Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum Announces Winners of the 2013 National Design Awards

NEW YORK, May 9, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum will celebrate outstanding achievement in design this fall with its 14th annual National Design Awards program. Today, Cooper-Hewitt acting director Caroline Baumann announced the winners of the 2013 National Design Awards, which recognize excellence and innovation across a variety of disciplines. The award recipients will be honored at a gala dinner Thursday, Oct. 17, at Pier Sixty in New York.

First launched at the White House in 2000 as a project of the White House Millennium Council, the National Design Awards were established to promote design as a vital humanistic tool in shaping the world. The awards are accompanied each year by a variety of public education programs, including special events, panel discussions and workshops. First Lady Michelle Obama serves as the Honorary Patron for this year's National Design Awards.

"As the nation's design museum, Cooper-Hewitt raises awareness that everything around us is designed," said Baumann. "This year's National Design Award winners have made a major impact in their respective fields through groundbreaking projects and visionary ideas. They have truly transformed the way we live, think, work and communicate with each other."

A jury of design leaders and educators from across the country, convened by the museum, reviewed submissions resulting from nominations submitted by the general public. Winners are selected based on the level of excellence, innovation and public impact of their body of work.

The 2013 National Design Award recipients are:

• Lifetime Achievement: James Wines
• Design Mind: Michael Sorkin
• Corporate & Institutional Achievement: TED
• Architecture Design: Studio Gang Architects
• Communication Design: Paula Scher
• Fashion Design: Behnaz Sarafpour
• Interaction Design: Local Projects
• Interior Design: Aidlin Darling Design
• Landscape Architecture: Margie Ruddick
• Product Design: NewDealDesign

National Design Week is made possible in part by the generous sponsorship of Target.

National Design Awards are made possible in part by SodaStream. ndagallery.cooperhewitt.org is powered by Behance. National Design Award trophies are created by The Corning Museum of Glass. Media sponsorship is provided by Smithsonian magazine.

About the Museum
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum is the only museum in the nation devoted exclusively to historic and contemporary design. Founded in 1897, the museum has been a branch of the Smithsonian since 1967. Visit www.cooperhewitt.org.

SOURCE Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum