"Our aim is to celebrate the talent and diversity within our industry," says awards founder Rebecca Staniforth. "The awards are the only ones of their kind in South Africa, and we want to ensure that innovation, quality and overall design excellence is recognised."
The Qb Awards for South African Interior Design showcase the very best of South African design in all its varied facets, from corporate and office interiors to retail interiors and showrooms, restaurants and food outlets, hospitality venues, entertainment venues, domestic interiors and public spaces like airport lounges, shopping malls and convention centres.
Interior designers and architects from all over South Africa are invited to enter to enter their best designs of the previous 18 months in various categories, for which individual accolades will be awarded. All the designs entered become eligible for the Overall Award for Design Excellence. Past winners include Antoni Associates, Boogertman and Partners, The Design Partnership, One Point Zero, DSGN, OMM Design and Roger Martin Architects and Interior Design.
New categories that have been added include Lighting: Creative Lighting Design for Interior and Exterior Architecture and a student category.
"This year we are being even stricter with the judging in order to ensure the impartiality of the process. Works presented for evaluation are judged without the jurors knowing the identity of the authors. The difference this year is that the voting will be done electronically. No judge who may have had a vested interest in any work presented for evaluation for the award is allowed to influence decisions of the panel of judges," says Staniforth.
The independent panel of industry experts will be overseen by Professor Des Laubscher of the Greenside Design Center. Sponsors include Plascon, CN Business Furniture, Woolworths, Plexiglass, Saflok SA, Legacy Furniture, Ferreiras Décor World, Nexus, Philips, Aluglass and BPB Gypsum.
The call to entry, as well as ticket sales (limited to 500), are now open for this year's event, which will be held on 10 August 2006 in alliance with Decorex Johannesburg at Gallagher Estate, Midrand. Entries close strictly at 12pm on 30 June 2006.
To enter the Qb Awards or to book tickets, visit www.qbawards.co.za.
