Design Competitions from Adweek, Communication Arts and Fast Company Open for Entries

Several very prestigious design awards programs are currently open for entries — I thought you would appreciate the heads-up, and some brief details.

As one of the most sought-after design awards in the business world, Fast Company’s 2016 Innovation By Design Awards will honor the designers and businesses solving today’s and tomorrow’s problems. Now in its fifth year, the competition has put the spotlight on a broad spectrum of companies, ranging from blue-chips to scruffy startups and hungry young talents.

Its 11 categories will be judged by a sterling selection of designers and business leaders on these key ingredients of innovation: functionality, originality, beauty, sustainability, depth of user insight, cultural impact, and business impact. Categories: Apps; Branded Environments (new); Experimental; Graphic Design and Data Visualization; Health; Products; Social Good; Spaces, Places, and Cities; Students; User Experience (new); Websites and Web Platforms. Entrants stand to gain superb exposure in Fast Company: Finalists will appear in the October issue of Fast Company magazine (circulation 725,000) and on Co.Design (4.2 million visits per month). Winners will be celebrated at Fast Company’s Innovation Festival this November, and receive complimentary passes. Also, both winners and finalists will be listed in an online directory of the world’s best design-driven companies.

The winning projects from last year detailed here exemplify the best in design today: big ideas, meticulously thought out details, and a clear viewpoint about how we live now.

Entries are currently due by 5 May, 2016: http://fastcodesign.com/ibd

Since 1959, Communication Arts has published the best in visual communications from around the world. Through six juried competitions that cover the entire field of visual communications, winners are considered among the highest ranks of their professions, and selected work is guaranteed to be seen by top design firms, agencies and potential clients worldwide. Award-winning works selected for the 2016 Design Annual and Advertising Competition will be beautifully reproduced in print and digital editions, and on the Communication Arts website. Each winning entrant will also receive a personalized Award of Excellence.

The Design Annual is for art and creative directors, graphic designers, web designers, copywriters, photographers and illustrators. Categories: Books; Business Papers; Company Literature; Editorial; Environmental Graphics; Identity; Integrated Branding Program; Miscellaneous/Design; Motion Graphics; Packaging; Poster/Design; Public Service; Self-Promotion; Student Work. View last year’s winners.

The Advertising Competition attracts consumer and institutional print ads along with posters, broadcast and new media, as well as integrated media campaigns. Categories: Consumer Magazine Advertising; Consumer Newspaper Advertising; Trade/Institutional Advertising; Poster/Advertising; Sales Promotion/Advertising; Self-Promotion; Television Advertising; Radio Advertising; Digital Advertising; Public Service; Integrated Campaign; Non-Traditional Advertising; Student Work. View last year’s winners.

Entries for both the Design Annual and the Advertising Competition are currently due by 6 May, 2016:
http://www.commarts.com/competition/2016-design
http://www.commarts.com/competition/2016-advertising

Finally, Adweek’s Project Isaac Awards celebrate invention in media, advertising, marketing and technology. As these sectors continue to transform at a rapid pace, genuine invention, rather than innovation, has become crucial to advancing brands and businesses past the inertia of traditional models and modes.

This widely heralded award program was conceived to cast a celebratory light on invention across all of Adweek’s areas of coverage. Entries will be accepted across 35 categories, in three brackets: Advertising and Marketing, Media and Best Practices. An independent panel of esteemed jurors will judge the submissions in two rounds. Winners, which may be an individual, team or department, in each category will be profiled in an invention-themed issue of Adweek, to be published in late August. Previous winners are listed here.

Entries are currently due by 16 May, 2016: http://adweek.it/isaac