Applications are now open for IDC’s Value of Design Award (VODA), and the Innovation in Design Thinking: IDC Student Competition, a new opportunity for students.
IDC’s annual scholarship and bursary opportunities are also accepting applications at this time and will be awarded throughout the year.
Learn more about each opportunity below by downloading the guides and completing the application forms. All applications are reviewed by a panel of expert judges.
Value of Design Awards (VODA)
Launched in 2018 in Toronto, Canada, IDC’s Value of Design Awards (VODA) shine a spotlight on Canadian interior designers by providing a forum to showcase the benefits of design thinking: an empathetic, inventive, and iterative process focused on the human experience within interior spaces.
These awards demonstrate the positive human and business impact of design thinking for the people and companies who hire a professional interior designer. By measuring the benefits and outcomes of design, IDC is showcasing the true value of design in Canada and beyond our borders.
Due to COVID-19, entry fees for applications have been suspended. The deadline to submit VODA entries is April 30, 2021.
VODA winners will be honoured at a virtual awards celebration this fall. In addition, all winning projects will be profiled on IDC’s website, newsletter, and promoted on IDC’s social media channels.
Learn more about IDC’s 2020 VODA recipients.
DOWNLOAD GUIDE | SUBMIT APPLICATION
Innovation in Design Thinking: IDC Student Competition
This year, IDC created a new opportunity exclusively for Canadian interior design students. The purpose of this competition is to provide students with a national platform to demonstrate the value of interior design and illustrate the positive impact design has on the users of the spaces, supported by evidence-based research.
The potential of design to positively change and add value to our lives is the focus of this recognition. As designers, we are trained to use design thinking processes to better understand the people for whom we are designing.
Entries may be concepts or innovative processes at any scale or in any sector. Submissions must clearly communicate the intended value to the people, business, or society at large.
The deadline to submit entries to the competition is April 30, 2021.
IDC Student member(s) will be honoured at a virtual awards celebration this fall. In addition, all winning projects will be profiled on IDC’s website, newsletter, and promoted on IDC’s social media channels.
DOWNLOAD GUIDE | SUBMIT APPLICATION
IDC Scholarships and Bursaries
Wayne Thomson Scholarship
The Wayne Thomson Scholarship is awarded annually to one or more candidates under financial hardship who have recently completed the IDFX, IDPX and are eligible for or have completed the practicum for the NCIDQ. Applicants must be fully-qualified intern/provisional members of their provincial interior design association.
The scholarship, established by IDC and Wayne’s life partner, recently deceased, John Donat, honors the memory of Wayne Thomson – a prominent Ontario interior designer – and assists intern/provisional members with the cost of the National Council of Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) exam.
DOWNLOAD GUIDE | SUBMIT APPLICATION
Robert Ledingham Scholarship
The Robert Ledingham Scholarship is awarded annually to one or more candidates who have recently been accepted, or who are currently enrolled (within their first year of study) in graduate school at the master’s or doctorate level.
The Robert Ledingham Legacy Foundation, established by IDC and the Interior Designers Institute of British Columbia (IDIBC) in 2013, honours the memory of Robert (Bob) Ledingham, one of Canada’s most celebrated interior designers. Robert Ledingham was instrumental in advancing the profession locally, nationally, and internationally, and was a leader in the development of the interior design educational accreditation process in North America. In keeping with the spirit of Bob’s passion for education, his legacy foundation supports this scholarship program, along with a matching donation from Bob’s partner, Robert Lemon.
DOWNLOAD GUIDE | SUBMIT APPLICATION
BYU Design Bursary
Created in 2014 by IDC and Bob’s Your Uncle (BYU) Design, owned by IDC Fellow, past-president and Registered interior designers Ada Bonini and Cheryl Broadhead, the BYU Design Bursary is awarded annually to one or more emerging professionals who, for reasons of financial hardship, are unable to join their provincial interior design association as an Intern/Provisional member.
DOWNLOAD GUIDE | SUBMIT APPLICATION
Good luck to all entrants and candidates! Contact communications@idcanada.org with inquiries.
