects as well as Product awards. 

There will be Special Recognition awards for the top talent designing for Web3, including Designer of the Future, Firm of the Future (50+ employees), Studio of the Future (less than 50 employees), Digital Design Partner, Innovation Award, and Student of the Year. There will also be a student category, celebrating our future innovators and aspiring creators. 

Early bird submissions will open October 24th, 2022 and the final entry deadline will be December 21, 2022. Early bird pricing is $250 and Regular entry is $299. Student pricing will be $25 per entry. 

Entries will be judged by a panel of esteemed media, designers, Web3 specialists, and industry professionals. Finalists will be notified in February, 2023, with the Awards event on March 2023. 

For more information on the submission process and timing, visit the awards' website. 

As part of their continued collaboration, SANDOW Design Group and digby are in production on a new podcast titled "Barrier to Entry." The 10-episode premiere season will spotlight the growing relationship between design and Web3, featuring recent trends and innovations tied to the architecture and design industry. The series will launch this year on the SURROUND Podcast Network.   

All renderings courtesy of Spatial.io unless otherwise stated. 

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