"I am nearly the same age as the mini-mall. And though lovers of cities will weep for me, I must admit that much of my life has been spent — not at the mall, as you might expect of a girl San Fernando Valley-raised — but at the local mini-mall..."
Jade Chang, Winner, Winterhouse Writing Award 2007
"While many of design’s most powerful practitioners advocate more writing and research, these designers (and the “larger” graphic design establishment) often undermine such advocacy due to their own suspicion of academia and ambivalence toward critical theory..."
Erica Nooney, Winner, Winterhouse Student Writing Award 2007
The AIGA Winterhouse Awards for Design Writing & Criticism seek to increase the understanding and appreciation of design, both within the profession and throughout American life. A program of AIGA, these annual awards have been founded by Jessica Helfand and William Drenttel of the Winterhouse Institute to recognize excellence in writing about design and encourage the development of young voices in design writing, commentary and criticism. Submissions for the 2008 awards are due before June 2, 2008. Here's how to apply for the two awards.
Writing Award of $10,000
Open to writers, critics, scholars, historians, journalists and designers and given for a body of work.
Education Award of $1,000
Open to students (high school, undergraduate or graduate) whose use of writing, in the interest of making visual work or scholarship or cultural observation, demonstrates extraordinary originality and promise.
This awards program is part of a larger AIGA initiative to stimulate new levels of design awareness and critical thinking about design. The 2008 awards will be announced in August and presented at the AIGA Design Legends Gala on September 18 in New York City.
Jury for 2008 Awards
Jessica Helfand, Chair
Michael Bierut, designer and partner, Pentagram
Kevin Lippert, publisher, Princeton Architectural Press
Judith Thurman, cultural critic and staff writer, The New Yorker
Benefactors for 2008 Awards
The 2008 awards are made possible, in part, by the generous contributions of those listed below. To make a contribution, please email writingawards(at)aiga.org.
Individuals & Institutions
Sean Adams
AIGA
Art Center College of Design
Michael Bierut
Sheila Levrant de Bretteville
Carnegie Mellon University School of Design
Brian Collins
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
The Cooper Union Herb Lubalin Center
Meredith Davis
Alexander Gorlin Architects
Jessica Helfand & William Drenttel
Steven Heller
IDEO
Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology
Ellen Lupton & Abbott Miller
Debbie Millman
MIT School of Architecture & Planning
Clement Mok
Errol Morris
Murray Moss
North Carolina State University Graphic Design Department
Northeastern University Department of Visual Arts
Bruce Nussbaum
Parsons The New School for Design
Princeton Architectural Press
Chris Pullman
Rhode Island School of Design
Rockwell Group
Anthony Russell
School of Visual Arts
Snøhetta
Society of Publication Designers
Syracuse University Goldring Arts Journalism Program
2x4
Two Twelve Associates
University of Minnesota Design Institute
Rick Valicenti
Michael Vanderbyl
Lella & Massimo Vignelli
Armin Vit & Bryony Gomez-Palacio
Walker Art Center
Weisz + Yoes Architecture
Barbara Wiedemann
Lorraine Wild
Media Supporters
Dot Dot Dot
Eye
HOW
I.D.
Log
Printing & Paper
Finlay Printing
Mohawk Paper
Comments [9]
– JM
03.17.08
09:47
Remember a thing called the NEA Design Awards, where an individual designer or writer about design could apply for a grant to support their work? Well guess what: those grants don't exist anymore. You know anyone else doing this, any other resources for suppporting design writing? How many people actually enter this competition? What do you think AIGA Winterhouse does with all those entry fees? Read the entries and discuss them over dinner at Per Se while their limos await them at the curb? I don't think so!
03.17.08
12:34
Also, c'mon, the AIGA is non-profit. Every little bit helps keep them running, effective, and relevant in our community. Twenty-five dollars is hardly exorbitant.
03.17.08
12:51
To all detractors, can only comment: "bippity boppity."
(Haven't had to pull that one out for a while.)
Ha!
~
03.17.08
03:04
Very Respectfully,
03.18.08
04:09
It's great to have this kind of a design competition amongst all the other glitzy, object-oriented fare--and shared academic publishing (and venues) are badly needed in our radically fragmenting profession.
I only wish DO would get rid of the age limit requirement for submissions (full disclosure here: this poster is a just-over-40 design writer/academic hopeful who has recently put down her mouse and picked up her pen). Graphic design has such a dearth of scholarly writing that it's a shame to 'disqualify' any of it because of someone's age...
03.19.08
10:19
"Writing must be submitted as text only—no images or other graphic elements—in PDF format (other formats will not be accepted). Entries that do not follow these guidelines will not be judged."
AND
"By submitting work to this competition, the entrant acknowledges the right of AIGA to use accepted work in AIGA publications, on its website, and for educational and AIGA-related promotional purposes."
First, it it is both ironic and wrong-headed to require that critical writing on graphic design and visual culture be submitted without images "or other graphic elements." Second, by submitting work to the contest you effectively become a shill for the AIGA.
No thanks!
03.19.08
01:25
04.12.08
05:08
And I'll agree with whoever commented on the age requirement--it's ridiculous and there doesn't appear to be a clear rationale, aside from the push for "young people" to compete--nothing makes the AIGA look more hip and fresh than some young face to show off at its gala, eh?
04.12.08
05:26