Mayor Mike Johnston and Community Planning and Development are seeking nominations for the Mayor’s Design Awards.
Since 2005, the Mayor’s Design Awards have honored projects throughout the city for excellence in architecture, exterior design and place-making. The awards are presented to Denver homeowners, business owners, nonprofits, artists and others for their creative contributions to Denver’s built environment through excellence and innovation. Many different types of projects are eligible. Previous award winners range from restaurants and galleries to supportive housing and private single-family homes to plazas and other shared public spaces. What they all have in common is the imaginative and innovative way they enhance public spaces and support the community.
The nominating period will be open through the fall, and Mayor Johnston will present the first Mayor’s Design Awards of his administration in early 2024.
Nominations must be submitted by Friday, November 17, 2023.
What projects can be nominated?
Many different types of projects are eligible for the awards. Previous award winners range from restaurants and galleries to single-family homes to plazas and other shared public spaces. What they all have in common is the imaginative and innovative way they enhance public spaces and create community.
To be eligible for consideration, projects must be:
- Completed and in use
- Entirely inside Denver city limits
- Not owned by the City and County of Denver. Projects that were awarded funds through city grant programs and that received city funding as part of a public-private partnership but were organized or driven by private individuals or organizations may be eligible.
What information do I need to nominate a project?
- Name and address of the project
- Name and contact information for the project’s owner
- Photograph(s) or video of the project
- DO submit before and after pictures or footage
- DO NOT submit renderings
- Any additional information that may support the nomination.
What are the award categories?
Awards are given to the best projects submitted, regardless of project type. The categories are intended to provide guidance on what types of projects may be submitted and on what features may be considered award-worthy.
- Neighborhood Gem: Projects that exemplify the unique character of their neighborhoods and are recognized by the community as local treasures.
- Art All Around: Projects that involve murals, sculpture and other forms of art, highlighting local communities and cultures.
- This is Home: Projects that focus on housing, such as single-family homes, small-scale multi-family projects as well as accessory dwelling units and other forms of non-traditional housing.
- Distinctive Denver: Projects with unique features or elements that set them apart from similar structures, uses and building forms.
- Landscapes in Focus: Projects that involve extensive and creative landscape design.
- Building Well, Living Well: Projects that promote community health through active living, access to healthy food and transit, or walkability.
- Active Spaces: Projects or events that activate public spaces in a way that creates interaction, discourse and community.
- Sustainable Style: Projects that make use of the Denver Green Code and/or promote sustainability, green building and new energy technologies.
- Back to the Future: Projects that involve the preservation of older, historic buildings and adaptive reuse. Nominated structures do not have to be designated landmarks.
- Density by Design: Large-scale projects, including multi-family and mixed-use developments, that address the city’s growth and its challenges, particularly in high-need and high-transit areas with an emphasis on great style and design.
CLICK HERE to submit your nomination
