SHLTR BLUE CHIP DESIGN AWARDS
Win it here. Make it here!
Summer 2026: Design the next contemporary indoor/outdoor kitchen & dining environment.
The 2026 SHLTR™ Blue Chip Design Awards invites Bay Area interior designers, and advanced interior design students to reimagine the hillside culinary experience in Kentfield, Marin, Northern California.
The winning professional and student designs will be featured in SHLTR™ Magazine. The winning professional design will be developed for construction in collaboration with Crown Construction and Christian Douglas Design.
Awards
Professional Winner: $5,000 honorarium + project collaboration + publication in SHLTR™.
Student Winner: $500 cash award + publication in SHLTR™.
Merit Awards: Publication in SHLTR and recognition.
Eligibility
Open to Bay Area interior designers, and students who must be currently enrolled in an accredited junior/senior or graduate level interior design program in the Bay Area.
Submission Requirements
Each submission must include:
- One A1 horizontal presentation board illustrating plan, elevation, and perspective views OR each of these can be on their own A1 presentation board.
- One A1 horizontal presentation board of the site response diagram or context concept (site brief provided upon registration).
- Maximum 300-word written narrative describing concept, materials, and sustainability approach. Can be on a separate A1 presentation board, or included on one of the other boards.
- Optional: 3D visualization or physical model images (maximum three images.) These can be together on one A1 horizontal presentation board, or each on their own A1 horizontal presentation board.
- Consolidate the pages for items 1-4 into a single A1 horizontal multipage PDF document for submission.
- Do NOT include any company names or logos on the submission boards. Jurors will only see the brief and the design.
- If you are the winner, all team members will be credited and recognized. You may include their names in the submission link (NOT on the submission boards.)
- Collaborators outside of the firm such as engineers or surveyors may be listed as team members. If two or more design firms or independent designers collaborate, each must submit a separate submission fee.
Evaluation Criteria
- Design Innovation (30%) — Originality and creativity
- Site and Context Response (25%) — Integration with the renovation
- Sustainability & Constructability (25%) — Practical, responsible, buildable solutions
- Presentation & Clarity (20%) — Visual impact and communication
A jury of architects, designers, builders, and editors from SHLTR™ – including interior designers Barbara Barry, and Oliver M. Furth, and architect Clive Wilkinson, FAIA - will evaluate entries anonymously.
Dates
- Launch & Registration Opens: March 16, 2026
- Registration Deadline: May 1, 2026
- Design Submission Deadline: June 1, 2026 (11:59 PM PT)
- Jury Review: June–July, 2026
- Winners Announced: July 15, 2026
- Construction Development: September 2026–Spring 2027
Submission Fee
The administrative fee for Bay Area-based interior design professionals is $385 for each submission. Eligible students can enter for a reduced fee of $100 for each submission. There are no limits to the number of submissions per firm or individual, however, each submission requires a separate administrative fee.
Application fees:
Professionals:
$385 paid by May 15
Students:
$100 paid by May 15
Once the entry form is sent to coralie@shltr-mag.com, SHLTR™ will send an invoice to be paid by check, ACH or Venmo. Full receipt of the administrative fee by SHLTR™ confirms your official entry into the competition.
Intellectual Property & Credit
Entrants retain full copyright to their work. By submitting, participants grant SHLTR and partners the right to publish and exhibit their designs with full credit as well as to build it. The winning designer(s) will be acknowledged in all publications, signage, and project documentation.
How to Enter
Use form below to register, upload credentials and receive the official site brief.
Questions may be directed to coralie@shltr-mag.com.
About Crown Construction
Founded by Ross McKenna, Crown Construction operates in one of the most iconic settings in North America, tackling the restoration of early Victorian homes and creating new Neo-Modern masterpieces throughout San Francisco. Through close collaboration with leading Bay Area architects and designers, the firm brings high-quality and precise visions to life for homeowners, ensuring projects are completed on time and within budget. Crown Construction considers it a privilege to be involved in any homeowner’s project and strives to provide an experience that meets the expectations it would have for its own homes.
About Christian Douglas Design
Christian Douglas is a multi-award-winning landscape designer who has been creating beautiful and productive outdoor spaces for over 30 years. Combining formal training in classical design with a passion for regenerative agriculture, he has created innovative landscapes in his native England, the Middle East, and the United States, with food at the heart of his work. Before settling in the U.S., Christian owned a design studio in the UK for many years, followed by extensive global travel learning strategies for farming and survival in desert environments. Endlessly inspired by the shared connection traditional cultures have to their environment and food production, Christian believes modern landscape design has a significant role and responsibility to play in restoring our relationship to the natural world—beginning with food. His work has been featured in Architectural Digest and WSJ, and he published his first book on food-forward design philosophy in 2024.
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SHLTR™ BLUE CHIP DESIGN AWARDS
