The 2020 Sherwin-Williams Student Design Challenge is now open and accepting residential and commercial project submissions through March 15. This year’s annual competition marks a decade of Sherwin-Williams inviting students to create award-winning interior renderings for a chance to win cash prizes, receive national recognition and celebrate their excellence in design. 

“Over the past 10 years, Sherwin-Williams has had the pleasure of supporting the next generation of interior designers and architects through the Student Design Challenge, and we continue to be blown away by their talent,” said Sue Wadden, director of color marketing at Sherwin-Williams. “The upcoming decade brings new opportunities for color in design, and I have a feeling that 2020 will be an exceptional year to showcase the innovative thinking from these up-and-coming professionals.”

The 2020 judging panel includes Wadden, Nicole White in the residential design category and Sven Shockey in the commercial design category. White is CEO and principal designer of award-winning Nicole White Designs and was recently featured in HGTV and Real Simple magazines. Shockey is the vice president and design director of award-winning SmithGroup, a member of the American Institute of Architects, and a LEED Accredited Professional in Building Design and Construction.

Entering the contest

Students can easily enter the 2020 Student Design Challenge by following these steps. First, submit a new or previously developed color rendering of a residential or commercial interior space using at least three Sherwin-Williams colors in the palette. Then, write a thoughtful description of the project that includes an explanation of how color contributes to the design. There is no fee to enter.

Prizes

Continuing from the 2019 challenge, every student who submits a project will receive a free ColorSnapÒ Palette Guide and copy of the 2020 ColormixÒ Forecast. The top winner from each category will receive a $2,500 cash prize and their design school will receive $1,000. Second-place winners will win a $1,000 cash prize and third-place winners will win a $500 cash prize. There will also be two Facebook Fan Favorite winners for each category announced in April who will receive a $100 Sherwin-Williams gift card. The competition closes on March 15 and the top three winners in each category will be announced in May.

All winners will be featured on the Sherwin-Williams Facebook page and in a future issue of the STIR email newsletter. Previous winners can be viewed here.

The full contest rules and entry submission instructions are available at swstudentdesign.com.