2025 Southern California Design Awards

SPECIAL NOTES!

• Entry into Design Awards NOW includes one (1) complimentary ticket to the Gala & Design Awards on Friday, October 3, 2025 at VEA Newport Beach.
• Additional tickets for guests are available for purchase.

Eligibility

• All students and design professionals can participate in the competition.
• Professionals can be members or non-members of the NKBA. Professionals must only enter the paid section of the contest, as professional entries in the student section will be disqualified with no refund or credit.
• For Students: A student is someone who is currently enrolled in a full-time or part-time graduate/undergraduate program at a design school on the date of registration. We will need proof of identity upon the result declaration. The proof of identity should clearly state that you were enrolled in the institution at the time of registration. You may also produce a bonafide/authorized certificate from the institution as proof of identity.
• Project being entered must have been completed between November, 2023  - PRESENT Day to qualify. Note: this is a 22 month window.

Base Rules

• Project submissions must be based in Southern California (Ventura County/Los Angeles County/Riverside County/San Bernardino County/Orange County/San Diego County). 
• You can submit more than one project per category. Please review category parameters.
• There is an initial fee for the first project and a discounted fee for subsequent submissions.
• Your project submissions must not include any form of identification or personal information such as your name, organization, city, etc. 
• The registration fee is non-refundable. Therefore, should a participant change their mind, refuse, or fail to submit an entry after registering, the registration amount will not be refunded.
• If there are any changes in competition brief or schedule, they shall be updated on the website. 
• When you register for a competition, you are automatically agreeing to the terms of the contest. 

Awards

Awards will be given based on a top-scoring-points system, where the highest point-earning projects will win each category.

A group of judges will be invited to score contest entries.

The "Best Showroom" category will be awarded by the NKBA SoCal Council, and is the only category that the NKBA SoCal Council will have preview access to before the Southern California Design Awards Gala on October 3, 2025.

For the awards that the competition will result in, these are the following available:

• Best Contemporary/Modern Kitchen
• Best Traditional/Transitional Kitchen
• Best Use of Color - Any Style Kitchen
• Best Small Kitchen, 200 sq. ft. or less
• Best Outdoor Kitchen
• Best Primary Bathroom, 150 sq. ft. or larger
• Best Primary Bathroom, less than 150 sq. ft.
• Best Secondary Bathroom
• Best Powder Bathroom
• Best Specialty Space
• Best Student Concept
• Best Showroom

All category Winners receive the following:

• Digital media coverage through NKBA SoCal Instagram, Website, and other social media channels.
• A complimentary, all-expense paid Winner's Trip in Q2 2025 - details to follow.

 

Photography

Image Requirements:

• Project photos must be minimum 320 dpi, high-resolution images.
• Head shot(s) must be high resolution, professional photography.
• Photo Release form must be completed and submitted along with entry. This form is provided to download from ‘Contest Files’ section.

Judging Criteria

The entries will be judged by a jury of industry professionals based on the following criteria:

• Presentation: The fundamental to a good entry is a visual delivery of ideas. Please make sure to include your floor plans, elevations, renderings, and professional images, both before and after. Before images not required.
• Concept/Idea: Quality of thought and intent in pre-design phase.
• Design Outcome: The final architectural outcome of the solution.

Have Prepared:

• Before/After Images
• Summary of Project: Concept, Idea & Outcome (150 words or less) 
• Floor Plans & Elevations 
• Renderings (optional)
• List of manufacturers featured in project

The decision of the judges is final. No appeals will be entertained, and no further correspondence shall be entered into.

By the entrant submitting project entries in this contest, client approval is implied.

 

Disqualification

• The participant will be disqualified in case of unethical practices or disregard for any other competition rules. 
• Contacting any judge is strictly prohibited and will result in disqualification of entry/entries.
• Entrant must ensure that all project data submitted does NOT contain information indicating who the designer or firm entering is. Entries containing personal data, watermarks etc. will be disqualified.
• Please make sure that you submit all required information to properly judge your project. If not completed within the contest timeline, project will be disqualified.
• Disqualified or incomplete entries do not qualify for a refund or credit.