Cooper Hewitt celebrates 2026 National Design Award Winners and Honorees at Annual Gala
2026 National Design Award Winners and Honorees. Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum.
NEW YORK, NY.—
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum honored the winners of the 2026 National Design Awards alongside a distinguished group of Gala Honorees at the annual Smithsonian National Design Awards Gala in New York City on May 19, bringing together more than 300 leaders from the design, cultural, business and philanthropic communities for the museum’s premier fundraising event.
Established in 2000 as an official project of the White House Millennium Council, the National Design Awards recognize innovation and impact across 10 design disciplines and represent one of the nation’s highest honors in the field.
The evening opened with an awards ceremony recognizing this year’s winners:
• Robert Earl Paige (Design Visionary)
• Estudio Teddy Cruz + Fonna Forman (Climate Action)
• Mattaforma (Emerging Designer)
• Frida Escobedo Studio (Architecture)
• Thought Matter (Communication Design)
• Laura Kurgan (Digital Design)
• Josh Tafoya (Fashion Design)
• Charlap Hyman & Herrero (Interior Design)
• Ten Eyck Landscape Architects (Landscape Architecture)
• Berea College Student Craft (Product Design)
Awards were presented by the museum’s Director, Maria Nicanor, the Awards jury chair, Aric Chen and a cohort of Gala Honorees, including Amy White of Adobe; Jenna Lyons; Tory Burch; Ben Watson of MillerKnoll; Joseph Specter of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation; and Kiera Fernandez of Target.
In her opening remarks, Nicanor said, “This year’s winners and honorees are extraordinary designers who are redefining their fields—whether through quiet and small gestures with incalculable power, to larger-than-life statements at the planetary scale. All of them are truth seekers, beauty makers, connectors who in their quest for excellence know not to sacrifice kindness, humanity or the resources available to us. Tonight, we celebrate them for expanding what’s possible, with curiosity and urgency.”
New this year, the Gala Honorees distinction recognizes individuals and organizations for their lasting contributions to the field of design.
The 2026 Gala Honorees included:
• Adobe, the multinational technology company
• Fashion designer Thom Browne
• Fashion designer Tory Burch
• Luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co.
• Artist and designer Maya Lin
• Creative director Jenna Lyons
• Global design collective MillerKnoll
• Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott
• Entrepreneur and media personality Martha Stewart
• Retailer Target
Among the historic figures recognized were:
• Industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper, founder of Cooper Union
• Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of Central Park
• Architect Louis Sullivan, widely regarded as a pioneer of modern American architecture
• Textile and interior designer Candace Wheeler, a leader of the American Arts and Crafts movement
• Architect Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the most influential architects of the 20th century
The dinner program featured remarks from Maria Nicanor, Jon Iwata, chair of Cooper Hewitt’s Board of Trustees, special guest Joe Gebbia and Gala Honorees including Martha Stewart; Kiera Fernandez of Target; Tory Burch; Thom Browne; Amy White of Adobe; Maya Lin; and Christopher Young of Tiffany & Co.
A highlight of the evening was a special dessert presentation by artist Laila Gohar, who created an imaginative display of cakes inspired by iconic works from Cooper Hewitt’s permanent collection. Presented on rolling trolleys and accompanied by musicians, the performance celebrated the creativity and playfulness at the heart of design.
Cooper Hewitt will also launch its new Director’s Talks, a public program series offering direct access to the ideas and practices of today’s leading designers. The monthly series begins with one‑on‑one conversations between Maria Nicanor and the 2026 winners. Spanning design disciplines and the 10 award categories, each talk offers an inside look at the innovation, practice and vision behind the work of this year’s winners. The first talk on May 21 features Design Visionary Award winner Robert Earl Paige, an artist, designer and educator whose work disregards boundaries between fine art, craft and design. Director’s Talks continue June 10 with Communication Design winner Thought Matter and Fashion Design winner Josh Tafoya on July 16.
The gala coincides with a milestone year for the museum, leading up to the opening of the major exhibition “Design Across Time: Exploring the Smithsonian’s Design Collection” on June 26. Spanning the museum’s first floor galleries, the multi-year installation will showcase the breadth and impact of design across centuries and expand public access to the national collection of design.
