Welcome to the official online entry site for for the 2024 Pinnacle Awards. Here, we celebrate designs that are produced in large numbers for sale to consumers. Submissions are open to all furniture and textile designers and manufacturers.
Plus, we have a special category for one-of-a-kind pieces made by artisan designer/makers. Category and Best of Show winners from our 2024 INNOVATION+DESIGN(tm) competition may enter this category at no charge. Please contact david.blair@isfd.org, if you are a 2024 Innovation+Design winner who wishes to enter the 2024 Pinnacle Awards.
The recipients of the Pinnacle Awards are the designers or design teams that were directly involved in the design craft of the product(s). The award is meant to honor the designer--the person who puts pen to paper to bring the idea to life.
Products entered must be in current production and must have been shown and sold at one of the major home furnishings or fabric markets (worldwide), or will ultimately be available to U.S. consumers through the following distribution channels: Internet Retailers, Catalog Retailers, or Brick & Mortar Retail Stores.
DEADLINE for completed entries is 11:59 PM Eastern time on July 26, 2024.
If you wish to use video media to tell the story of your design(s), please upload your video(s) along with your still images in the attachments section of the entry form.
Pinnacle Awards Entry Categories
If your entry doesn’t fit into a category, or the judges determine that it does not fit the category you have selected, it will be re-categorized.
Accessories
Any floor-standing decorative accessories (sculpture, large planters or vases, screens, pedestals, carts, etc.). Entry may be by piece or group.
Bedroom – Broad Appeal
Includes headboards, mirrors, nightstands, chests, dressers and other storage units intended primarily for bedroom use. Suggested retail price for a four piece group (Dresser, Mirror, Bed, Nightstand), must be less than $5,500. Entry may be by piece or group.
Bedroom - Luxury
Includes headboards, mirrors, nightstands, chests, dressers and other storage units intended primarily for bedroom use. Suggested retail price for a four piece group (Dresser, Mirror, Bed, Nightstand), must be $5,500 or more. Entry may be by piece or group.
Dining - Broad Appeal
Entry must be a group consisting of at least one table of one size and one model of chair. Suggested retail price of a five piece group composed of one table and four chairs must be less than $3,750.
Dining - Luxury
Entry must be a group consisting of at least one table of one size and one model of chair. Suggested retail price of a five piece group composed of one table and four chairs must be $3,750 or more.
Entertainment Furniture
Individual or multiple units (groupings) that accommodate audio/video components.
New category: Finishings
Includes any home furnishings item to which a finish is applied, with the exception of textiles. Products entered in other categories may also be entered in Finishings. Judges will consider only the finish.
Floor Coverings
Rugs
Home Office
Includes desks, seating, and storage intended for home office. The intent is to combine office functionality with style and sizing suitable for home use. Entry may be made by piece or by group.
Home Textiles - Print
Entries in this category include textiles designed for home furnishings, primarily upholstered furniture. Entry may be screen or digital print. Submissions are limited to one entry per designer and one color way per entry. The entry must have been introduced within the last year.
Home Textiles - Woven
Entries in this category include textiles designed for home furnishings, primarily upholstered furniture. Entry may be jacquard or dobby woven. Submissions are limited to one entry per designer and one color way per entry. The entry must have been introduced within the last year.
Leather Upholstery – Broad Appeal
Includes furniture, either motion or stationary, where the predominant covering is leather. Judging will be based in part on how well the design accommodates the unique problems and opportunities created by the use of leather as an upholstery material. Entry may be by piece or group. Suggested Retail price must be less than $2,500 per seat
To calculate the number of seats, divide the total seating width by 30 and round to the nearest 30.
For example:
Leather Upholstery - Luxury
Includes furniture, either motion or stationary, where the predominant covering is leather. Judging will be based in part on how well the design accommodates the unique problems and opportunities created by the use of leather as an upholstery material. Entry may be by piece or group. Suggested Retail price must be $2,500 per seat or more.
To calculate the number of seats, divide the total seating width by 30 and round to the nearest unit.
For example:
0-44” = 1 seat
45-74” = 2 seats
75-104” = 3 seats
105”-119” = 4 seats
&etc
Lighting
Includes incandescent or LED fixed lighting intended for indoor home use, including table lamps, floor lamps, pendants and chandeliers. Entry may be by piece or group.
Major Collections
Entry must be a whole home collection of at least 18 unique pieces. Upholstery, Lighting or Accessories can be included only as part of the collection.
Motion Upholstery
Includes pieces that move to adjust the posture and comfort of the person seated. Entry may be by piece or group.
Occasional Storage
Includes occasional furniture whose primary function is storage. Included are wall units, étagères, curio cabinets, or movable storage intended for home use. This category does not include entertainment or home theater furniture. Entry may be by piece or group.
Occasional Tables – Broad Appeal
An open piece of furniture with a flat top and one or more legs or supports, providing a level surface on which objects may be placed. Suggested Retail price must be less than $500.
Occasional Tables - Luxury
An open piece of furniture with a flat top and one or more legs or supports, providing a level surface on which objects may be placed. Suggested Retail price must be $500 or more.
Outdoor
Includes tables, chairs and other furniture designed primarily for outdoor or leisure-time settings such as sunrooms, porches, patios or atriums
Includes upholstered pieces with moving trays, shelves, etc., as long as the movement does not affect the posture of the person seated. Entry may be by piece or group.
Suggested Retail price must be less than $2,000 per seat. To calculate the number of seats, divide the total seating width by 30 and round to the nearest unit.
For example:
Stationary Upholstery - Luxury
Includes upholstered pieces with moving trays, shelves, etc., as long as the movement does not affect the posture of the person seated. Entry may be by piece or group.
Suggested Retail price must be $2,000 per seat or more. To calculate the number of seats, divide the total seating width by 30 and round to the nearest unit.
For example:
Wall Décor
Home furnishings items that attach to or hang on a wall, including but not limited to wall mirrors, wall decor, clocks, (does not include wall art, paintings or prints). Entry may be by piece or group.
Youth
Includes furniture for infants and juvenile bedrooms including beds, children's room accessories, and storage. Entry may be by piece or group.
Special Category
Designer/Maker
This category is for builders/makers creating one-of-a-kind pieces for sale in galleries, stores, and/or client-specific projects. Makers should have an independent business providing design and build services for custom furniture and accessories in their local market. This includes wood and mixed material case goods, occasional pieces, seating, upholstery and accessories. Includes both indoor and outdoor products.
Special Sub-category (applies to all Categories)
The Green Leaf Award
Products that meet the most discerning design standards while also meeting a legitimately eco-friendly profile.
To ensure a move away from the harmful chemical inputs that are most commonly used in furnishings, the designer/manufacturer takes The Pledge to ASK, "What's it made of?" and makes use of the Supply Chain Questionnaire to move away from dependence on VOCs such as formaldehyde, flame retardants, PFAS, antimicrobials, and PVC.
50% of entry’s source of manufacturing is local, defined as no more than 250-mile radius for the source of the primary raw material, the manufacturing facility itself, and the primary distribution center.
Entry addresses conservation of materials by describing how the economy of material use exceeds industry standards.
Entry contains at least 75% recycled or reclaimed material content.
For wood products, entry contains 75% Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) or Progamme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) certified or reclaimed wood.
The Green Leaf Award "subcategory" can be entered in any or all of the 24 Pinnacle categories. You must first enter your product in the traditional category and then indicate that you would like to be considered for the Green Leaf Award. For the Green Leaf subcategory, you must provide supporting evidence on a separate, up-loadable file (limit to one full page), in PDF or word format by referring to the Sustainable Design Criteria listed below. Please clearly state and be as thorough as possible when listing the criteria your product meets in regard to being eco-friendly.
Sustainable Design Criteria Benchmarks:
All designs must demonstrate an effort to go beyond mere legal compliance to avoid harmful chemical inputs in production processes.
Wood
Designers/manufacturers must reveal the policies they use to guide selection of wood materials and ensure they are not inadvertently contributing to deforestation. All wood must be either sourced from a Low-Risk zone as defined by Forest Stewardship Council’s Global Forest Risk Registry; note which low-risk country is the point of origin for the wood or wood-like material. Demonstrations favored include certification from FSC, SFI, or PEFC. Alternatives to virgin wood such as recycled/reclaimed wood and rapidly renewable species (e.g. bamboo, rattan, wicker) are also favored.
Textiles
Textile attributes that are favored include certifications of organic fiber, including GOTS and OekoTex; recycled content; and non-cotton natural fiber content, including wool, linen, hemp, etc.
Any structural material other than wood used in design
Minimum 50% post-consumer recycled content.
Leather
Evidence of closed loop process that ensures no pollutants from tanning are leeched into waterways.
Plastic
100% post-consumer recycled content.
Cushioning
Either latex OR bio-hybrid foam OR minimum 50% post-consumer recycled content.
Glass
Minimum 50% post-consumer recycled content.
Extra consideration will be given to those designs that also meet the following:
Solid wood construction using no composite board OR minimum 100% FSC-certified.
100% Reclaimed or recycled content.
All materials procured within 250 miles of manufacturing.
