Indigenous SEED Awards
Design Corps, the Social Economic Environmental Design (SEED) Network, the Center for Public Interest Design (CPID), and the Indigenous Traditional Ecological & Cultural Knowledge program (ITECK) are pleased to announce the Indigenous – Social Environmental and Economic Design (I-SEED) Awards.
Award Criteria
This year, the criteria of the Awards are the mission and principles determined by the I-SEED Advisory Committee of seven Indigenous Leaders. Winning projects will best exemplify these.
The I-SEED Mission
Indigenous People to have the right to live in socially, economically, and environmentally healthy communities grounded in cultural heritage and the sacred lands we called or call home.
The I-SEED Principles
PROTECT our culture, language, ceremonies, and thus, our inherent rights – across many generations of our continued existence.
PRESERVE and enhance systems for inclusion and representation, so our communities strongly embody who we are as indigenous peoples around the world.
PROMOTE social cohesiveness and cultural continuity through discourse that reflects our range of values and social identities.
SEEK and make community-driven decisions to grow our capacity to plan, design and build in a way that promotes self-sufficiency and robust, living systems of sovereignty.
TAKE CARE to be good and respectful relatives interconnected to all living things – seen and unseen / known and unknown – who are mindful stewards of our sacred Grandmother Earth.
Projects will be judged by their relation to an Indigenous community. The participation of the Indigenous community throughout the project will be an important factor, as well as the community’s verification that the intended impact will be of benefit to that community.
Applications
The deadline for each application is July 1, 2026, at 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time. The Award Winners will be announced on Design Corps’ websites on August 21, 2026.
Applications are made through the SEED Network Evaluator – see criteria and application information.
Winning project teams receive a $1,500 honorarium for a trip to present the winning project at the international conference taking place at Portland State University on October 8-10th, 2026 – the Structures for Inclusion Conference: Indigenous Public Interest Design: Cultural Knowledge and Practices. This conference is a joint collaboration between Design Corps, the Social Economic Environmental Design (SEED) Network of Design Corps, the Center for Public Interest Design (CPID), and the Indigenous Traditional Ecological & Cultural Knowledge program (ITECK).
ELIGIBLE SUBMITTALS
Applications can be of any design discipline: built, landscapes, communications, industrial design/products, urban planning designs, community-based initiatives.
The projects can be at any stage of completion, from planning through use.
Projects can be located in any continent, country, tribal nation or Indigenous community.
The relation to, as well as, the definition of “Indigenous” can be determined by the applicant but both must be clearly described in the application.
Students’ projects are welcome but must be intended for completion and use. Hypothetical or theoretical projects will not be considered.
Format for Submittal
All applications will be required to use Part 1 of the SEED Network Evaluator platform found at SEEDNetwork.org.
Schedule
Key dates:
- May 15 — 2026 I-SEED Award Competition Opens
- July 1 — Award entries due at 11:59 US-ET via on-line application
- August 21 — Award winners announced
- October 9-10 – Winners’ Presentations at the SFI International Conference, to be held in-person at Portland State University (Portland, OR).
Award Jury
Elisha V. Charley, PhD
Clinical Professor, Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, Arizona State University
Judy Bluehorse Skelton
Associate Professor (Retired), Indigenous Nations Studies, Portland State University
Dr. Ted Jojola, PhD
Director, Indigenous Design + Planning Institute, School of Architecture + Planning, University of New Mexico
Michaela Shirley, MCRP
PhD Candidate and Indigenous Public Interest Design Institute Planning Committee Member
Theo Edaakie, AIA, NCARB, AICAE
Architect at Studio Southwest Architects, and Indigenous Public Interest Design Institute Planning Committee Member
Scott Moore y Medina
President, Design Corps; EAPC Architects Engineers; University of Oklahoma
To Learn More
Indigenous Public Interest Design Institute
Visit the Institute and webinars to follow the ongoing dialogue led by Indigenous Leaders, academics, and design practitioners.
Ongoing Discussion
Learn more about the process of shaping the goals and events of this ongoing discussion.
The SEED Evaluator
To learn more about SEED (social, economic, environmental design), the SEED Evaluator is an on-line tool that makes this mission and these principles actionable through a participatory process based on best-practices.