What are the dsm Home Design Awards? The dsm Home Design Awards are an annual feature of dsm magazine, which has long brought local readers stunning coverage of Greater Des Moines’ most luxurious, creative, and intriguing homes and gardens.
We created the awards to recognize the area’s top interior designers, architects, landscape architects, craftspeople, builders and other industry professionals. dsm readers, which include Greater Des Moines’ biggest influencers and tastemakers, will get an inside look at your most impressive projects and see what expert judges deem the best of the best.
What are the categories? dsm Home Design Awards feature everything from gourmet kitchens to lovely landscapes and fun family hangouts. Categories include “Decor,” “Exteriors & Outdoor Living,” “Kitchen & Bath”, “Architecture & New Construction” and “Remodels & Renovations” each with numerous subcategories to fit your unique home project.
Why enter a submission? Finalists and winners selected by the judges will feature prominently in our annual awards event in the spring, and receive additional coverage in our digital and print products over a 12-month period post-award. By submitting an entry, you have the opportunity to reach a select group of Iowans who appreciate beauty, craftsmanship, and talent in home design, and who support the industry as consumers.
The dsm Home Design Awards will showcase your company and your finest creations to a discerning, influential audience of consumers and peers and will feature:
1. Announcement of finalists in our dsmWeekly digital newsletter.
2. Announcement of finalists in the January/February print issue of dsm.
3. Presentation of award winners in a widely promoted award ceremony in spring 2026.
4. Photo coverage of the winners in our annual dsm Home special issue, with additional overrun in the March/April issue.
5. Photos and brief descriptions of the finalists’ and winners’ submissions on our website and on our social media platforms.
How do I enter? Please start the entry process below by filling out this form with your project details and attaching your images. Remember to submit your entry – if you leave and return, your entry will not be saved.
Can I submit multiple entries? You may submit up to ten entries. Each entry must be submitted separately (i.e. if you submit 10 entries, you will fill out the form 10 times). If you submit more than ten entries, we will only consider the first 10 submitted.
Does my project need to be in Iowa? The project does not need to be based in Iowa, but the submission must include the involvement of a builder/designer/architect, etc. based in Iowa.
Does my project need to be from this year? No. We will accept projects that are up to 3 years old.
Can I submit a project that I submitted last year? You may submit a project that was submitted in a prior year as long as that project was not a finalist. We will not accept entries that have previously been named a finalist in the Home Design Awards.
What if I want to submit a project that another local company also provided significant work on? You may submit a project for shared recognition with another business as long as they are listed explicitly in the “Co-Entrant” line on the form. Co-Entrants should have completed a significant contribution to the project to earn recognition (for example, a renovation that required work from an architecture firm and interior design firm). If a contributor is not listed in this location, they will not receive shared credit for the project. You must also notify any business that you have submitted as a Co-Entrant. The other business should not submit their own form for the same project. Duplicate entries of this nature will be disqualified. dsm magazine is not responsible for notifying Co-Entrants on a submitter’s behalf.
What if I want to shout out another business for work provided on a project, but don’t want to list them as a Co-Entrant? You may list any minor contributions in the “Collaborator” section of the form. For example, if a renovation was completely carried out by one design firm, but used a specific flooring product from a company, the flooring company can be listed as a Collaborator. Please note anyone who is listed as a Collaborator will not receive explicit print recognition, however, new for our 2026 awards, all Collaborators will be listed under each finalist project on our Home Design Awards website.
What if another company submitted a project I also worked on, but didn’t include me as a Co-Entrant or Collaborator? We rely entirely on the information provided in the nomination forms and are unable to verify or cross-check each individual role in submitted projects. It is up to each company to notify Co-Entrants and Collaborators as they see fit. Our evaluation is based solely on the details submitted to us.
Important note: If you list a Co-Entrant on an entry, the Co-Entrant’s name will appear as a co-winner with your company name in the magazine and on the award plaque if your submission is selected as a winner. There is a separate opportunity on the submission form to list other Collaborators who contributed to the project; this area is optional and those you list here will NOT be listed on the award plaque if your entry is selected as a winner. They will, however, be featured on our Home Design Awards website.
What is the deadline? Entries may be submitted through 11:59pm CST on August 15, 2025.
How is my submission judged? A panel of esteemed industry professionals will judge the submissions in an blind process (the submissions sent to judges won’t include identifying information) to ensure impartiality. The judges will select three finalists in each subcategory and will designate Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards to those three finalists. The final results will be tallied.
The judges’ expertise reflects a broad spectrum of related professions, including architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture. All judges’ decisions are final.
When will I find out if I’m a finalist? Finalists will be announced in dsmWeekly and at dsmhomedesignawards.com in the fall of 2025. Finalists will also be announced in the dsm January/February print magazine.
When will I find out if I’m a winner? Winners will be announced at our awards ceremony in the spring of 2026.
Do I have to submit images of my project? Yes, each entry must be accompanied by at least one high-resolution image. Images submitted must be about 8×10 inches, with a 300 dpi minimum (any submission that does not meet these requirements will not be accepted). There is a 10MB limit per image. To ensure anonymity, photos should be named by category and NOT the name of the designer and/or homeowner submitting the project. Example of correct image name: ExteriorsDeck1.jpg., ExteriorsDeck2.jpg, etc.
Please upload your appropriately named images via the form here. To add multiple photos, hold the CTRL (or COMMAND for Mac) button as you select multiple images.
Photography Terms: Entrants must secure and submit royalty/reuse-free photos from their photographer before submitting images (to run in dsm magazine / dsmmagazine.com at no additional charge). All photography submitted may be published free of charge by Business Publications Corporation. It is the entrant’s responsibility to inform the photographer of these terms. Any photos submitted that are run in dsm editorial will credit the photographer (if a credit was listed in the entry form) and will only be used in editorial about the specific project and not be used in any advertising or competitor collateral.
What if I am having trouble submitting my image via the form? You can submit the image to www.hightail.com/u/BusinessPublications and flag it for ATTN Alex Kelly in the message section. If it is not flagged for Alex Kelly, it may not be received.
Advertising: For advertising opportunities, contact Lynne Belknap at lynnebelknap@bpcdm.com or fill out this form. Each registrant will have opportunities to advertise their submission in dsm magazine print or digital products.
Guidelines / Additional Terms: Gold winners in each category will receive an award plaque. Only entrants will receive an award. If other companies, designers, and/or homeowners contributed to the project and would like to receive an award, duplicate plaques may be purchased upon receipt of the winner announcement at an additional cost of $85. Additional contributors will not be mentioned at the awards ceremony, on the award plaque, or in the magazine unless their company is listed as a “Co-Entrant.”
Failure to comply fully with contest rules may result in disqualification. Business Publications Corporation is not liable for lost, stolen, ineligible, misdirected, damaged, mutilated, or postage-due entries. Winning submissions become the property of dsm magazine. dsm magazine retains legal/publishing rights for one year after publishing the March/April 2026 dsm Home issue.
Cost per submission (processing fee): $35 or included in our brand new VIP comprehensive dsm Home Design Award Packages. Find out more on our nomination form here.
Do you have a question that wasn’t answered above?
Email: jasonswanson@bpcdm.com
Dates to Remember
August 15, 2025: Submission deadline
January 2026: Finalists announced
Spring 2026: dsm Home Design Awards event
March/April 2026: dsm Home Design Awards issue
The submission period for the 2027 dsm Home Design Awards will open during the summer of 2026.