IIDA Student Design Competition (SDC) 2026
IIDA Student Design Competition (SDC) 2026 is now open for entries!
IIDA Student Design Competition (SDC) 2026 : The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) recently has announced its IIDA Student Design Competition (SDC) 2026, celebrating the talent and fresh design ideas of interior design students throughout the world, who are currently enrolled in an interior design program or institution.
Short description
The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) has announced its Student Design Competition (SDC) for 2026.
This competition celebrates the talent and fresh design ideas of interior design students throughout the world who are currently enrolled in an interior design program or institution.
The competition provides emerging professionals the opportunity to showcase their work and gain exposure in the interior design industry.
The 2026 IIDA Student Design Competition invites you to space plan and design a primary care clinic in a rural community of Northwest Montana. The clinic is located on the second floor of a small rural hospital and should include all required programs as outlined in the Program Requirements.
The design should enable physicians to work efficiently while supporting a seamless, dignified patient experience through thoughtful spatial organization and architectural design. Emphasis should be placed on creating a welcoming atmosphere, drawing inspiration from hospitality environments to foster a sense of “home” and well-being. In addition, the space should accommodate a wide range of physical, sensory, and cognitive needs, supporting neurodiverse individuals through inclusive design strategies that offer flexibility and choice, reduce anxiety, support focus, and encourage comfort and autonomy.
At least 50% of the furniture products included in each submission must be from OFS, Carolina, and ROOM. Consider healthcare solutions such as: Element, Lasata, Offshore, Mile Marker, Elara, Noé, Stray, and Staks. OFS and Carolina, in addition to its standard product offering, provide clients with custom and modified solutions. The primary care clinic is an ideal setting to take advantage of those capabilities.
Healthcare facilities such as this should take into consideration the ADA Standards for Accessible Design, the HIPAA Privacy Rule, make seating accommodations for the bariatric population, parents with small children, and design for neurodiversity.
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.
First, second, and third place winners will be selected by a jury of interior design and business professionals who will judge entries based on innovation and creativity, coherence and functionality, human impact, fulfillment of program requirements, and presentation of the information.
Winners will be announced Spring 2026, and will be featured on IIDA.org, in the Spring 2026 issue of QUAD, and in DesignMatters newsletters.
Submission requirements:
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:
➜ 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.
Images
Please submit individual images of the 10-12 images outlined above. All images should be submitted in
➜ 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”
Who may enter?
This competition is open to graduate and undergraduate students around the world who are currently enrolled in an interior design or architecture program. Participants can enter individually or as a team with a maximum of five (5) people.
Prize:
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.
Entry fees:
Individual Entries Fee
➜ IIDA Student Members: 35 USD
➜ Non-members: 60 USD
Team Entries Fee
➜ IIDA Student Members: 50 USD (at least one student on the team must be an IIDA Member)
➜ Non-members: 90 USD
