Design Authority Awards  ·  2026

The Interior Design
Award

Inaugural Edition  ·  Open for Submissions

Honouring interior designers who transform the way people experience the spaces they call home — through atmosphere, material intelligence, and a deep understanding of how people want to live.

Learn More
12
Award Categories
Public
Voted by the People
Open
To All Studios
Oct '26
Winners Announced
Interior design excellence
About the Award

For Those Who Shape
How People Live

Interior design is not merely decoration. It is the act of shaping how people feel within the spaces they call home — how a room holds morning light, how a material rewards touch, how a sequence of spaces tells a quiet story about the people who inhabit them.

The Design Authority Interior Design Award recognises practitioners who approach their craft with this conviction. Whether your work is a compact apartment or a sweeping penthouse, a private home or a hospitality space, we are looking for the quality of thought that elevates interior design from service to art form.

This is not an award for the most prominent studio. It is an award for the most compelling work — submitted, evaluated, and ultimately chosen by a public that cares deeply about the spaces it calls home.


Enter This Category

Why Enter

What Recognition
at This Level Unlocks

Winning — or even being shortlisted — for a Design Authority Award carries weight that extends well beyond a certificate on a wall.

01

Global Visibility

Finalists and winners are featured across Design Authority's editorial platform, social channels, and press releases — reaching an audience of discerning homeowners, developers, and industry leaders worldwide.

02

Client Credibility

Award recognition is one of the most trusted signals a prospective client uses when choosing an interior designer. A DA Awards badge signals peer-acknowledged excellence and elevates your studio above the competition.

03

Peer Validation

Unlike invitation-only awards, the Design Authority Awards are open to all — meaning your shortlisting is earned on the merit of your work, not the size of your studio or the length of your client list.

04

New Business Opportunities

Our Winners Directory puts your studio in front of homeowners and property developers actively seeking exceptional interior talent — with your award credentials prominently displayed.

05

Lasting Documentation

We create a permanent editorial profile for every winner — a beautifully written, professionally presented record of the project and the practice behind it, preserved in perpetuity on our platform.

06

Digital Emblem & Badge

Winners receive an official Design Authority Awards digital emblem — a high-resolution mark of distinction for use across your website, portfolio, proposals, and social presence.

Evaluation Criteria

How Entries Are
Judged

Public voting determines the shortlist. Each criterion carries equal weight — this is an award that rewards holistic excellence, not a single dimension of skill.

01

Design Vision

Does the project communicate a clear, considered design intent? We look for work that reflects original thinking and a distinctive sensibility — not trend-following, but genuine authorship with a recognisable point of view.

02

Spatial Quality

How does the space actually feel to live in? The orchestration of light, texture, proportion, and flow — and the emotional experience they create for the people who inhabit the space — is central to our evaluation.

03

Contextual Sensitivity

Great interior design does not exist in isolation. We examine how a project responds to its architectural shell, the lifestyle of its occupants, its cultural context, and the story it is trying to tell.

04

Craft & Detail

The difference between a good interior and a great one is felt at the smallest scale. We look for evidence of meticulous detailing, material intelligence, bespoke joinery, and an elevated standard of execution throughout.

05

Originality & Courage

Has the designer taken a meaningful risk? We value work that challenges prevailing aesthetics, resists the safe and expected, or finds inventive responses to difficult briefs and constrained spaces — provided that courage is matched by craft.

06

Impact & Lived Experience

Great interior design changes something — a family's daily rhythm, a person's relationship with their home, a guest's first impression that becomes a lasting memory. We ask: how did this space change the way people feel when they are inside it?

2026 Edition

This space is reserved for
the work that moves people.
Could it be yours?

The inaugural Design Authority Interior Design Award is open for submissions. The projects recognised here will be chosen by the people who live in spaces like yours — and remembered long after the announcement.

Submit Your Entry
Entry Fee

Submit Your Best Work

One entry type. Three pricing windows. Submit early and save — the fee increases as the deadline approaches.

Early BirdUntil 20 May 2026
RegularUntil 20 Jun 2026
FinalUntil 26 Jul 2026
ExtensionUntil 20 Aug 2026
Single Entry
One project, one category
SGD198
SGD208
SGD218
SGD228
Every entry includes
Full public jury evaluation
Shortlist announcement
Winner editorial profile
DA Awards digital badge
Official digital emblem for winners
Winners Directory listing
Submit My Entry →

No hidden charges. Entry fees are non-refundable once accepted.

Questions

Frequently Asked

Any registered interior design practice or independent designer anywhere in the world may submit an entry. Projects may be located anywhere — there are no geographic restrictions on either the studio or the project.
Yes. Each project requires a separate entry and a separate entry fee. There is no limit on the number of projects a single practice may submit — though we encourage you to enter work that genuinely represents your strongest and most distinctive output.
All valid submissions are published on the Design Authority Awards voting platform from 10 August. Members of the public may browse entries by category and cast votes for the project they find most compelling. Each registered voter may cast one vote per category. The project with the highest vote count in each category wins.
We ask for a description of up to 300 words. Write as if you are explaining the project to a thoughtful, curious homeowner — someone who cares about beautiful spaces but may not speak the technical language of the profession. Tell us about the brief, the challenges you faced, and what you are most proud of.
All submissions are reviewed within 10 business days of receipt. You will receive a confirmation email once your entry has been accepted and listed. If your submission requires any amendments, we will contact you directly.
Entry fees are non-refundable once a submission has been accepted and listed. If your entry is rejected for any reason, a full refund will be issued within 7 business days.

Your Work
Deserves to Be Seen

Submissions close 20 August 2026. Don't let the window pass.

Design Authority Awards  ·  Interior Design
Submit Your Entry

By submitting, you agree to your project being displayed publicly on the DA Awards voting page. A small entry fee applies upon acceptance — no hidden charges.

Thank you.

Your entry has been received. We will review your submission within 10 business days and be in touch with next steps.