Eligibility

The Sylvia Harris Citizen Design Award is for practicing professionals from all design disciplines (graphic, product, architecture, interior, interactive, service design, etc.). Applicants must have a minimum of one year of professional design experience. Applicants must be based in the United States and the projects must be implemented in the United States in their own community or in a community in which they are deeply embedded.

Professional designers may apply with a thoroughly developed project that meets the following broad parameters:

• Addresses a pressing social issue within the designer’s community (or a community in which the designer is deeply embedded)
• Can be implemented within that community in a timely manner
• Will deliver positive results that can be measured
• Projects must be feasible and applicants must clearly demonstrate the ability to execute and follow through with the implementation process.

Parameters

The following parameters and restrictions apply:

• The winning project must be executed within one year after the award is announced. Extensions will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Award recipients will give regular updates to Worldstudio until the completion of the project, based on their timeline.
• Projects can be independently executed in partnership with a corporation or non-profit organization.
• Worldstudio and AIGA employees and family members are ineligible.
• All concepts remain the intellectual property of the applicants.
• Worldstudio, AIGA, and Design Ignites Change have the right to reproduce and showcase the submitted entries as case studies.