RED Awards

The Retail Design Excellence (RED) Awards, run annually by the Retail Interiors Association, exists to promote excellence in retail design and to recognise the contribution of designers, shopfitters and suppliers to the retail industry.

The emphasis placed on meeting the needs of the target market and on creating a point of difference within today’s competitive retail sector, irrespective of the budget expended, is an important measurement for the Awards.

The RED Awards also exist to promote the Retail Interiors Association, it's members, sponsors, and the retailers who have chosen to work with designers, shopfitters and suppliers.

Entrants stand to gain the acclaim of the shopfitting, architectural, and design industries, an award in recognition of their achievement, along with nationwide publicity.

See 2024 RED Award Winners

The Awards

The Supreme Award winner is the highest honour among the six Group Award winners.

This accolade is given to the project which demonstrates excellence within their respective category or group.

By receiving this award, the Supreme Award winner distinguishes themselves as the top performer, embodying retail excellence.
There are six groups available for entry in the RED awards, each representing different sectors of the retail industry:

Food & Beverage

Fashion & Accessories

Health & Beauty

Services

Specialty Retail

Big Box

Within each group, the judges will select one winner who will proceed as a finalist for the Supreme Award.

Additionally, the judges will also award Merit awards to outstanding entries within each group, showcasing exceptional design and innovation.
Excellence Awards are decided by the judges and awarded by the sponsors to celebrate the submissions that best demonstrate the following design elements:

Shopfront

Craftmanship

Flooring

Colour and Texture

Signage and Graphics

Lighting

Finishes Selection

Visual Merchandising

Digital Integration

Innovation
Sustainability Award

We aim to highlight and reward projects that have successfully implemented sustainable initiatives.We encourage participants to embrace regenerative practices in materials and design ideas to achieve a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly retail interiors industry.

Customer Experience Award

Awarded in recognition to projects that have demonstrated exceptional creativity and effectiveness in enhancing the customer experience.This could be showcased through cutting-edge technologies, implemented personalised shopping experiences, or created unique ways to engage customers.

RED Star Award

The RED Star Award is a prestigious recognition that honors the remarkable contributions of individuals aged 30 and under in their respective industries. This award celebrates the importance of diversity, innovation, and fresh perspectives in driving positive change and growth.

It provides young professionals, entrepreneurs, artists, and leaders with a platform to showcase their achievements and inspire others.If you or someone you know fits the criteria for the RED Star Award, we highly recommend submitting a nomination.It's a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge the exceptional work of the next generation and highlight their valuable contributions to their fields.

Let's come together to celebrate the brilliance and impact of these young individuals.

There are many aspects of Retail Design and the RED Awards is about celebrating excellence across all aspects of our industry. Entrants in the RED Awards have the opportunity to be recognised with the following awards:

Entry Criteria

The Groups

There are six groups available for entry and within each group, there are specific categories aligned to each group that are eligible for entry. Consider the category that best represents your project before submitting your entry:

Bars, Nightclubs, Restaurants

Foodcourt

Day Cafés

Gourmet Food

Grocery

Convenience Stores

Included Categories
Included Categories

Appliances

Electronics

Telecommunications & Digital

Furniture

Furnishing

Lighting

Power Tools, Hardware & Building

Garden

Department Stores
Apparel

Accessories (Eyewear, Jewellery, Hair, Footwear)

Included Categories
Service (Finance, Travel, Medical Real Estate)

Hotels & accomodation

Telco's

Insurance

Showrooms

Entertainment

Included Categories
Beauty (Hair, Nails, Spa)

Fitness & Wellbeing

Health (Medical, Dental & Pharmacy)

Included Categories
Gifts

Homewares

Toys

Books

Music

Art

Included Categories

By entering the Group Awards your project is automatically eligible for the Excellence Awards.

These awards are decided by the judges as part of the Group Award judging process, and awarded by our Sponsors to celebrate the submissions that best demonstrate the following design elements:

Scotty Doors Shopfront
Gartshore Craftmanship
Flooring
Resene Colour and Texture
Novii Lighting
GDM Visual Merchandising
Monstavision Digital Integration
Laminex Finishes Selection
Plytech Innovation

Excellence Awards

Red Star Award

Entry is by nomination only. Nominations will be accepted from Employers, Clients, or Industry Professionals.

The nominee must be 30 years of age or under and have been working in the industry for a period of 3 years or less by 1st December 2024. It is free to enter.

You will be asked to upload:

A PDF – (can be up to 4 pages) that outlines the nominee’s talent, achievements and potential to the industry. The PDF will read a bit like a CV and should include a:

A testimony or reference (written by the nominator)
And a summary of the nominee’s:
Background and education
Work experience
Achievements

An example project including:

an outline of the clients brief
the candidate’s roles/responsibility and contribution to the project
A summary of the project outcome
Photos that represent an example of the nominees work

If you would like to know more about the Sustainability and RED Star Awards and how to be eligible for entry, please contact Kate Villers info@nzria.co.nz or phone 027 673 7739 or 09 309 9247

Sustainability Award

Entry for the Sustainability Award is considered as part of your entry.

As part of your entry please include an outline of the Sustainable Elements within your design as part of the typed 700 word project summary (detailed above).

Judges will score entries out of 100 points.

Overall Concept / Experience - 20pts
Impact of shop front, signage and graphics - 10pts
Fitout quality and complexity - 10pts
Innovation -10pts
Space planning / customer flow - 10pts
Ambience (Lighting, Colour, Flooring) - 10pts
Brand Integration - 10pts
Merchandising and display / Joinery - 10pts
Response Relative to Brief and Budget - 10pts

Judges will have final say over all aspects of the competition. No further correspondence or discussion will be entered into and the entrant accepts the judges’ decision as final and binding.

The judges will consider the winners of each group for the Supreme Award.

The convenor reserves the right to relocate an entry from one division to another if they deem it necessary
Where there is a likelihood of conflict of interest in the judging procedure, then that judge will step down from evaluating that entry.
All entries are open to site visits where the panel deems it necessary.

All entries will be assessed from entrants’ submissions via the website followed by a preliminary judging session.

Following this, finalists will be chosen and judges may visit each finalist before meeting again to decide on the winners.

The judging panel have been selected by the Retail Interiors Association executive board on the basis of their expertise and experience with retail design and shopfitting.

Group Award Upload Requirements:

You will be asked to upload six - ten clear photographs measuring at at least 1200 pixels wide by 1200 pixels high.

It is recommended that you include at least one image per visual component of the judging criteria.

One image of the shop front, which should include signage and graphics and the design impact (from standing outside the store).
Two overall shots of the interior standing at the entrance: these shots will include lighting qualities, ambiance and visual impact (colours, finishes, graphics and merchandising).

Three close up/detail shots of fixtures and joinery and/or other elements that the designer feels are critical components of the design (CAD images depicting completed project will not be accepted).
To include more detailed images you may use montage shots
You will also be able to include a link to videos of your project hosted on Youtube or Vimeo

A typed explanation (up to 700 words) of the project, explaining the client’s brief, budget, floor area and tangible effects/results.

A pdf version of the Floor plan showing overall concept and space planning.

Terms + Conditions

Please note:

The administrator reserves the right to use submitted images for the Retail Interiors Association website and the Red Awards website, including the awards presentation events, and other ongoing publicity purposes.

Important:

Entries/projects must be authentic and have been completed between 1st October 2023– 27th September 2024 and must not have been submitted into previous year’s RED Awards.

Entries open 1st September 2024 and close 5pm, Friday 27 September 2024. Late entries close 1st October 2024.

Failure to comply with the conditions set out above will result in disqualification at the discretion of the convenor.

Entry Fee

Members: $300 + GST one entry
Members: $50 + GST per additional entries
Non-Members: $450 + GST one entry
Non-Members: $200 + GST per additional entries

Payment will be required upon completion and submission of your entry

Become a member here today

Congratulations to our
2024 RED Award Winners

Winners

Our Sponsors

Become a Sponsor

RED Awards

The Awards

There are six groups available for entry in the RED awards, each representing different sectors of the retail industry:

Food & Beverage

Fashion & Accessories

Health & Beauty

Services

Specialty Retail

Big Box

Within each group, the judges will select one winner who will proceed as a finalist for the Supreme Award. Additionally, the judges will also award Merit awards to outstanding entries within each group, showcasing exceptional design and innovation.

Entry Criteria

The Groups

Included Categories

Included Categories

Included Categories

Included Categories

Included Categories

Included Categories

Excellence Awards

Congratulations to our 2024 RED Award Winners

Our Sponsors

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Within each group, the judges will select one winner who will proceed as a finalist for the Supreme Award.

Additionally, the judges will also award Merit awards to outstanding entries within each group, showcasing exceptional design and innovation.

Congratulations to our
2024 RED Award Winners