Annual Program Identifies and Honors Top Student Designers Nationwide

The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) named the winners of the ASID Student Portfolio Competition as part of its SCALE National Student Summit held in New York earlier this month. Sponsored by Benjamin Moore, the competition generates the best collection of student design projects in the nation and selects winners and finalists based on conceptual thought, content and quality of submitted work, and the student’s ability to articulate their process. With over 230 engaged students in 2019, the jury selected 12 finalists and five winners.

Randy Fiser, Hon. FASID, ASID CEO, notes that, “The creativity and passion put forward in this year’s submissions displayed a deep understanding of how design can impact and change lives. We are thrilled to see such forward-thinking talent come alive and be honored by the entire ASID community, and we look forward to the affect these students will have on the design profession as its future leaders in years to come.”

Finalists presented their work in-person to the jury at the Benjamin Moore Showroom the day before SCALE 2019 to be evaluated during the final round of the competition, and to receive feedback, advice, and mentorship. The jury assessed each submission on concept (how does this represent the way the student thinks?), content (how does this submission represent the student’s ability?), context (how does the submission represent who the student is and what the student has accomplished?), and execution (how well does the student communicate the content and value of their work?). The competition’s jury included some of the industry’s top design minds, including: Andrea Magno, Allied ASID, color and design expert, Benjamin Moore; Elizabeth Von Lehe, Allied ASID, design and brand strategy principal, HDR; Franne Nelid Stewart, AAHID, ASID, vice president, Health Interiors Houston, HKS; Bill Bouchey, ASID, principal, director of design, interiors, HOK; David Taglione, executive team leader, ICRAVE; Carolyn Baross, ASID, LEED AP, interior design principal, Perkins+Will; Greg Keefer, AIA, LEED AP, partner and studio leader, Rockwell Group; Brooke Horan, IIDA, LEED AP, EDAC, senior interior designer, Perkins+Will, Francisco Barron, computational designer, HKS and Mindi Weichman, design director, Studio O+A.

To honor their work, the winners received $3500 scholarships from Benjamin Moore. The 2019 ASID Student Portfolio Competition Winners are:

Xuan Dang, Pratt Institute
Expected graduation: May 2019

Ara Kim, New York School of Interior Design
Expected graduation: May 2019

Jieru Lin, California College of the Arts
Expected graduation: May 2020

Jessica WingLam Ma, Savannah College of Art & Design
Expected graduation: Spring 2020

Jianfeng Ni, California College of the Arts
Expected graduation: May 2019

The 2019 ASID Student Portfolio Competition Finalists are: Jumana Almukhtar, Savannah College of Art & Design; Sloan Aulgur, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville; Seyedehnastaran Hashemi, Texas Tech University; Yi-En Lee, New York School of Interior Design; Haopeng-Lin, Pratt Institute; Crystal Martin, Savannah College of Art & Design; and Kelsey Muir, Virginia Tech.