AIGA Awards
AIGA is the professional association for design, a nonprofit organization dedicated to demonstrating the value of design. Since its founding in 1914, AIGA has been raising awareness and standards “toward perfection of the graphic arts.” Today the organization, its members, and its chapters honor design practitioners and their work in a number of ways.
Recognizing designers
Through national and regional peer nominations AIGA honors design leaders for their contributions to the profession:
The AIGA Medal
At a national level, AIGA recognizes individuals whose lifetime achievements in design and design education inspire and advance the profession. Honorees are nominated by members and selected by a national committee, then presented with the prestigious AIGA Medal at the annual AIGA Awards ceremony. Meet the Medalists.
AIGA Fellow Award
The Fellow award is a peer honor, bestowed upon designers who have made a significant contribution to raising the standards of excellence in practice and conduct within their local or regional design community as well as in their local AIGA chapter. Each year, many of AIGA’s chapters honor local design legends with this esteemed award. See the Fellows.
Recognizing design excellence
In addition to honoring practitioners, AIGA and its chapters host a wide range of design competitions and programs to honor outstanding design work:
AIGA design competitions
AIGA’s annual design competitions have taken many forms since the organization was founded in 1914, with select competitions honoring posters, book design, album covers and product design. Throughout, AIGA has remained committed to serving the design profession and continues to push the boundaries of design criticism. See current national competitions.
Design Archives
The AIGA Design Archives is a vast, free resource for educators, students and designers. This collection of award-winning designs from the 1920s through the present—including work from AIGA’s national Medalists and suite of competitions—houses more than 20,000 records, 50,000 images, and 250 collections. Explore the archives.
Corporate Leadership Award
For 30 years, the AIGA Corporate Leadership Award recognized organizations that have been instrumental in the advancement of design by applying the highest standards, as a matter of policy. Recipients demonstrated a model for the successful interaction between aesthetics and pragmatics. Learn more about past awardees.
Steven Heller Prize for Cultural Commentary
Established in 2017, the annual Steven Heller Prize for Cultural Commentary spotlights a young writer who best exemplifies the tradition of prolific writing and boundless curiosity established by Steven Heller—who has contributed and inspired engaging commentary about design and culture for the past three decades. Learn more about past awardees.
Winterhouse Awards for Design Writing & Criticism
From 2006 to 2011, AIGA and Winterhouse Institute recognized the best in design writing and criticism by authors under 40 through the Winterhouse Awards for Design Writing and Criticism, which sought to encourage the development of young voices in design writing, commentary and criticism. Read the winning essays.
