The best award entries are not written in the week before a deadline. They are planned a year ahead: the project is photographed while it still looks new, the budget for entry fees is set aside, and the narrative is drafted before the portal even opens.
That makes the last months of 2026 the right time to plan 2027. Only a few programs have announced their 2027 dates so far — but interior design awards follow the same calendar almost every year, so you can map the whole season now and adjust as dates are confirmed.
This guide is that map. It lists every major interior design competition by the month you need to act, with entry fees, judging style and who each program suits. Dates marked confirmed come from the organizer's 2027 announcement. Dates marked expected are based on the 2026 cycle and will be updated when organizers publish their 2027 calendars. All information was checked on official organizer websites on October 12, 2026 — always confirm on the organizer's page before you pay.
If you want a deeper look at what each program rewards, read our companion guide, Interior Design Awards 2026: How to Enter, Deadlines and Fees.
2027 at a Glance
- INT Interior Design Awards — confirmed: October 1, 2026 – May 31, 2027; from €225 (students €45), paid only if longlisted; international jury
- Architizer A+Awards (15th) — confirmed: October 5, 2026 – February 19, 2027; $275–425; jury plus public vote
- FRAME Awards — expected January – May; €195–395; monthly jury plus grand jury
- HD Awards (hospitality) — expected late November – mid February; $320 first entry, $220 each additional, $40 students; jury
- Restaurant & Bar Design Awards — expected January – May; £330–420 + VAT; jury
- Dezeen Awards — expected February/March – early June; £105–540 depending on studio size and deadline; jury plus public vote
- SBID International Design Awards — expected March – late June; £250–325 + VAT plus a £50 admin fee; jury 90%, public vote 10%
- WAF Interiors (World Interior of the Year) — expected early spring – May; £645–845 plus delegate passes for finalists; live presentations to juries
- Interior Design Best of Year — expected July – September; $295–385, student entries free; editorial panel
- IIDA Global Excellence Awards — expected September – mid October; $350–650; jury
- A' Design Award (interior category) — rolling cycle with a final deadline at the end of February; free preliminary score, nomination fee varies; blind peer jury
- Interior Design Awards (IDA by Maestro) — every month; free; community vote
Your Month-by-Month Plan
October–December 2026: Lock In the Early Birds
- October 13, 2026 — IIDA Global Excellence Awards close ("last chance" fee $550 for members, $650 for non-members). Projects must be located outside the United States.
- October 23, 2026 — Architizer A+Awards early deadline ($275). Later deadlines follow on December 4, 2026, January 22 and February 19, 2027 ($325, $375 and $425).
- INT Interior Design Awards 2027 — open since October 1, 2026. The initial review is free and you pay only if your project is longlisted, which makes it the lowest-risk first entry of the season.
- November — watch the winners: SBID announces its global winners on November 6 and Dezeen Awards on November 16. Studying what won this year is the best brief for next year.
- Late November (expected) — HD Awards for hospitality interiors usually open; the 2026 cycle opened November 19, 2025.
What to do now: list the projects completed in 2026, book photography for anything not yet shot, and decide your total entry budget for the year.
January–February 2027: The First Wave
- January (expected) — FRAME Awards open; in 2026 the early-bird window ran January 8–31 at €195. FRAME accepts only built interiors and allows at most two renderings per entry.
- January (expected) — Restaurant & Bar Design Awards open (2026: January 5).
- January 4 – February 8, 2027 — IIDA Student Design Competition.
- January 22, 2027 — Architizer A+Awards final deadline.
- February 15, 2027 — INT early-bird deadline (25% off).
- Mid February (expected) — HD Awards deadline (2026: February 17).
- February 19, 2027 — Architizer A+Awards extended deadline.
- End of February — A' Design Award final deadline for the current cycle.
- February 27, 2027 — IIDA Global Excellence Awards winners are honored in Paris.
March–April 2027: Peak Entry Season
- Early March (expected) — SBID International Design Awards open (2026: March 2), with an early-bird fee of £250 + VAT. SBID members get one free entry.
- Mid March (expected) — WAF Interiors early-bird deadline (2026: March 13).
- Late March (expected) — Dezeen Awards early deadline (2026: March 25). Small studios (1–10 people) pay half the large-studio fee, from £105.
- April 20, 2027 — INT regular deadline (15% off).
- Late April (expected) — FRAME regular window ends (2026: April 30).
- Mid April to May — A' Design Award results.
May–June 2027: Final Calls
- May 31, 2027 — INT final deadline.
- Late May (expected) — Dezeen standard deadline (2026: May 27), FRAME late window ends (2026: May 31) and Restaurant & Bar Design Awards close (2026: May 31).
- May (expected) — WAF Interiors entries close. Finalists present in person in November and must buy at least two delegate passes, so budget for travel.
- Early June (expected) — Dezeen late deadline (2026: June 3, at roughly double the early fee).
- Late June (expected) — SBID extended deadline (2026: June 26).
- June 30 — A' Design Award early deadline for the following cycle.
July–October 2027: The Big US Awards
- Mid July (expected) — Interior Design magazine's Best of Year opens (2026: July 13). Projects must be completed within the previous twelve months.
- August–September (expected) — Best of Year early, general and late deadlines ($295, $350, $385). Student entries are free, with a later deadline (2026: October 9).
- September 1 (expected) — IIDA Global Excellence Awards open, closing in mid October.
- October (expected) — INT announces its 2028 call, and the cycle starts again.
Every Month: Interior Design Awards (IDA by Maestro)
Between the big annual deadlines, Interior Design Awards runs a free monthly competition. Every approved project gets a public page, the community votes, and the top three in each month's most active categories win $500, $250 and $100. More on how it works below.
Three Budgets for 2027
Entry fees add up quickly once you enter more than one category. A simple way to plan is to pick a tier and spend it deliberately.
Free (students and new designers)
- Interior Design Best of Year student entries — free
- IIDA Student Design Competition
- INT student entries — €45, and only if longlisted
- A' Design Award — free registration and preliminary score before you decide to pay
- IDA by Maestro — free, every month
Around $500–800 (emerging studios)
- INT professional entry — from €225, paid only if longlisted
- Dezeen Awards small-studio early entry — from £105
- FRAME Awards early bird — €195
- IDA by Maestro monthly — free, for continuous visibility between results
$2,000 and up (established firms)
- IIDA Global Excellence Awards ($350–650 per entry) for projects outside the US
- Interior Design Best of Year ($295–385)
- Architizer A+Awards ($275–425)
- WAF Interiors (£645–845 plus delegate passes and travel)
Two rules of thumb: enter the early-bird windows whenever you can — the difference between early and late fees is often 25–100% — and enter fewer categories with stronger material rather than spreading one project across many.
Jury Awards vs. Public-Vote Awards
Most of the programs above are judged by a jury: editors, practitioners or peer designers who score entries against published criteria. A few add a public vote — SBID gives the public 10% of the final score, and Dezeen and Architizer run separate public-vote honors.
Each format rewards something different:
- Jury awards reward craft and originality as judged by peers. They carry the most weight with other designers and with press.
- Public-vote awards reward work that resonates with people who might actually hire you, and they reward designers who share their work actively.
Public voting only means something if the votes are real. At IDA, prizes count only votes from registered members whose accounts were at least 24 hours old when they voted, designers cannot rate their own projects, and a project needs at least three votes from different people to win a prize. The full rules are on our contest rules page.
Build Your Entry Pipeline Before the Deadlines
Whatever you enter, the work behind a strong submission is the same, and most of it can be done before any portal opens:
- Photograph projects as soon as they are finished. Most juried awards accept only built work with professional photography, and a room never looks better than in the first weeks after styling.
- Collect the paperwork early. Photographer credits and image releases, client permission to publish, completion dates and the floor plan — FRAME requires a plan, and several awards limit eligibility by completion date.
- Write one master narrative per project. Keep it under 500 words: brief, constraints, key decisions and materials. Trim it for each program instead of starting from scratch.
- Prepare before-and-after images for renovations. They make the transformation measurable for both juries and voters.
- Track deadlines in one place. A shared calendar with early-bird dates, not just final deadlines, is the simplest way to save on fees.
Interior Design Awards (IDA): Free, Monthly and Community-Voted
Annual awards are worth the investment, but results take months and depend on a small jury. IDA is designed to run alongside them:
- Free to enter — no entry or administration fees
- Monthly cycles — a project can compete for up to three months
- Community voting — registered members rate projects from 1 to 10; the final score combines the average rating with the number of votes
- Cash prizes — $500, $250 and $100 for the top three projects in each month's most active categories
- A public page for every project — with credits, photos and the products you used, so homeowners and brands can find your work
- Badges for winners — an embeddable badge for your website that links back to your project
It is a practical way to test how people respond to a project before you pay for a juried entry — and to keep your work visible between award seasons.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which interior design competitions are free to enter in 2027?
Interior Design Awards (IDA by Maestro) is free every month. Interior Design Best of Year accepts student entries for free, INT charges only if your project is longlisted, and A' Design Award offers a free preliminary score before you pay a nomination fee.
When do interior design awards open for 2027?
INT opened its 2027 call on October 1, 2026, and Architizer A+Awards opened on October 5, 2026. Most others follow their usual pattern: FRAME and Restaurant & Bar in January, SBID and Dezeen in spring, Best of Year in July and IIDA in September.
What is the best interior design competition for students?
Start with free or low-cost options: Best of Year student entries, the IIDA Student Design Competition, INT's student rate and IDA's monthly community contest.
Do I need a built project to enter?
For most juried interior awards, yes. FRAME, WAF Interiors and IIDA accept only completed projects, and Architizer accepts unbuilt work only in dedicated categories. Concept work fits better in programs with conceptual categories, such as the International Design Awards (idesignawards.com).
Is the International Design Awards the same as IDA by Maestro?
No. The International Design Awards (idesignawards.com) is a separate organization. Interior Design Awards (IDA by Maestro) runs at maestroida.com.
Submit Your Project to IDA
Every month, interior designers submit their best room projects on Interior Design Awards. The community votes, and the top three in the most active categories earn recognition and cash rewards.
→ Browse this month's submissions
→ Submit your project for free
Related Articles
Interior Design Awards (IDA) is a platform where designers share room projects, the community votes monthly, and the top designers earn recognition and rewards. Based in the US, open to designers worldwide. Not affiliated with the International Design Awards (idesignawards.com) or any other award program mentioned in this article. Dates and fees were checked on official organizer websites on October 12, 2026; "expected" dates are based on each program's 2026 cycle.
