Entries Are Now Open for the 2026 Designers of the Year Awards!

Entries are now open for the 2026 Western Living Designers of the Year awards!

Early bird deadline is April 1, 2026.

Western Living‘s Designers of the Year competition is an annual celebration of the best designers in Western Canada, and 2026 marks our 19th anniversary. Winners are featured in the September issue of the magazine and online at westernliving.ca, as well on our Instagram and Facebook.

Additional Awards

Our People’s Choice awards, presented by Thermador, will be returning for our 2026 awards season. The winners for this reader selected honour will be announced live on stage at our annual Designers of the Year Awards event on September 10 at Inform in Vancouver .

1. People’s Choice Awards will open for voting this summer, with the winners announced on stage at our Designers of the Year event!
2. The Icons Award! We’ll be celebrating a leader in our design community for their mentorship and influence over the Western Canadian design scene.

Check out the winning designers from years past, or sort winners by category.

Early bird deadline for entries is Friday, April 1, 2026, 11:59 p.m. Subscribe to our newsletter for reminders leading up to the deadline.

Entry Fee (payable upon submission):$150 (plus tax), which includes one ticket to our Designers of the Year event on September 10 in Vancouver at Inform.

Late Entry Fee: April 2 to April 13: $175 (plus tax)

Really Late Entry Fee: April 14 to April 17: $275 (plus tax)

Entries not accepted after April 17—no exceptions. Deadline will not be extended past this date.

Ready to wow our judges with your work? Read on for rules and regulations and then get ready to complete our 2026 Designers of the Year entry form below. Questions? Check out our FAQ page.

Categories

Architecture
Emerging Architect or Residential Designer: Arthur Erickson Memorial Award*
Interior Design
Emerging Interior Designer: Robert Ledingham Memorial Award*
Furniture
Industrial Design
Landscape
Maker/One-of-a-Kind (handmade products that do not fit into any other category)

*The spirit of both Memorial Awards is to acknowledge designers who appear poised for wide-spread acclaim, but who are still early in their career development. As such, only one to three projects are required to be eligible to enter.

Designers of the Year Eligibility

Entries must be received by 11:59 pm PST on April 1, 2026.

For the architecture, industrial, furniture, interiors, landscape, maker and industrial design categories: Three to five completed projects must be submitted. At least one project must have been completed within the last two years. Other projects can be up to eight years old.

For the Robert Ledingham or Arthur Erickson Memorial Awards: One to three completed projects must be submitted. At least one project must have been completed within the last two years. Other projects can be up to eight years old. All projects must have been completed by April 1, 2026. All images must be in .jpg format, 300 dpi preferred, but under 20MB. The entrant authorizes Western Living to publish the submission on any of its publishing platforms, including (but not limited to) westernliving.ca and social media. O

For architecture, interior design and landscape categories: All projects must be residential, and have the homeowners’ permission to be photographed again, if necessary, by Western Living.

For Arthur Erickson/Robert Ledingham categories: One project can be commercial so long as at least one other residential project is entered; must have the homeowners’ permission to be photographed again, if necessary, by Western Living.

What do I need to know before I start the Designers of the Year submission process?

Files may be compiled into one downloadable PDF, or uploaded individually.

Each project requires:

• 2-8 photographs for each project: .jpg format, colour, clearly identified by project name
• Rationale (up to 500 words) for each project: Explain the challenges, context, materials, innovations and results of this work; highlight social or ecological impact. Must include the year the project was completed.
• Photo credits
• Collaborator credits (if applicable)
• For architecture, interior design, landscape, Arthur Erickson and Robert Ledingham categories: Blueprints or site plans (.pdf or .jpg).

The submission form will also ask for:

• Biography and philosophy (500 words): outline your background and vision, keeping judging criteria in mind. Include year the firm was founded.
• For Arthur Erickson and Robert Ledingham Memorial Award applicants: Include a brief summary of accomplishments (up to 500 words); include a summary of education/training accomplished thus far on the path toward accreditation as an interior designer or architect.

What is the judging criteria for Designers of the Year?

Each entrant will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Awards and accolades: what makes this the year that the entrant should be celebrated (body of work, peer recognition, awards, high-profile  projects, media, national/international notice)?
• How innovative is the body of work (fresh, forward-thinking design, unique niche in the field or market, solves problems creatively)?  Points will also be awarded for sustainable design.
• How successful is the execution of the work (selection, quality, combination of materials, unique techniques and processes, technical proficiency)?
• The work will also be evaluated by its functional merits, and for its poetic value/design aesthetic.

Questions? Check out our FAQ page.

Ready to enter? Click here to begin the submission process!>>>

---