It’s all too easy to write off award programmes as an exercise in vanity, self-congratulation, or ego inflation. It’s easy, that is, to focus solely on the end-result: trophies.

The reality, however, is far more nuanced and meaningful than most are willing to credit. Honour. Distinction. Tribute. Appreciation. An award demarcates an especial quality of achievement – they act equally as milestones and gold standards. They are, quite simply, the indicators of our own drive as an industry determined on progression – striving to improve the way we live, work, think and create.

And so, it’s really quite simple. Those visionary problem-solvers – the A+D community … you – who improve our world for the better, deserve our recognition and admiration. This is where the Shaw Contract Design Awards begins and ends: celebrating the story of our community (rookies and stalwarts, alike) in a continuous narrative of merit, advancement and bravery.

Since 2006 the Shaw Contract Design Awards has served our industry as a vehicle to leading-edge achievements, to game- changers, to clever products and considerate processes, to the complex and the streamlined, to kindness and intelligence, and to ‘good design’ – whatever it can be and wherever it is.

As an extension of Shaw Contract’s already distinguished design values, the Shaw Contract Design Awards follows the brand’s wholehearted embrace of viewing the work of A+D as a process of discovery. Now that entries for 2017’s Shaw Contract Design Awards are closed and in the hands of their international jury, the sheer array of key market segments is astounding. From commercial projects to hospitality, education to public spaces, each entry is judged on a detailed design story that encompasses sustainability and ecological goals, innovative design solutions and Shaw Contract’s flooring contribution to design objectives. As a united whole, this year’s line-up of entries are exemplars of considerate design for future impact.

Reflecting Shaw Contract’s driving force for environmental thought-leadership and social responsibility, 2017’s pool of entries perfectly aligns with the company’s industry reputation as the largest carpet recycler worldwide and the very first flooring manufacturer to create a cradle-to-cradle certified portfolio. Through a mixture of People’s Choice voting for winners in key market sectors, and jury-decided winners for the global stage, those who are lucky enough to take home the coveted award will enjoy an enviable degree of media coverage – with Global Winners also receiving an international design journey.