What are the Milwaukee Magazine Home & Design Awards? With so much great design work happening in our region, Milwaukee Magazine decided it was time to bring it to the public’s attention. These awards are meant to shine a spotlight on the talented interior designers, architects, landscape architects, craftspeople and builders working in and around Milwaukee.

Why enter a submission? In short, to bring greater attention to your work. Milwaukee Magazine’s print edition is read by over 120,000 people each month, and milwaukeemag.com receives more than 70,000 page views monthly. Our readers and audience are affluent, educated people residing in this region who look to Milwaukee Magazine for inspiration on a broad range of topics, including home and design.

Winning submissions will be featured in the following ways:

• Announcement in the Milwaukee Magazine digital newsletter
• Photos and brief descriptions of the winning projects in the Home & Design section of the October print issue of Milwaukee Magazine
• Photos and brief descriptions of the winning projects on com and/or on Milwaukee Magazine’s social media accounts

What are the categories? There are 19 categories grouped into five divisions: Décor, Kitchen & Bath, Architecture & New Construction, Renovation & Remodel, and Outdoors. For a full list, click here.

Who are the awards open to? The awards are open to anyone who resides in Wisconsin, including design professionals and hobbyists.

Does my project need to be in the state of Wisconsin? Yes. We will only consider projects within the state of Wisconsin.

Do I need to live in Milwaukee and/or Wisconsin? The person submitting the project must live within 75 miles of the city of Milwaukee. If a firm is submitting, it must have an office within 75 miles of the city of Milwaukee. 

Does my project need to be from this year? No. We will accept projects that are up to 3 years old.

How do I enter? You’ll find the entry form here. Each entry must be accompanied by three high-resolution images. Images submitted must be about 8×10 inches, with a 300 dpi minimum (any image that does not meet this requirement will not be accepted). There is a 15 mb limit per image.

Keep in mind that you must complete your entry in one sitting and hit “submit”; 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.

What is the deadline?  Entries may be submitted through the extended deadline at 11:59 p.m. CST on June 12, 2023.

How is my submission judged? Our panel, comprised of design experts from our region (see them here), will judge the submissions in an anonymous process (nominee’s company and submitter’s name will not be visible) to ensure impartiality. The judges will score each entry. The results will be tallied, and the Milwaukee Magazine staff will make the final decision. Milwaukee Magazine’s decisions are final.

When will I find out if I’m a winner? Winners will be contacted on or before Aug. 7, 2023. We request that winners do not publicize their win on social media or through any channels until the week of Sept. 25. Winners will be announced in the October issue of Milwaukee Magazine as well as on milwaukeemag.com and through Milwaukee Magazine’s social media accounts.

What if I am having trouble submitting my image via the form? You can submit the image to letters@milwaukeemag.com with the subject line “H&D QUESTION.”

Can I submit my entry via regular mail? Unfortunately, we are unable to accept mailed entries.

Project Images: Each entry must be accompanied by three high-resolution images. Images submitted must be about 8 x 10 inches, at 300 dpi minimum (any image that does not meet this requirement will not be accepted). The acceptable format is JPG, with a size limitation of 15 mb per image.  To add multiple photos, hold the CTRL (or COMMAND for Mac) button as you select multiple images.

To ensure anonymity, photos should be named by category and NOT the name of designer and/or homeowner submitting the project. Example of correct image name:  ExteriorsDeck1.jpg. ExteriorsDeck2.jpg, etc.

Photography Terms:  Entrants must secure and submit royalty/reuse-free photos from their photographer before submitting images, allowing Milwaukee Magazine/milwaukeemag.com permission to run the photos at no cost. All photography submitted may be published free of charge by Milwaukee Magazine/milwaukeemag.com for up to two years from submission date. It is the entrant’s responsibility to inform the photographer of these terms. Any photos submitted that are run in Milwaukee Magazine editorial will credit the photographer (if credit was given) and will only be used in editorial about the specific project and not be used in any advertising or competitor collateral.

Cost per submission (processing fee): $40

Dates to Remember

• June 4, 2023: Submission deadline
• October 2023: Home & Design winners announced in the print edition of Milwaukee Magazine

Guidelines/Additional Terms: Additional contributors will not be mentioned in the magazine or website unless his/her company was listed as a “co-entrant.” 

Important note: Failure to comply fully with contest rules may result in disqualification. Milwaukee Magazine and Quad, its parent company, are not liable for lost, stolen, ineligible, misdirected, damaged, mutilated or postage-due entries.

Winning submissions become the property of Milwaukee Magazine. Milwaukee Magazine retains legal/publishing rights through one year after publishing of the October 2023 issue.

Do you have a question that wasn’t answered above?

Email: letters@milwaukeemag.com with the subject line, “H&D Awards Question.”

Want to align your brand with this exciting project?

Milwaukee Magazine’s Home & Design Awards offer a great opportunity place your business in front of our 120,000 print readers and our very engaged digital audience. 

Are you a registrant? If so, ask us about the special opportunities we’re offering so you can advertise your submission.

Contact Katie Williams, klwilliams@milwaukeemag.com, for more information and pricing.