The Design is Human Awards return to the Atlanta Design Festival, spotlighting the most innovative and transformative work across architecture, digital design, and film.

The Design is Human Awards stand out by celebrating a diverse range of design talent across architecture, digital innovation, and film, making it one of the few awards to truly honor creativity in multiple forms. What sets these awards apart is their commitment to recognizing the depth of the creative process across disciplines—whether it’s designing a physical space, crafting a digital interface, or creating a visual story through film. The awards highlight how thoughtfulness and innovation in design have the power to shape the world around us.

While many awards focus on specific categories of design, the Design is Human Awards provide a broad view of the impact that design has on both local and global communities. The awards’ connection to the Atlanta Design Festival also gives them a unique cultural relevance, showcasing how Atlanta is a critical player in the global design conversation. Atlanta’s design sector contributed $39.5 billion to the city’s GDP in 2021, representing 8.3% of the total, and employing 111,800 people—an impact that surpasses even major cities like New York. This growth, with design-related productivity doubling that of the average worker, underscores the city’s significance as a design leader.

Beyond recognizing design excellence, the awards emphasize the social impact of design. Honorees such as MASS Design Group and The Rural Studio reflect the awards’ focus on projects that improve communities, tackle social challenges, and use design as a tool for meaningful change. This commitment to acknowledging the role of design in addressing social issues is what makes the Design is Human Awards uniquely powerful and relevant today.