The 2019 Design Award Winners
Student Resources

School of Design Student Awards

The School of Design has an annual design awards program each spring semester. This event celebrates the academic talents of our students and their contributions to the school. Several awards are presented during the event: School of Design awards, Donors awards, and Partnership awards (organizations that the school has associations with). Partnership awards given to students within the academic year are recognized at this spring event. All of our awards are funded by generous alumni, individual donors, and organizations to honor student achievements and passions. We are grateful to all of our donors for their support.

Each April, full-time and special faculty make nominations for the awards administered by the School of Design. Staff are eligible to nominate and vote in the Design Service Award category. The process is facilitated by a staff member who 1) manages communications, 2) sends out anonymous surveys for nominations, 3) is the staff representative when faculty meet to review nominations, and 4) manages the anonymous voting process. Note: during the nominations meeting, the focus is only on the student candidate's qualifications related to the award criteria.

The processes and criteria for awards that are not administered by the School of Design are described below with those awards.

Awards are announced at the School’s annual awards program which is always held on the Wednesday during Design Week of the Spring semester.

School of Design Merit Award

The Design Merit Award is open to all students who have shown overall excellence in Design, working hard to improve and for being a good role model.

Criteria and Judging

Faculty evaluate nominees based on the following criteria:

  • Exhibited excellence in design, craft, and execution of ideas
  • Significant growth as a designer and acts as a exemplar student for fellow peers

Once nominations are made, faculty vote anonymously. Students with the most votes in each category are determined the winners. Each recipient is awarded a gift of a specially chosen book, selected by faculty.

Design Service Award

The Design Service Award is open to an Undergraduate senior, a Master’s student and a PhD who has shown outstanding leadership and service to the School of Design. Students nominated for this award will have consistently demonstrated qualities of compassion and service to either one or a variety of volunteer activities during their time at the School of Design.

Criteria and Judging

Faculty and staff evaluate nominees based on the following criteria:

  • The compassion and degree to which their services and actions have made a meaningful contribution or impact on their community
  • The extent to which their service or action might be considered above and beyond the norm.

Once nominations are made, faculty and staff vote anonymously. Students with the most votes in each category are determined the winners.

Lee Goldman Scholarship Award

Lee Goldman, was a professor in the school of design from 1959-1974 and was head of the Department of Art at the beginning of the Stever administration before becoming the head of the Department of Design. Before joining CMU, Goldman was Director of Design for Corning Glass Company.

The Lee Goldman Award is open to a Communications, Products, and Environments junior design student who shows professional promise.

Criteria and Judging

Faculty evaluate nominees based on the following criteria:

  • The degree their work has demonstrated professional standards of industry or practice through skills, thoughtfulness, and resolution of ideas
  • The extent to which they and their work have grown over time

Once nominations are made, faculty vote anonymously. Students with the most votes in each category are determined the winners.

Kier Service Design & Social Innovation Award

This award is open to students in the School of Design who have created design projects that speak visually to increase public awareness about social justice and call the viewer in a compelling way to action.

Criteria and Judging

Faculty evaluate nominees based on the following criteria:

  • Demonstrates deep care about a social justice issue that is expressed through project work.
  • Project(s) has visually increased public awareness about social justice and calls the viewer to action in a compelling way.

Once nominations are made, faculty vote anonymously. Students with the most votes in each category are determined the winners.

Edward Szylinski Design Award for Blue Sky Thinking

Edward Szylinski is a 1968 graduate of graphic design from the department of design at Carnegie Mellon. He had a successful career in design including leading Szylinski Associates for over 30 years as its president and creative director. His areas of expertise included brand strategy and package design — having long term relationships with Lever Brothers, Johnson and Johnson, Revlon Professional, Bayer HealthCare and Global Brands. After retiring from design practice, Ed engaged in asset management and philanthropy. He is dedicated to helping people achieve their goals in life.

The award for Blue Sky Thinking recognizes a junior Communications Design student who, in the course of the year, demonstrated thinking 'outside the box' in the solution of a design problem. This award acknowledges that often the most innovative solutions arise from ideas or concepts that are unexpected, unusual or even seem downright crazy (at the time) and recognizes the courage and unique perspective required to propose such a solution, even if it doesn't always prove successful.

Criteria and Judging

Communications Design faculty make nominations to the committee chairperson, who facilitates the process. Faculty evaluate nominees based on the following criteria:

  • Project(s) that produced unexpected, unusual, or seemingly downright crazy ideas (at the time).
  • Demonstrated courage to propose and produce work even if it doesn't always prove successful.

Once nominations are made, faculty vote anonymously. Students with the most votes in each category are determined the winners. 

Marilyn Meltzer Award

Marilyn Meltzer is a prominent artist and fiber sculptor whose work is represented in numerous museums and private collections. This award commemorates her lifelong interests by honoring a student who has shown an ability to combine outstanding design with effective use of color. This prize is open to all full-time (rising) junior students in the School of Design. One student will be chosen and this award may be used for advanced study, such as study abroad or summer study. This award must be used within one year of receiving it.

Criteria and Judging

Select faculty will evaluate proposals based on the following criteria and requirements:

  • Applicants must submit a portfolio of design work to demonstrate the combination of outstanding design with effective use of color.
  • Submission of a one-page statement of a project proposal or proposed course of study and how it directly intends to advance your understanding of color use and theory.
  • Presentation work or study outcomes when project or study is complete.

One student will receive this award annually based on faculty voting. The award must be used for advanced study during the summer 2024 or the fall 2024 academic semester.

Industrial Designers Society of America, IDSA Merit Award

Each spring, IDSA, the professional association for products (industrial design) recognizes exceptional student design talent through their Student Merit Awards program (SMA). The competition is one of IDSA’s longest running programs and highlights the very best creativity, problem solving and design brilliance in each of IDSA’s five North American Districts. Student winners are recognized in various ways at the local, regional, and national/international levels of IDSA, which has proven to be a high value opportunity for starting their careers.

Criteria and Judging

Senior Products students are invited by faculty to participate in the competition as long as they meet IDSA’s qualifications. The event is hosted by the School of Design and judged by members of the local IDSA professional chapter. The winner of the local SMA represents their school at the IDSA District level for a chance to compete at the national level.

Awardees are announced at the conclusion of the SMA event and recognized at the School’s annual awards ceremony held at the end of each spring semester.

See the following link for criteria and judging information. https://www.idsa.org/undergraduate-student-merit-awards-program-details/

kynamatrix Research Network “Innovation through Collaboration”

The kynamatrix Research Network: Innovation through Collaboration is a network of researchers dedicated to the understanding and advancement of interactive communication, accelerating innovation in design, engineering, and computer science. Alyce Hoggan (MDes 2000) is the executive director of kynamatrix. The network has been a long-standing supporter of our graduate students offering awards in most years based on the alignment of thesis proposals to the goals of kynamatrix.

Criteria and Judging

The awards are administered by the kynamatrix Research Network members, who have established the criteria, judging, and awarding. The School of Design’s Graduate Coordinator shares thesis proposals with kynamatrix in the summer with announcements of the winner(s) made in late January. Awardees are recognized at the School’s annual awards program.