IIDA Student Design Competition 2027

The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) has announced the 2027 IIDA Student Design Competition.

The 14th annual edition of the competition invites design students from around the world who are currently enrolled in an interior design or interior architecture program. It seeks space planning and design concepts for a healthcare project set out in the published design brief.

The best works will be awarded with $2,500 for first place, $1,500 for second place and $750 for third place. Winners will be featured on IIDA’s website, in the spring 2027 issue of QUAD and in Design Matters newsletters, and in a press release distributed to industry outlets.

The 2027 design brief is titled “Miami Medical Office Building: Sports Medicine + Orthopedics”. The brief asks students to design a medical office building bringing sports medicine and orthopedics together within one integrated outpatient healthcare environment, serving patients recovering from injury, managing chronic musculoskeletal conditions and returning to activity.

The facility covers approximately 15,000 square feet with a ceiling height of 12 ft 8 in and floor-to-ceiling windows. It is located on the first floor of a multi-tenant medical office building, with exterior walls and windows fixed. At least 50% of the furniture products in each submission must come from OFS, Carolina and ROOM.

Required programs include a registration and check-in area, a waiting area serving 10 to 20 patients and families, a check-out area, a minimum of two ADA-compliant toilet rooms, a minimum of 4 sports medicine exam rooms, a minimum of 6 orthopedic exam rooms, one sports medicine and two orthopedic procedure rooms, an injection room, a casting and splint room, a centralized imaging suite, physical therapy, a minimum of 4 private provider offices, a clinical support area and a staff lounge. Additional IT support, equipment storage and supply storage spaces are optional.

The imaging suite forms a shared diagnostic hub with a digital X-ray room, an ultrasound room, an accessible patient changing area and storage. The design challenge emphasizes hospitality-inspired, restorative patient environments alongside inclusive strategies addressing physical, sensory and cognitive needs, with ADA Standards for Accessible Design, the HIPAA Privacy Rule and infection prevention applying.

Submissions are made digitally through the competition website. Each entry requires a 500-word project description, one 24″ x 36″ digital presentation board in PDF format of 3MB to 10MB, and individual JPG or JPEG files of the 10 to 12 required drawings and renderings, with a minimum of 200 dpi and a preferred 300 dpi. Boards and images must not contain names or identifying information.

Individual entries and team entries of up to five members are accepted, with at least one team member required to be an IIDA student member. Prize money is split between members of a winning team. All fees are submitted electronically.

Entries are evaluated by a panel of five judges across five criteria, each weighted at 20%: innovation and creativity, coherence and functionality, human and environmental impact, fulfillment of the program requirements with additional contributions, and presentation. AI use is permitted for written statements but not for image and rendering production.

Please check the official website for further information.

IIDA Student Design Competition 2027 – Entry Fees

Entry fees are tiered by membership and entry type:

• IIDA Student Member, individual: $35
• Non-member, individual: $60
• IIDA Student Member, team: $50
• Non-member, team: $90