IIDA / IDECF Educator of Impact Award
The IIDA/IDECF Educator of Impact Award recognizes and celebrates an educator who is actively advancing diversity in the Interior Design industry. Our partner, the IIDA Foundation, hosts the call on their website.
Eligibility Full-time educators who have made recognized contributions to advance and expand racial and ethnic diversity in the interior design industry are encouraged to apply. A candidate may self-nominate, to nominate an educator other than yourself, email [email protected] with the name and a brief description of the educator that you are nominating, and IIDA Foundation staff will contact the nominated educator to invite them to apply.
Submission Requirements All submissions must be completed electronically. No hard copy submissions will be accepted. If any of the following items are missing, your application will not be reviewed. Any additional materials will be removed and not considered.
To nominate an educator or yourself for this award please prepare and submit the following materials:
Written Component
Letters of Recommendation Two separate letters of recommendation in PDF file format, saved individually, must be included. Letters must be from the following:
Judging The IIDA Foundation Board of Trustees and a select panel of IIDA design and industry professionals will review the applications and select a recipient by December 31, 2026.
Prize The 2026 IIDA Educator of Impact Award is a $5,000 cash prize. The recipient will be honored at the 2027 IDEC Annual Conference in March and provided a $500 travel stipend from IDECF to support attending. Winners will receive official digital assets, and mention on IIDA's website, social media accounts, and in an official press release distributed to leading industry outlets and media partners.
For questions or more information, contact the IIDA Foundation at [email protected].
The IIDA/IDECF Educator of Impact Award recognizes and celebrates an educator who is actively advancing diversity in the Interior Design industry. Our partner, the IIDA Foundation, hosts the call on their website.
Eligibility Full-time educators who have made recognized contributions to advance and expand racial and ethnic diversity in the interior design industry are encouraged to apply. A candidate may self-nominate, to nominate an educator other than yourself, email [email protected] with the name and a brief description of the educator that you are nominating, and IIDA Foundation staff will contact the nominated educator to invite them to apply.
Submission Requirements All submissions must be completed electronically. No hard copy submissions will be accepted. If any of the following items are missing, your application will not be reviewed. Any additional materials will be removed and not considered.
To nominate an educator or yourself for this award please prepare and submit the following materials:
Written Component
- Complete five, short answer questions detailing how the candidate is contributing to the advancement of racial/ethnic diversity in the commercial interior design industry.
Letters of Recommendation Two separate letters of recommendation in PDF file format, saved individually, must be included. Letters must be from the following:
- One (1) letter from a former student, max 1 page.
- One (1) letter from an interior design professional who is not the nominee’s student, and who can personally address how the nominee has contributed to advancing racial/ethnic diversity in the interior design industry, max 1 page.
Judging The IIDA Foundation Board of Trustees and a select panel of IIDA design and industry professionals will review the applications and select a recipient by December 31, 2026.
Prize The 2026 IIDA Educator of Impact Award is a $5,000 cash prize. The recipient will be honored at the 2027 IDEC Annual Conference in March and provided a $500 travel stipend from IDECF to support attending. Winners will receive official digital assets, and mention on IIDA's website, social media accounts, and in an official press release distributed to leading industry outlets and media partners.
For questions or more information, contact the IIDA Foundation at [email protected].
Submission Deadline: October 9, 2026
