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The Awards Portal Now Closes Friday October 31, 2025.
We have extended the deadline. So Don’t miss this golden opportunity! Award portal closes October 31st.
Do you have standout projects to share with the world? designKC magazine invites KC-based architects, interior designers, contractors, landscapers, developers and artisans to submit their top projects for review by our third-party jury. Winners will be announced and awarded at our black-tie gala at Union Station and in our bonus Awards issue next spring. Gather your materials—professional photos, floor plans and essays—and upload them to our easy online portal by the deadline for your chance to show off your skills. Find submission guidelines, categories and the portal link below.
designKC magazine is hosting its fourth annual awards program to recognize outstanding projects and professionals in the home design industry across Greater Kansas City. Project completion may extend back 5 years (January 1, 2020). New this year: a project may be located outside of Greater Kansas City as long as it is connected with a KC-based firm.
designKC magazine is hosting our third annual awards program to recognize outstanding projects and professionals in the home design industry in Greater Kansas City. The awards process will honor projects completed since January 1, 2019 within the generalized boundaries of the metro.
Submission Categories:
- Kitchen
- Up to 300 square feet
- More than 300 square feet
- Butler’s Pantry
- Bath
- Primary
- Secondary
- Interior Project
- single space (1 room or 1 area, such as a finished basement)
- multi space (different rooms within a project but not a whole house)
- Design Detail (artistry or specialty design element)
- Historic Renovation (residential, public or commercial built before 1949)
- Exterior Project
- Interior Project
- Redesigned Residence (a whole-house remodel or redesign)
- up to 3,000 square feet of finished space
- 3,000 to 6,000 square feet of finished space
- 6,000 to 10,000 square feet of finished space
- more than 10,000 square feet of finished space
- Custom Home (a newly built home for a specific client)
- up to 3,000 square feet of finished space
- 3,000 to 6,000 square feet of finished space
- 6,000 to 10,000 square feet of finished space
- more than 10,000 square feet of finished space
- Model/Spec Home (a newly built home for the real estate market)
- up to 3,000 square feet of finished space
- 3,000 to 6,000 square feet of finished space
- 6,000 to 10,000 square feet of finished space
- more than 10,000 square feet of finished space
- Exterior Project
- Landscape + Garden (softscape)
- Pool + Outdoor Living Spaces (hardscape)
- Home Addition
- Detached Structure (barn, pool house, in-law quarters)
- Multifamily Housing (apartment, condo, townhome, mixed-use project)
- Public Place (civic design, parks, gathering places)
- Commercial Space (private hotel, restaurant, bar, retail)
Judging Process:
A wide-ranging panel of design professionals will evaluate projects for excellence in design, aesthetics, creativity and functionality under a code of ethics. Entries are judged on individual merit. Photo and essay quality will be considered. Judges strongly recommend before-and-after floor plans and before-and-after photos, preferably in a pdf for side by side review. DesignKC reserves the right to recategorize entries for better consideration and to award multiple winners in a category or no winner in a category.
Eligibility:
Materials used for the judging process and subsequent publication must be submitted in the online portal at mydesignkc.com. Please consider your project’s name carefully, as it will be used on the award and in all media. Client names and addresses will remain anonymous.
Eligibility requirements include:
- contact information for all professional project principals
- answers about the project goals, challenges and solutions (We recommend writing in a separate document first, then copying and pasting. Please do not use your company name in this section so your entry remain anonymous to the judges.)
- up to 12 professional photos of finished and furnished projects
- before photos, if applicable
- floor plans and elevations are required in some categories and strongly recommended across all categories (Please remove all identifying logos so your entry remains anonymous to the judges.)
- a resource list of vendors and subcontractors affiliated with the project
- photographer contact information
- homeowner’s permission, if applicable
$175 entry fee per entry (Save $50 on Early Bird Entry)
Winner Benefits:
The principals listed on your entry form will receive trophies at the ticketed awards gala, to be held at Union Station on Wednesday, January 21, 2026. All other resources will be listed in the issue. Winners will have their work showcased in a bonus print and digital edition of designKC magazine, on mydesignkc.com, and distributed through social media and public relations channels. An official designKC winner logo will be available to use for self-promotion.