by Professional and student product designers, mark your calendars to enter your best product designs by July 27th for consideration for the International Society of Furniture Designers (ISFD) 2023 Pinnacle Awards . Also, qualifying sustainable products can be entered in the Green Leaf Awards subcategory, recognizing the leading eco-friendly designs, in any or all the 24 Pinnacle Awards categories.
Known as the industry’s highest design honors, the Pinnacle Awards and Green Leaf Awards are open to all furniture and textile designers, manufacturers and students who are directly involved in designing home furnishings, décor, or textile products available for retail sale in the last year.
“We are excited to see all of the exceptional Pinnacle Awards entries being submitted,” stated David Blair, executive director of ISFD. “Once again, the industry veteran judges will be met with the challenge of selecting the outstanding finalists and then ultimately the extraordinary winning designs. In addition to entering the Pinnacle Awards, we want to make sure that all products that qualify also are also entered in the Green Leaf Awards sub-category for further recognition.”
According to Jason Phillips, vice president of sales & marketing for Phillips Collection, “Winning a Pinnacle Award was a highlight of my career. In an industry where design and craft are celebrated, it is the highest honor and recognition we could hope for as furniture designers. It opened the door to new business relationships, industry friendships, and press coverage. I proudly promoted my Pinnacle wins, as well as those times when I was lucky enough to be a finalist. I look forward to entering for years to come.”
Pedro Sandoval, an Industrial Design graduate from the University of Houston, shared, “For me, receiving a Pinnacle Award meant a great deal because I had dropped out of school during the first semester of my third year. Times were dark, I had no money, my family had fallen apart, and at one point I became homeless, and my chair design school project proved too challenging. After four gap years, I resumed my academic career. I came back and the first project they gave us was the exact same design brief as before–design a chair. This time, I finished the project properly, completing one of the most ambitious projects for that same design brief. I went on to win the Pinnacle Award for it, bringing the story back full circle. This trophy gave me the confidence to continue school and win other awards in different product categories including automotive design–to make the dean’s list throughout my second stint, and graduate among the top in the class.”
The Pinnacle Awards entry categories include:
- Accessories
- Entertainment furniture
- Floor coverings and rugs
- Home office
- Home textiles, woven and print
- Lighting
- Major collections
- Maker/designer
- Motion upholstery
- Occasional storage
- Outdoor
- Wall décor
- Youth
The following categories will recognize products in both the luxury and broad appeal sectors:
- Bedroom
- Dining
- Leather upholstery
- Occasional tables
- Stationary upholstery
The Student Pinnacle Award in any bedroom, dining, occasional, home office, textiles, seating, or entertainment category will recognize emerging designers from colleges and universities across the country.
