Interesting view point...

I don't think there is much distain for awards, in and of themselves, I think it is more the amount of possible awards that exist. There are countless competitions that any designer could enter and win. So the question then becomes one of value. Does the CA design competition hold more prestige than How Magazine's, And does How Magazine hold more than the AIGA? And there are many, many more to compare and contrast.

So being an "award winning" designer might not hold as much weight professionally as it once did.

>So being an "award winning" designer might not hold as much weight professionally as it once did.

Even though the number of entries increase in each competition? it seems every year there are more and more competitors, making it "harder" to win. I am surprised about how some designers play down the fact that they have won awards, like they are ashamed of it or something.

About prestige, I think there are levels, obviously, I think the AIGA is one of the hardest annuals to get in. And HOW's if you send in projects that are trendy you usually get in.

I don't know... everybody has different opinions on this matter. And even though awards are played down, EVERYBODY (not everybody, but you know what I mean) has an awards section on their web site.

screw that noise. i guess it's just my materialist upbringing, but BRING ON THE AWARDS. I keep cutouts of press clippings, my name mentioned in graphic design magazines, & annual tearoffs all in my portfolio along with everything else. Even if it's just for my personal edification - well, you can't put a price on that.

Yeah and I think those sections are there to validate their "professional" skills to clients and potential clients.

Then the question that begs to be asked is: What makes a design award winning?

Perfectly kerned typography?

Stunning Photography?

Original Concept?

Direct Client success from the work?

I think all of it is important, but too many times the artifacts are seen out of context on the judging table and very visual work will always, always draw attention before solid communication work will.

I agree though, there are many opinions on this. (and I personally like being recognized for my efforts ;) )

I also get pretty excited when I win an award, or even if a link to my site turns up in unexpected places. Usually jurors on competitions have pretty good reputations, so it's nice when your work is recognized by them.

Rule number one: never accept an award you have to pay for. Rule number two: awards from anyone, even people you don't respect, are just great. Rule number three: It's OK to rationalize losing an award competition by saying that "they're jerks anyway." Rule number four: Rules two and three are contradictory, but still apply.

The problem with most awards is simple, and it's the same as the problem with increasingly many things: the *intent* of the organizers has nothing to do with *quality*. As a result, the validity of the results is moot.

hhp

It is a subject so attached to personal opinion that it's hard to say awards ar bad or good. I think it depends on which competition one is referring to, and the fact that one year it can be of great quality and the next one can be really poor. I think HOW's competitions are always in the "now", recognizing good work, but usually going for the established and/or trendy firms. AIGA's annual is tougher, where they are really selective about which and how many awards they give out. The Art Director's awards are boring, I've never enjoyed those. I could go on and on, but I'll stop here.