The Retail Design Institute's 55th International Design Competition
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The Institute's 55th competition celebrates outstanding and innovative retail spaces completed in 2025 that encourage new techniques in planning, design, graphics, lighting, and visual merchandising.
Call for Entries: Contract design firms, in-house retailer design teams, general contractors, allied trades, fixture manufacturers, and material suppliers* from around the globe are invited to submit projects covering all retail formats.
The competition celebrates exceptional retail experiences ranging from full-line traditional department stores to specialty apparel stores and restaurants to kiosks and pop-up shops.
Eligible projects are those completed between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025.
Key Dates
- Deadline to Enter – July 10, 2026, before 11:59 PM Eastern/8:59 PM Pacific
- Awards Celebration (NYC & Virtual) - October 22, 2026
Entry Information
- Make your submission a standout!
- Keep to the 750-word count.
- Submit high-resolution photography and caption each image.
- Bring your entry to life- submit a video!
- Consultants: Please remove all references to your company, including logos (including on project plans).
- Members: to access member rates, please click here and log in to your member account.
Winners
A list of finalists will be announced in late Summer/early Fall 2026. Winners will be honored at the International Design Awards Celebration in New York City.
Questions
For more information, please get in touch with the Institute's International team at info@retaildesigninstitute.org.
* Entries submitted by general contractors, allied trades, fixture manufacturers, and material suppliers require a completed consent form to be filled out by the design firm, retailer, or brand responsible for the overall design of the project. This consent form is built into the entry form; you will be prompted to provide an email address to send this form directly through Submittable.