Design Emphasis Student Furniture Competition

Announcing Design Emphasis 2026

The Management Committee of the International Woodworking Fair is pleased to announce Design Emphasis 2026, the industry’s most prestigious furniture design competition for college and university students.

Design Emphasis 2026 will take place at the International Woodworking Fair in Atlanta, Georgia, August 25–28, 2026. The competition is open to any undergraduate student enrolled in an accredited university or technical school program offering design, product design, or wood products courses. Explore the 2024 winners and honorees

Attention Schools and Instructors! Register Your School to Participate

To qualify students for the competition, interested schools and instructors must send us a completed School Registration Form by February 27, 2026.

Send your completed School Registration Form to LCH@IWFatlanta.com. 

Schools must be registered by the February 27, 2026 deadline for student participation in the competition. Once registered, details on student registration and project entry will be emailed to your attention. 

A competition brochure will also be emailed to registered schools and posted on this webpage starting November 1, 2025. The brochure contains important information about the competition, registration, and entry deadlines.

This is a great opportunity to demonstrate student talent before furniture industry designers, manufacturers, retailers, and members of the trade press. There are proven rewards for being a Design Emphasis finalist! 

What Is Design Emphasis?

The Design Emphasis Showcase is a “must see” at the International Woodworking Fair. Furniture pieces designed and built by students from colleges and universities throughout the United States are on display at IWF. Over $10,000 in prize money is awarded and presented during a special ceremony on the show floor.

The competition recognizes and rewards advanced level designs in five categories:

• Seating
• Case Goods
• Accent Furniture/Accent Tables
• Commercial/Office/Hospitality Furniture
• Design Creativity

2024 Design Creativity Winner: Luma by Orko Sen, Appalachian State University

How the Competition Works

During the spring of 2026, eligible students will submit images and a written description of their projects to be judged by a preliminary judging panel in early May. Finalists chosen during preliminary judging are invited to display their projects on the exhibit floor in the Design Emphasis Gallery in Exhibit Hall C during IWF, where final judging by a panel of industry experts takes place. The winners selected will be announced, and prize money awarded during show hours in the Design Emphasis Gallery.

Design Emphasis 2024 Participating Schools

• Appalachian State University
• ArtCenter College of Design
• Auburn University
• Brigham Young University
• Fox Valley Technical College
• Georgia Tech
• Haywood Community College
• Kansas City Art Institute
• Kansas State University
• Pennsylvania West University – Edinboro
• Pittsburg State University
• Purdue University
• Snow College
• SUNY Buffalo State University
• The Krenov School, Mendocino College
• University of Kansas
• University of Kentucky
• Vermont Woodworking School at Northern Vermont University

Spotlight on Past Design Emphasis Winners

IWF Design Emphasis Student Competition 2024 Winners

Design Emphasis 2024 Judges

• Jackie Hirschhaut – VP of Public Relations & Marketing, American Home Furnishings Alliance
• Kelly Peterson – Highpoint Marketing
• Gat Caperton – CEO, Gat Creek
• Whitney Ridgeway – Sr. Buyer|Merchandiser|Product Development, Rooms To Go
• Leigh Kivowitz Spencer, LEED GA – Managing Partner, Alabama Sawyer
• Cliff Spencer – Founding Partner, Alabama Sawyer
• Dixon Bartlett – Chief Creative Officer, Hooker Furniture

2024 Accent Furniture/Accent Tables Winner: Sonia Coffee Table by Michael Aehle, Kansas State University

What the Judges Say about Past Competitions

“The caliber of…Design Emphasis entries was, unquestionably, the highest quality overall that I’ve observed over the past decade. These rising furniture designers delivered products developed with a keen awareness of today’s consumer lifestyle in outstanding execution. The attention to detail in the finished samples as well as the presentation boards are superb.” — Jaclyn C. Hirschhaut, Vice President of Public Relations and Marketing, American Home Furnishings Alliance

“Judging the IWF Design Emphasis competition is an enlightening and rewarding experience…the level of imagination and workmanship consistently amazes me…it is such a treat each year to discover this creativity.” — Kelly Peterson, Highpoint Marketing

“I always look forward to partnering with Design Emphasis, learning about the students and their Design Programs. It is refreshing to see out of the box concepts and new approaches to product design. Where it may not always be practical in a retail environment as far as reproduction on the mass scale it evokes a thought process and spark to new ideas that may have a future. A wide range of talent submissions! I look forward to seeing which paths they take.” — Whitney Ridgeway, Sr. Buyer|Merchandiser|Product Development, Rooms To Go

Have Questions?

For more information about Design Emphasis, call IWF at 404-693-8333 or email Liz Hosp at LCH@iwfatlanta.com.