Island Design Excellence Award 2026 Submission Form

Eligibility: 

+ Submitted projects must be less than 3 years old (completion from June 2023).   

+ Projects must be fully realized / completed / built, unless indicated otherwise.

+ Awards are open to projects completed or delivered on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Applicants do not need to be based in the region.   

+ If you would like to submit more than one project, or if you'd like to submit one project in more than category, please do a separate submission for each.  

+ See full award category descriptions here   

Timeline:
+ 31 July: Early Bird entries close
+ 17 September at midnight (deadline extended): Entries close 
+ September: Ceremony tickets on sale
+ October: Shortlist announced 
+ Wednesday, November 4th: Award ceremony announcing the winners 

Fees: 
Included is one project submission and one ticket to the award ceremony (5 November 2026)
+ General Submission (deadline 17 September): $150
+ Indigenous Applications (deadline 17 September): Free

If you have any questions, or want to discuss your application with a member of our team, please email us at hello@designvictoria.ca

Architecture (Residential & Mixed Use)/Interior Design (Residential & Mixed Use)/Landscape Design

Criteria (for all above categories):

• Outline the scope of this project
• Clearly articulate the design direction / story / what makes this project standout 
• Ensure your submission includes any supporting design documentation to illustrate the specifics of a site, etc. 
• Include before/after photos where appropriate

Community-Centred Design

Criteria: 

• Clear explanation of how the design facilitates community interaction
• Identify the community/ies that use or access the space
• Outline the design specifications for the space (size, location, etc.)

Scrappy Design

Criteria:

• Clear description of the project: what is it, why was it created (client or no client) and how was it put together
• Explanation of actual budget and comparable budget (clearly define what makes this project “scrappy”)
• Outline the decisions, processes and materials that made this project successfully scrappy

Collaborative Design

Criteria: 

• Clear description of the project and parameters 
• Explanation of who the contributing partners (who are they, what are their areas of expertise) are and why each was involved. 
• Why is this a special collaboration rather than a necessary collaboration (eg a standardised or required working process)
• Describe what makes this a true collaboration

Sustainability Standout

Criteria:

• Outline the project and the sector you are working in 
• Address why this project stands out in its sector for sustainable practice 
• Clear explanation of the project/product’s environmental outcomes 
• Outline future impact of this work/its long term sustainability impacts

Building Standout

Criteria:

• Outline the scope of this project
• Clearly articulate the technical? makes this project standout 
• Ensure your submission includes any supporting design documentation to illustrate the specifics of a site, etc. 
• Include before/after photos where appropriate

IDEAted on the Island

Criteria: 

• Outline the project and the sector you are working in 
• Outline where the project was delivered: this could be built, installed or exhibited, for example
• Clear explanation of the parameters of the project: how did it come to be and what is the relationship between the location it was designed (Vancouver Island) and where it was delivered

Graphic Design 

Criteria:

• Clear description of the project, brief, and scope
• Clearly articulate the design direction / story / what makes this project standout 
• Outline who this project was designed for: client and end user
• Describe the rationale for your choices

Furniture Design

Criteria:

• What is the piece of furniture and who was it produced for?
• Explain the design considerations that went into creating this piece of furniture
• Include material choices and reasons for selecting

Product Design

Criteria:

• Clear explanation of the product 
• Articulate what problem this produce solves
• Explain the context for creating this product (client-based, for your own company, an idea or innovation).

Please attach project images:
+ Up to 10 images
+ Up to 10 project files (before shots, floorplans, renderings, etc.)
+ No watermarks or logos on images
+ Label images: "ProjectName_PhotographerName_ImageNumber".