2026 IIDA Intermountain Chapter BEST Awards

BEST: Brilliantly Executed Spaces and Thinking

ENTRY DEADLINES: Registration, payment in full, and submission materials must be submitted by Friday, February 20, 2026 at 5:00PM MST. Late entries will not be accepted.

ENTRY CATEGORIES:

• Give (Healthcare)
• Stay - (Hotels)
• Learn - K-12 & Higher Education
• Live - Multi-Unit & Single Family Residence
• Best on a Budget - Commercial & Residential: Under $150/SF
• Play (Restaurants, Lounges, Bars, Stores & Boutiques)
• Serve (Public/Civic)
• Work/Office
• Student Project*

  • *Student Cateogory Details: This competition is open to undergraduate students in the state of Utah who are currently enrolled in an interior design program and are in their final (senior) year. Entrants must currently be enrolled at the time of submission. This category seeks to showcase school projects already completed or created for the purposes of entering this competition. The project must have been wholly completed individually by the student to be eligible. Project types can include:

    • Give (Healthcare)
    • Stay (Hotels)
    • Learn - K-12 & Higher Education
    • Live - Multi-Unit & Single Family Residence
    • Play (Restaurant, Lounges, Bars, Retail & Boutiques)
    • Serve (Public/Civic)
    • Work/Office
  • Award:There will be two winners of the Student category. Both the BEST winner and Merit winner will receive a trophy and recognition at the BEST Awards Ceremony. 

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: Project Completion Date must fall between January 1, 2024 and February 20, 2026 to be eligible for BEST Awards 2026. You cannot submit the same project more than once. If a project was submitted for BEST Awards 2025 then it is not eligible for the 2026 competition.

Powerpoint Template:

CLICK HERE to download the official BEST AWARDS 2026 Powerpoint template. Follow the instructions in the template and upload the completed version in the Submission Materials phase of the intake form when prompted.

Powerpoint uploads are intended for display purposes at the BEST Awards event. 

Pricing

$250 per entry for IIDA Members, $1,000 per entry for Non-IIDA Members.

$50 per entry for Student IIDA Members, $75 per entry for Student Non-Members

Not a member? Sign Up Here 

Only 3 entries will be allowed per Member number. 

Start an Application

When ready click the button below to start an application. 

Submit

ENTRY KIT COMPONENTS: To see the Project Entry Kit, CLICK HERE 

If you have any questions regarding the Project Entry Kit please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Sincerely,

2026 BEST Awards Committee: 

Co-Chairs: Marc Kortmann, Humanscale & Karey Spransy, Felt Right

Submissions & Judging Sub-Committee Chair: Julie Braam, MHTN Architects