Student Awards & Scholarships
Attention all current IDEA School of Design students and recent graduates, this is a list of awards that should be on your goal setting radar for the year. Get your A-grade work ready!
Process
Why
To launch your career, build connections, strengthen your portfolio/résumé and earn you $$$.
How
See the individual award/scholarship website for details on preparing your entry. Each competition has an assigned faculty rep. Contact them for questions and support.
IDEA Faculty Jury
For specific awards, the faculty rep. will set up an IDEA Jury process. Follow their instruction to submit your work to the IDEA Jury, 10 days before the award/scholarship deadline. If approved the IDEA School of Design will cover the cost of your application fee.
FAQ
You can submit a project for multiple awards — even if a project has gained previous recognition or has been submitted to others in the past. You must submit to each competition separately.
If you find a new award or didn’t pass the IDEA Jury you can enter any award on your own, and pay your own entrance fee. If you win, contact an IDEA coordinator to apply for fee reimbursement.
Students are responsible for submitting their own award entries, along with necessary documents. Faculty is here to support the process but not complete the final submission.
Co-coordinator rep. Christina Lee Kim Koon: please email me if you have any general questions regarding student awards and scholarships.
Vancouver UX Awards
September
Recognizing the elegance, clarity, innovation, impact, and emotion in the experiences we create. Up-and-coming practitioners are making huge contributions to innovation in this region’s UX community. This award celebrates the work done in courses, extra-curricular activities, or portfolio projects—provided the solutions were not designed for commercial purposes.
Faculty Rep. Jai Djwa
No IDEA Jury
Discipline: Interactive
Scale: B.C. Design Students
Individual or team
See Past Finalists
Jim Rimmer Scholarship
November
Two $1,000 scholarships are awarded annually to design students in B.C. whose project supports a community program, social cause, non-profit, or an environmental or social cause.
Faculty Rep. Thomas Duguid
No IDEA Jury
Discipline: Open
Scale: B.C. Design Students
Individual or Team
RGD SoGood Awards
January
An international design competition that celebrates the power of design to do good! Submissions are any communications design projects that help to incite positive action in our communities and make meaningful changes in how we live our lives. Bi-annual — occurs only on even-numbered years.
Faculty Rep. Chelsea Bell Eady
IDEA Jury Required
Discipline: Open
Scale: International
Individual or team
Type Directors Club — Beatrice Warde Scholarship
Feb
Beatrice Warde Scholarship recognizes one female-identifying college junior, whose work demonstrates exceptional talent, sophistication, and skill in the use of typography across current media, not just print.
Faculty Rep. Carol Aitken & Heather Jalbout
No IDEA Jury
*3rd Year Female Students Only
Discipline: Typography
Scale: International Design Student
Individual
CAPIC Rodeo
April
CAPIC RODEO is a student competition for photography and illustration. This contest is an opportunity to showcase the wealth of student talent that exists across Canada!
Faculty Rep. Pascal Milelli
IDEA Jury Required
Discipline: Illustration
Scale: Canadian Design Student
Individual
ADCC Awards
April
Kick off your career with an ADCC trophy. To win, submit the best pieces from your student portfolio in Advertising, Graphic Design, Editorial & Book Design, and Interactive. No extra work or made-up briefs required. The ADCC gives out Gold, Silver and Bronze awards to the best student work from across Canada.
Faculty Rep. Christina Lee Kim Koon
IDEA Jury Required
Discipline: Advertising, Graphic Design, Editorial Design, Interactive Media
Scale: Canadian Design Student
Individual
RGD Student Awards
May
Industry sponsored awards, open to any full-time student enrolled in a College/University design-related undergraduate program in Canada. Any student work may be submitted — up to 4 pieces of work!
Faculty Rep. Elyssa Schmid
No IDEA Jury
Discipline: Open — Award Category Specific
Scale: Canadian Design Student
Individual or Team
Salazar Awards
May
Recognizing talented and inspiring students currently enrolled in design programs in BC.
Faculty Rep. Elyssa Schmid
No IDEA Jury
Discipline: Print Design, Brand Identity, Interactive, Video & motion
Scale: B.C. Design Student
Individual
GDC National Scholarships
May
Two distinct tuition scholarships, open to any student enrolled in a Canada College/University: The Cheryl Lynn Rutledge Northern Indigenous Student Award and the GDC Foundation Ray Hrynkow Scholarship. *Recommended — an instructor/mentor should review your application before submitting.
Faculty Rep. Carol Aitken
No IDEA Jury — Instructor review recommended
Discipline: Communication Design, Interactive,
Scale: Canadian Design Student
Individual
Applied Arts — Student Awards
May
Internationally recognized, the Applied Arts Student Awards have given students a competitive advantage as they enter the workforce.
Tip: Don’t forget to enter illustration projects to this one - there is a lot of opportunity!
Faculty Rep. Pascal Milelli
IDEA Jury Required
Discipline: Advertising, Design, Digital, Gaming, Photography, Illustration
Scale: International Design Student
Individual
James Lee Foundation
September
The scholarship is open to emerging creative talent from across Canada wanting to enter the advertising industry. Entrants must be non-professional Canadian residents over the age of 16. All fields of creativity related to the advertising community will be considered (e.g. writers, art directors, film makers, recording artists, illustrators, digital artists, etc.). We will be awarding a minimum of $5000 to the winner.
3x3
March
Open to all illustrators in all countries, it’s the only truly international illustration show. Open to all illustrators at all levels in all countries for commissioned and non-commissioned work produced and/or published prior to our show deadline.
Adobe Awards
Ongoing
The Adobe Awards are the world's premier digital media competition for students and emerging creators. Get exposure to creative leaders and influencers, connect with other young artists and designers, and learn what it takes to land today’s most coveted creative jobs.
Type Directors Club Scholarships
Ongoing
The TDC Scholarship: Every year, we honor up to seven students with the TDC Scholarship, a $1,000 award recognizing their achievements in and appreciation for typography in design. *Applicants are nominated by their design school.
Open Briefs
Announced January | Deadline March
Real briefs, set by real clients, judged by the industry's top creatives. These type of awards require you to complete the posted project brief. You can do the work during a course or as a self-initiated project. Checkout the different organizations and their project briefs below.
*This is not speculative work — see each brief for intellectual rights agreements.
Custom kinetic type created with spacetypegenerator.com