About

Cincinnati Design Awards

The Cincinnati Design Awards (CDA) program recognizes the best built-environment design produced by Cincinnati-area creative firms and promotes the social and economic value of good design in our community. Each year, a distinguished nationwide jury of design thought leaders and eminent practitioners presents the awards to projects submitted by local architecture, interiors, landscape, and experiential graphic designers. New to this year, we will also be including community planners.

Categories

Projects submitted to the following categories will be evaluated against peer projects of a similar scale:

• Building Architecture: projects submitted this category may include New Construction, Adaptive Reuse, Preservation, Additions, Urban Design and are evaluated against peer projects of a similar scale
  • Large Scale = >10,000 sf
  • Small Scale = <10,000 sf
• Interior Architecture: projects submitted this category may include New Construction and Renovation of Interior Projects
  • Large Scale = >5,000 sf 
  • Small Scale = <5,000 sf
• Landscape Architecture & Community Planning: projects submitted this category may include Residential, Parks, Urban Design, Campuses, Streetscape, Hospitality, Landscape Art, Interior Landscapes, Gardens, Green/Blue Infrastructure, Green Roofs, Trails & Recreation, Community and Comprehensive Plans, Open Space Networks, Neighborhood Improvement/Revitalization Plans.
  • Planning & Analysis Projects = evaluating the rigor and soundness of analysis and planning projects that contribute to a unique sense of place.
  • Implementation = results of a plan or a built project of unusually high merit contributing to an improved quality of life. 
• Experiential Graphics: projects submitted this category may include Wayfinding, Branded Environments, Placemaking, Interactive Experiences, Exhibition Design, Individual Signs
  • Large scale = environments or systems
  • Small Scale = features or elements

• Interdisciplinary: projects that exemplify design excellence through successful implementation of integrated design across disciplines at any scale, type, or budget.
  *While most projects are interdisciplinary in nature, this award honors CDA member organizations. Recognition of other project team members is at the discretion of the submitting teams/firms.
• Innovation: projects submitted this category include Built and Conceptual work that advances design thinking or practice (in any discipline) through cutting-edge research, methods, performance, etc.

Awards Levels