NEW YORK.- The Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum Announces Winners of the Seventh Annual National Design Awards This fall Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum will celebrate significant achievements in the design world with its annual National Design Awards, now in its seventh year. Established in 2000 to broaden awareness of the role of design in daily life, the Awards honor individuals in all areas of design, as well its patrons and supporters. The recipients of the 2006 National Design Awards were announced today by Cooper-Hewitt director Paul Warwick Thompson, and the finalists and winners will be honored at a Gala dinner at Cooper-Hewitt on Oct. 18. Mrs. Laura Bush is the Honorary Patron for this year's National Design Awards. "Cooper-Hewitt is delighted to once again recognize, through the National Design Awards, some of the greatest contributions to the world of design made in recent years." Thompson said. "Each year, the Awards grow in scope, and this October we are introducing National Design Week, a new education initiative created to promote better understanding of the role that design plays in all aspects of our lives. During National Design Week, Cooper-Hewitt will host programs and panel discussions on design, and on our website, we will launch design education content for teachers nationwide."

First launched at the White House as a project of the White House Millennium Council, the National Design Awards are accompanied each year by a variety of public education programs, including lectures, roundtable discussions, and workshops. This year, with the first ever National Design Week, Cooper-Hewitt aims to reach school teachers and their students nationally, both in the classroom and online, through lesson plans that demonstrate how design thinking and the design process can enhance the teaching of all subjects. In recognition of the importance of design education, organizations and schools nationwide will also sponsor events during National Design Week. In April 2006 Cooper-Hewitt celebrated the opening of the Target National Design Education Center, a lecture room, design studio, and resource library geared toward students of all ages. Many of the National Design Week events will take place in the Target National Design Education Center. The National Design Awards and National Design Week are made possible by Target. The 2006 National Design Award recipients are: Lifetime Achievement, Paolo Soleri The Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing the work of an individual who has made a long-term contribution to the practice of design, is awarded to architect Paolo Soleri. Born in Italy in 1919, Soleri has dedicated his lifelong work to experimentation in urban planning. Settling in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1956, Soleri established the Cosanti Foundation and began designing Arcosanti, a prototype town for 5,000 residents based on his concept of "Arcology"—architecture in accordance with ecology. Soleri's work has been included in worldwide exhibitions, and he has received fellowships from the Graham and Guggenheim Foundations as well as three honorary doctorates and numerous international medals. Corporate Achievement, Nike, Inc. The Corporate Achievement Award recognizes a corporation that uses design as a strategic tool of its mission and helps to advance the relationship between design and quality of life. The 2006 Corporate Achievement Award is presented to international sportswear and equipment company Nike, Inc. For 30 years Nike has created products designed to help athletes of all disciplines and skill levels perform at their optimum. In addition to regularly exploring and employing the latest in technological advancements Nike has consistently incorporated design as an essential element in all of their work, from the design of their footwear and clothing lines, to the creation of their physical customer experience, to their online presence.