Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Photo by Matt Flynn © 2014 Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum has announced a new distinction to be introduced at this year’s Smithsonian National Design Awards Gala: a group of Gala Honorees recognized for their lasting contributions to the field of design. The honorees will be celebrated alongside the winners of the 2026 National Design Awards at the annual awards gala Tuesday, May 19 in New York City.
Coinciding with the United States’ 250th anniversary, the 2026 Gala Honorees selected by Cooper Hewitt include both contemporary leaders and historic figures whose work has shaped American design across disciplines and generations.
Contemporary Gala Honorees include 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; and retailer Target. Historic figures being recognized include 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; and architect Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the most influential architects of the 20th century.
The 2026 Smithsonian National Design Awards Gala will feature a black-tie evening with an awards ceremony, cocktails and a seated dinner celebrating the winners of the National Design Awards and the Gala Honorees.
Maria Nicanor, Director, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Photo: Liz Ligon
“American design has been shaped by remarkable individuals and institutions whose ideas continue to influence the way we experience the world,” said Maria Nicanor, director of Cooper Hewitt. “In the year of the United States’ 250th anniversary, we are proud to recognize both contemporary leaders and historic figures whose work has left a lasting mark on the field. It is a privilege to celebrate their impact alongside the extraordinary winners of the 2026 National Design Awards.”
Established in 2000 as an official project of the White House Millennium Council, the National Design Awards celebrate excellence and leadership in design across 10 disciplines, including architecture, fashion, product design, landscape architecture, interior design, climate action, communication design and digital design, as well as an emerging designer and a design visionary award.
The 2026 National Design Award winners are:
Thought Matter, Communication Design
Laura Kurgan, Digital Design
Robert Earl Paige, Design Visionary
Estudio Teddy Cruz + Fonna Forman, Climate Action
Mattaforma, Emerging Designer
Frida Escobedo Studio, Architecture
Josh Tafoya, Fashion Design
Charlap Hyman & Herrero, Interior Design
Ten Eyck Landscape Architects, Landscape Architecture
Berea College Student Craft, Product Design
Communication Design Winner Thought Matter/Left: Tom Jaffe. Right: Jessie McGuire.
The 2026 National Design Award winners were selected by a jury of design leaders and practitioners chaired by Aric Chen, director of the Zaha Hadid Foundation. The jury included Liz Danzico, vice president of design at Microsoft AI; Patricia Moore, president of MooreDesign Associates; Henk Ovink, executive director and founding commissioner for the Global Commission on the Economics of Water; Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology; and Thomas Woltz, senior principal of Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects.
The gala is Cooper Hewitt’s signature annual fundraising event, supporting the museum’s exhibitions, educational initiatives, public programs and stewardship of the Smithsonian’s national design collection of more than 215,000 objects. Proceeds also support 2026 exhibitions including “Made in America: The Industrial Photography of Christopher Payne” and “Design Across Time,” a landmark presentation of the museum’s permanent collection opening this summer.
