2026 Golden Gate Design Competition

2026 DESIGN COMPETITION GUIDELINES 

ELIGIBILITY 

● Entrant (also referred to as Designer of Record (or DOR) and must be a design professional within The Northern California Chapter of NKBA region. 

● Individual entrants must be the Designer of Record on each project. 

● Open to NKBA Members and non-members. 

● The project(s) submitted must have been installed/completed between January 1, 2023 - January 31, 2026. 

● Enter the project category for which it is best suited, based on size and description.

● You may enter as many categories as you would like, but only one entry per category.

● Judges reserve the right to move a project to another category, if they feel it is appropriate.

● Past projects previously entered in this competition and were not awarded may be re-entered. Entry must adhere to the 2026 competition requirements. 

● Projects that have been awarded, outside of the NKBA Northern California Design Competition, are eligible for submission. 

● A new online entry submission is required for each project submitted and is to be completed in full and requires a separate fee. 

● NKBA Members: First project entry is $175; additional projects entered are $125 each. NKBA Membership number is required. 

● Non-Members: First project entry is $275; additional projects entered are $225 each. To become an NKBA Member, go to: NKBA Membership 

● Included with the first entry is one (1) Annual Design Awards Gala ticket at a discounted rate.

● All entry fees are paid online at the time of registration and are non-refundable. 

DEADLINES: 

● All entries must be received in their entirety by 6:00 pm PT on March 31, 2026.

COMPETITION AWARDS: 

● All winners will be published in both Modern Luxury: San Francisco and Interiors California “Kitchen & Bath” issues. 

● Engraved trophies will be presented at the Annual Design Awards Gala on August 27, 2026.

● All winners will be featured on The Northern California Chapter website and social media sites.

AWARDS GALA: 

● The 2026 Annual Design will be held on August 27, 2026. Location to be announced.

● Designers of Record (DOR) are requested to be present OR have a designated person to accept the award. 

● Designers unable to attend must contact the Design Competition Chair with the name of the designated person accepting the award. 

○ Lilley Yee Lilleyyeeinteriors99@gmail.com

 

DESIGN CATEGORIES: 

Standard Categories: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place awarded for each category 

KSM Kitchen Small (200 sq. ft. or less) 

KMD Kitchen Medium (201-275 sq. ft.) 

KLG Kitchen Large (276 sq. ft. or larger) 

BSM Bath Small (70 sq. ft. or less) 

BMD Bath Medium (71-150 sq. ft) 

BLG Bath Large (151 sq. ft. or larger) 

 

Specialty Award Categories: A single award for each category 

PRM Powder Room: (Does not include tubs or showers) 

LDRM Laundry Room 

KWBSP Kitchenette, Wet Bar, or Service Pantry (Any Size) 

BBAB Best Before & After Bathroom 

BBAK Best Before & After Kitchen 

AWARDS: 

● Awards information is taken directly from the data supplied in the online entry submission by the Designer of Record. Be sure to proofread all Designer of Record and Co-Designer names, companies and NKBA Certification for accuracy. 

● Awards will be given to the winning Designer of Record and the Co-Designer (additional fee). Only the Designer of Record will receive the cash award. 

● Awards engraved with the information submitted in CPJam, but deemed in need of correction/adjustment by the winner(s), will be re-made by the Design Committee. Any additional costs will be collected in advance.

REQUIRED MATERIALS CHECKLIST: 

● All required materials must be received digitally and files labeled with this format: 

Design Category_Project Name_Document Type 

Examples: 

BSM_BayView_Drawings.pdf 

BSM_BayView_Best Photo Portrait.jpg

ENTRY REQUIREMENT CHECKLIST: 

The following documents are to be uploaded with NO identifying information appearing anywhere on Drawings, Design Statement, Project Statement, Vendor List, or in file name. Verify all file names have been renamed prior to uploading. 

1. Photographs: 

● DO NOT use photos that identify the project location, clients, children, pets, or site workers.

● Up to ten (10) High Resolution photos. All photograph files MUST be in JPG format.

○ Best Photos (REQUIRED - Used in judging and for media for award winners.)

■ You must upload two (2) “Best Photos, one in landscape (horizontal format), and one portrait (vertical format), which are to be color, print quality, High-Resolution (300 dpi), approximately 8”x10” or larger. These can be the same or different perspectives. 

■ Note: The only exception is the Powder Room category, which only requires one (1) portrait “Best” photo, with the option to add a landscape “Best” photo, if available. 

○ After Photos (REQUIRED - Used in judging and for media) 

■ A minimum of one (1) and a maximum of six (6) “After” photos can be submitted. It is the DOR’s discretion whether to include the “Best” photos as “After” photos or not. 

■ After photos should show the completed design, and can include special products/features, custom details, and/or unique design/craftsmanship. 

■ After photos should be web-resolution (72 dpi), approximately 8”x10” or larger.

○ Before Photos (REQUIRED - Used in judging) 

■ At least one “before” picture is required, unless the project is new construction, and this should be included in your Design Statement. 

2. Design Statements: 

Project Overview Statement: 

● 80-word maximum statement “in your own words” in a narrative essay. 

● Describe the project as you would like it to be announced at the award presentation, if it is a winner. 

● Highlight your favorite design details 

● The Project Name must be noted on EVERY document submitted 

● Do not include any identifying designer, co-designer, company, contractor, or client information 

Design Statement Narrative: 

● 200 to 400 words maximum - explain your project in a bulleted statement 

● This clearly, but briefly, outlines the client needs, objectives, design philosophy, challenges, solution, and special features (think of the design statement as you would your pitch to a magazine). 

3. Drawings: (Floorplans, Elevations) 

MUST include the following: 

● Before Floor Plan 

● After Floor Plan 

● Wall Elevations 

● Upload all drawings as one file (PDF) 

● MUST be scaled to 1/4”, 3/8”, or 1/2” 

● MUST be clearly labeled, including dimensions (dimensions not required on Before Floor Plan) 

● Rename all file names prior to uploading and thus eliminate all identifying designer, co-designer, company, contractor, or client information. See Example above 

● Abide by NKBA Kitchen and Bath Planning Guidelines with Support Spaces and Accessibility, Fourth Edition. See Resource Documents Section. 

4. Vendor/Products List: 

● List of products and manufacturers used in your project (PDF File) 

5. Headshot 

● High resolution (300 dpi) For Designer of Record and each Co-Designer on the entry. 

6. Designer of Record/Co-Designer Release Form 

7. Client Property Release Form REQUIRED for each entry 

8. Photography Release Form REQUIRED for each entry 

9. Business Release Form REQUIRED ONLY for Designers who are NOT self-employed

NOTE: ANY CHANGES TO THE RELEASE FORMS WILL DISQUALIFY THE ENTRY 

NOMENCLATURE FOR ENTRY FILE NAMES 

● Please use the file name nomenclature shown below to remain anonymous and lessen the coordination workload burden on our design competition volunteers + judges.

● The examples below are all based on an entry project named “BAY VIEW”. 

● Your project entry must remain anonymous. Therefore, do not include the file path with identifying information. 

○ Example of a file name containing the full file path. 

X Provanti Designs/Smith/BAY VIEW BATH Plan.pdf 

○ Example of an anonymous, properly named file with no file path included. 

✓ BSM_BAY VIEW_Best Photo Portrait.pdf 

JUDGING: 

● All judges are selected by the Northern California Chapter Design Committee, are experts in their field, and are not members of the Northern California Chapter. 

● A point system is used for scoring. Actual scoring results will not be released.

● Judging is online via CP Jam by a panel of impartial judges evaluating the entries.

● Judges reserve the option to move a project to another category if they feel it is appropriate.

● Judges reserve the right to determine if the category has a winning entry. There is no guarantee that each category will have a winning entry. 

● *All decisions of the judges are final* 

 

● Entries for all categories will be judged by the following core areas, 

○ Creativity 

○ Presentation 

○ Design Planning 

○ Elements and Principles of Design 

○ Safety and Ergonomics 

○ NKBA Planning Guidelines (4th Edition) 

REASONS FOR DISQUALIFICATION: 

● If any materials are omitted or if the required criteria are not met, the entry will be disqualified. Incomplete entries will be disqualified. No notification will be given. Entry fees will not be refunded. 

● If your complete submission is not received by 6:00 PM (Pacific Time) on March 31, 2026.

● If any release forms are altered in any way. 

● If any identifying information appears anywhere on Drawings, Design Statement, Project Statement, Vendor List or in file name. 

If entering under NKBA Member pricing, your NKBA Northern California Chapter membership will be verified! Certification is not required in order to enter. To become an NKBA Member, go to: 

NKBA MEMBERSHIP 

QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS COMPETITION: 

For any and all questions about this year's design competition, please contact: Lilley Yee at 650-400-4011 or lilleyyeeinteriors99@gmail.com