The Value of Awards

Public opinion of design awards is sharply divided. Some despise them as mere money-machines — frivolous and implausible, while others value them as an instrument for lead acquisition, public relations and recruiting. Although the number of sub missions f or some formats is declining, new design award programs continue to launch. One such example is the Frame Awards, Frame magazine’s contest honouring the world’s best interiors and spatial design work. 1

The promise of design awards still looms large as recognition and prizes are awarded not only by design institutions and associations but also by publishers and even companies themselves. So, within the discipline o f spatial design, how can awards contests maintain their relevance to as many stakehol ders as possible?

Jan Kalbfleisch, managing director of the German associa tion FAMAB, believes the relevance of an organiser’s Design Award depends on satisfying three criteria:

“You have to be big. You have to be neutral. You have to be respected.”

Big, neutral, respected

In a mass of design awards, the only way to guarantee publicity for winners is by achieving a certain size. According to Kalbfleisch, satisfying that criteria means you must be listed in one o f the Official Creative Rankings. Neutrality is a prerequisite for credibility and thus for the third criterion of respectability. “The nuts and bolts is a neu tral and profes sional jury”, notes Kalbfleisch.

Participating in awards programs can make sense if you have the opportunity to stand out with distinction from the competition or favorably increase your public perception. Robert Thiemann, founder of Frame Magazine and the Frame Awards, emphasizes that this is still relevant to the temporary spatial staging industry in particular, “We give designers a pla tform to get their work seen by expert judges and the world – making their designs memorable, beyond the trade fair or exhibition.”

Travis Stanton, editor of EXHIBITOR magazine, emphasizes that a design award like the ones o ffered by the magazine’s Exhibit Design Awards competition has more to offer than just a trophy. “It offers editorial coverage that can extend your brand’s reach to thousands of print and digital readers — many of whom are potential clients.”

Stanton speaks from personal experience. “One of the largest pavilions at Expo 2015 in Milan was designed by a German company because the pavilion’s organizers said they wanted to work with the best. So they looked at the results of our past Expo Awards competitions and chose a firm that had won the Best Pavilion award without even issuing a tender to other companies.”

“The golden age of awards programs is over,” believes Kalbfleisch. “Currently, all major awards are in a phase of rehabilitation. While the FAMAB Award is still relevant, we must ask ourselves realistically, will that be true in five years?”

After 21 years, we have seen the final curtain fall on the “traditional award.” An award alone does not make an event anymore, explains the FAMAB CEO. That is why FAMAB, together with the magazine Blach Report, the Best of Events (BOE) trade fair in Dortmund and the Study Institute for Communication, is launching a new format. The In ternational Festival of Brand Experience will be held for the first time in January 2019 within the framework of the BOE.

The event will be kicked off with a congress on the eve of the fair to highlight relevant industry topics and trends with various formats of interactive orientation such as workshops and bar camps. In the evening, the best work in the industry will be honored with the Brand Experience Award and celebrated at the sub sequent party. With the new prize, the competition formats of its initiators merge. FAMAB is not ready to give up on the future of awards.

The idea of combining added-value and an international focus with a new platform is also being pursued with the newly created Frame Awards. The ceremony will be held together with an immersive and content-driven event: the Frame Lab. The goal of the Frame Awards is to cover the entire spectrum of non-residential interiors, while the Honorary Awards celebrate the people behind them. “We hope to differentiate ourselves by being a global interior design award with a truly holistic approach,” explains Robert Thiemann and “We want to empower spatialdesign excellence and set the standard.” A glance at the projects nominated (from 892 submissions from internationally renowned offices of more than 50 countries, www.frameawards. com/nominees) gives the impression that these goals could be achieved with the Awards Show on 21st February.

Awards have a future Travis Stanton is optimistic that awards have a future. “The digital revolution means that you no longer need to win an award in order to reach potential buyers. Social and corporate media provide a vehicle for design to directly connect with clients. Still, world-class athletes aspire to Olympic gold. Why? Because it represents an objective and respected way of proving that you’re the best of the best.”

TEXT CONSTANZE FROWEIN PHOTOS PUNCTUM/ ALEXANDER SCHMIDT