A total of 118 winners were recognised in the fourth edition of the Design Excellence Awards (DEA) in Singapore. The ceremony was held on 27 October 2016 at the STI Auditorium, Capital Tower and was attended by 250 industry professionals, interior designers and spatial design students from Singapore and Asia.

DEA 2016 attracted 280 entries from Singapore and across the Asia Pacific region, with 139 submitted to I-DEA (the awards for interior design firms) and 141 entered for SPADE (Spatial Design Awards, for institutions).

As proof of how much the awards has grown, this year’s submissions were a collective increase of 100 new entries across all categories from the previous year. Entries under SPADE saw a 100 per cent increase with a rise in submissions from the Asia Pacific region.

The award categories were Retail, Hospitality, Workplace, Public, Residential, Installation and Food and Beverage. Entries were assessed based on Design Concept, Site Context, Value Add, Resources and Limitations, and Overall Clarity, Articulation and Experience Generated.

Entries were judged by a highly respected jury panel that included Derek MacKenzie, Managing Director, Designphase DBA; Natalie Louey, Global Hospitality Leader, Geyer; and architect, interior and product designer Steve Leung, among others. Gold, Silver and Bronze were awarded according to a scoring band.

“DEA 2016 has proven to be a platform for industry professionals and upcoming talents to receive the recognition and exposure in the design community. It is truly exciting to see the quality of submissions raising the bar each year. It is a clear indication of the potential and promise of what can be expected from the design community moving forward – in Singapore and across the Asia Pacific region,” says George Budiman, President of the Interior Design Confederation Singapore (IDCS).

“Judges’ expectations were surpassed and we are proud to be able to continue striving so that DEA becomes synonymous with design excellence,” he adds.