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You may submit original work by you or your organization that you have the right or authority to submit for review. (“Awards Entry”)

The IxDA’s 2021 Interaction Awards is open to all organizations and individuals, including students and professionals at all levels of experience, involved in designing products, systems, or services.

IxDA is fully committed to promoting inclusion and diversity within the Interaction Design community and to ensuring that all individuals and groups have equal opportunity to submit work and be reviewed.

All applicants are strongly encouraged to submit entries independent of their ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, ability, age, education, expertise/experience, region of origin, region of work, or field of design.

All entries must be received by 31 October 2020, at 11:59 PM Pacific Time.

To be eligible for an award, you must meet the following criteria:

• You must be at least 18 years of age.
• Your projects must have been completed between 1 October 2018 and 31 October 2020. (Student entrants must provide graduation date and proof of student status when the work was completed).
• Your work must be original, and you must have the right or authority to submit it for review and have it published.
• Your entry should be in English or have English subtitles, where possible. *Acknowledgement: Although we are a global body, we are currently English-standardized in the IxDA community. If the project is submitted in another language, we would appreciate English subtitles or translation included (we recommend DeepL as a free translation service.) If for any reason you are unable to provide a translation, please get in touch at awards@ixda.org and we will explore other options to accommodate.
• You must read and accept the Interaction Awards Terms & Conditions before submitting.
• Entries must not propagate “hate” messages. Statements that are defamatory or otherwise extraordinarily offensive are not eligible in accordance with IxDA’s Code of Conduct. 

There is no limit to the number of entries that may be submitted by any entrant. A completed online application and fee must accompany each entry. 

Entries that do not meet eligibility criteria may be disqualified at any phase of the Awards process, without notification.

Reflecting the broad spectrum of Interaction Design, the award categories focus on the nature of the interactions, as opposed to the forms that they take. That’s why we work hard to find discerning and fair professionals as judges.

Judges will ultimately weigh each submission in context with all other submissions, but their primary criteria for evaluation will be the quality of the work itself. For the Interaction Awards 2021, quality is defined and will be evaluated by the dimensions below. 

Framing

Thoughtfully Considered Human Context:

How well does the project team demonstrate a process to understand the human context of the problem or opportunity frame? How well does the solution build on and communicate this understanding? How well does the solution identify what people will be included (who the design is “for”); what people will be excluded; and the resulting impact? How well does the team distinguish direct users and other impacted people? How well does the solution improve on access, inclusion, and opportunity for historically marginalized people?

Well-Framed Opportunity:
How well is the problem space or opportunity framed? How clear is the insight? How well developed is the connection between insight, solution, and desired outcome? How does this framing offer something new from solutions previously attempted in the problem or opportunity space? 

Process 

Compelling Concept:
How clear is the concept or big idea behind the solution? How well does the concept match and build on the insight and problem/opportunity frame? How well does the concept advance meaningful discussion or new models for design? 

Exquisite Craft:
How well did the project team employ their design process? How well did the work translate the concept to tangible, elegant design, through language, style, behaviour, and functionality, as it supports human interaction? How well does the work demonstrate attention to detail, fit and finish, and how the chosen medium serves the purpose and goals of the design? How well did the project team consider aspects of usability and accessibility? How well did the project team consider and incorporate the voices of impacted people into the process?

Outcomes

Positive Impact:
How well does the solution deliver on its intended impact against the frame (opportunity addressed), the people, and the business (profit, cost, brand)? How well does the solution consider and mitigate unintended or negative impact?

Meaningful Innovation:
How novel was the solution, the concept, and/or specific aspects of the craft? How well does it advance the practice of interaction design, and inspire new thinking for others?

Entries will be considered for the following awards. The jury will determine best category fit for all shortlisted entries. 

• Connecting – Facilitating communication between people and communities
• Disrupting – Re-imagining existing systems via new behaviors, usages, or markets
• Empowering – Helping people to do things they otherwise couldn’t do
• Engaging – Capturing attention, creating delight and delivering meaning
• Expressing –  Enabling self expression and/or creativity
• Optimizing – Making daily activities more efficient

Three additional Awards will be given:

• People’s Choice
• Future Voice
• Best in Show

The Awards committee assumes all Awards Entries are original and the Entrant either owns the work or has permission from a client or other appropriate party to enter the work, with all rights granted therein. In the event that an Entrant without such rights submits an entry, the entrant will not be eligible for the Awards. The Awards are not liable for any copyright infringement on the part of any Entrant.

Submission of any Entry acknowledges the right of the IxDA and the Interaction Awards to use it for exhibition, promotion, and publication purposes in any medium. Timely submission of an Entry meeting the eligibility requirements and payment of the Entry Fee as stated herein ensures that an Entrant’s work will be reviewed and considered for recognition. 

No other representation or warranty is made by the Awards concerning Entries and all implied warranties are hereby expressly disclaimed.

If an Entry receives an award, the manner and details of announcing such nomination and award is strictly within the discretion of the Awards committee. The committee reserves the right to determine how each entrant is publicized and awarded: Some might be presented in a ceremony, and others might not.

In these perilous times, design is more vital than ever. Some of the best design solutions are emerging in a context of great uncertainty and change, and the Awards desires to showcase these exemplar entries on the global stage.

For that reason, entry fees for 2021 are reduced by 50 percent, as a way to make award submissions accessible to outstanding projects and teams working despite, through, or with challenging circumstances.

IxDA believes in diversity as a fundamental source for outstanding design. As such, the Interaction Awards seeks the broadest possible participation in submission entries, from all walks of life and across the world. 

To achieve this, we have implemented several imperatives:

• Fees structured to specific global regions and level of experience (see details in the Entry Fees section)
• Reviewer evaluation criteria keyed to gauging each entry’s efforts toward inclusion, accessibility, and a deep understanding of the human context of the problem / opportunity frame
• Diverse representation on the planning team, the Peer Review Committee, the jury, and related community members and groups
• Support for entries in languages other than English, where suitable and achievable

To reflect the diversity of the global IxDA community and support fair and inclusive participation, entry fees are structured according to your geography and professional/student status. The fee structure is guided by the widely accepted International Monetary Fund classification. 

Award Submission – Region 1 Countries:

• General entry fee: $110 per submission, for submissions from Region 1 countries 
• Student entry fee: $33 per submission, for student submissions from Region 1 countries. Students may enter their first project for free. 

Award Submission – Region 2 Countries:

• General entry fee: $55 per submission, for submissions from Region 2 countries
• Student entry fee: $15 per submission, for student submissions from Region 2 countries. Students may enter their first project for free.  

This fee covers submission of original work by you or your organization that you have the right or authority to submit for review. Payment per entry is submitted via credit card. Entry fees are per project.

See which region you live in.

Entrants must complete and submit the Official Entry Form before 11:59 PM Pacific Time on 31 October 2020 (“Entry Period”). An Entry is considered processed after a completed Entry Form is received by the Awards committee and payment for the Entry Fee is received. The Awards committee reserves the right to recategorize Entries and to create new Categories if appropriate.

Submission requires the details below:

• Information about you and/or your team: Who you are, where you live/work/study, and how we can contact you (email, postal address, telephone). Students will also need to include their graduation year and proof of student status while the work was done. 

• Up to 7 images representing your project: Please include images that demonstrate your project and the impact of your work. Images may include: photographs, screenshots, illustrations, renderings, diagrams, or other.
• Rationale for submitting the project: Please include a rationale (no more than 5 min of audio, or 500 words of text) describing the project and explaining why it deserves the Interaction Award, as well as answers to the following questions:
• • What opportunity was the project addressing?
  • Who were you designing for?
  • What was the impact?
  • Describe your design process applied to the project?

If your entry is shortlisted, you will have the opportunity to update your entry and submit additional materials that explain or demonstrate the product or service. If you are shortlisted and need assistance with this stage, get in touch with us at awards@ixda.org.

Technical details about entering the awards:

• All entries are submitted through Submittable.
• You only need to register once on Submittable. After that you can submit as many entries as you like.
• Each project must be submitted separately.
• After submission and payment, you can still make changes to or delete your entry until submissions close.
• You must complete payment and submission details to finalize your submission and be eligible for evaluation.
• We will not reimburse paid entries, but we thank you for your contribution to the Awards.
• After 11:59 PM Pacific Time on 31 October 2020, you will need to contact us if you wish to remove your project from consideration.

Acknowledgment Of Entries

Entrants will receive an email acknowledgment when an Entry has been received.

Award Categories 

• Connecting – Facilitating communication between people and communities
• Disrupting – Re-imagining existing systems via new behaviors, usages, or markets
• Empowering – Helping people to do things they otherwise couldn’t do
• Engaging – Capturing attention, creating delight and delivering meaning
• Expressing –  Enabling self expression and/or creativity
• Optimizing – Making daily activities more efficient

Round One: Peer Review for Shortlist

An international body of volunteer peer reviewers from the IxDA community will evaluate all submissions. Each entry will receive a minimum of 2 individual reviews, culminating in a shortlist of approximately 12 top-rated entries per category. Shortlisted entries will be announced, and showcased online by November 2020 to allow the broader IxDA community to vote for their favorite projects to win a People’s Choice Award. Volunteer to peer review and help select this year’s shortlist.

Round Two: Jury Review for Finalists

Shortlisted entries will have the opportunity to submit additional information before being evaluated by an expert jury that will deliberate via remote working sessions in January 2021 shortly before the 2021 Interaction conference. The jury will select approximately up to 5 Finalists per category, who will be notified by email. Finalists will be given a complimentary conference registration for the Interaction21 Conference. The winners in each category, as well as People’s Choice, Future Voice, and Best in Show award winners, will be announced and celebrated on 5 February 2021. All Winning entries will receive a trophy.

Neither the IxDA, nor its Sponsors shall have any obligation or responsibility with regard to (i) entries that contain inaccurate information or that do not comply with these instructions; (ii) entries or notifications that are lost, late, incomplete, illegible, unintelligible, or otherwise not received by the intended recipient, in whole or in part, due to computer or technical error of any kind; (iii) telephone, electronic, hardware, software, network, Internet, or computer malfunctions, failures, or difficulties; or (iv) any damages or losses of any kind caused by any award or resulting from the acceptance of any award. The IxDA in its sole discretion reserves the right to disqualify any person tampering with the entry process or otherwise disregarding these instructions. The IxDA further reserves the right to cancel, terminate, or modify the Awards committee if it cannot be completed as planned because of infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, or technical failures of any sort. Entry materials/data that have been tampered with or altered are void.

Please see the About and Help pages for further details.

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