Bienenstock Furniture and Interior Design Scholarship

Scholarship Sponsored by Bienenstock Furniture Library

The Bienenstock Furniture Library is deeply committed to education, and through its Scholarship Program, it has been able to support and inspire numerous students in the design and furniture sectors. Our aim is to foster the highest level of scholarship competition annually. The objective of the Furniture Design Competition is to create an original chair design, adhering to the guidelines and specifications outlined below. The first-place winner in the Furniture Design category will receive a $5000.00 scholarship and national recognition for both themselves and their institution. The runner-up will be awarded a $1,500.00 scholarship. Additionally, the institution or department of the first-place winner will receive a $1000.00 donation.

The deadline for the submission of the Completed Entry Form is December 10, 2025. This form should be emailed along with the final project submission and saved as a separate PDF file.

Participants in the Furniture Design competition are required to include ideation thumbnails, scale drawings (preferably created using Auto-Cad or 3D Modeling software), and final renderings (either computer-generated or marker). All entries should be in PDF format and should not include the student's name or school on the file. Please label your saved PDF file as "2023 Bienenstock Furniture Design Competition".

The winners will be announced by March 1, 2026. The prizes are as follows: 1st place - $5,000; 2nd place - $1,500; and the design school of the 1st place winner will receive $1,000.

DESIGN CHALLENGE - CHAIR A seating form for one person, consisting of a horizontal surface or seat, supported by legs with a vertical element or back, rising from its rear edge - Charles Boyce, DICTIONARY OF FURNITURE.

• The chair must be an original design.
• The chair should be aesthetically pleasing and marketable to the residential and/or contract trade.
• Any material or combination of materials is acceptable.
• The chair should be visually impressive, suitable for manufacturing, financially viable, and appropriate for mass production.
• Students must provide proof of concept, which can be a rendering AND/OR a built final entry project. Construction of the actual piece is NOT mandatory. If you choose to construct your entry piece, please provide photographs of the building process.
• Scaled drawings/mechanical drawings/dimensional drawings are highly recommended as part of your entry.
• Entries should include a Design Brief, which consists of a few short paragraphs detailing the design process from inspiration to final design.

INSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Institutions wishing for their students to participate in the competition must assign a faculty member to oversee the student. It is recommended, but not mandatory, that the competition be incorporated into your fall semester curriculum.

The panel of judges for the Furniture Design competition includes: Richard Frinier, Richard Frinier Design Studio; Danny Davis, Davis Furniture Industries, Inc.; Dudley Moore, ASFD, Otto & Moore Inc.; Royale Wiggin, Thayer Coggin Inc.; Scott Coley, D. Scott Coley Designs, LLC; David Williams, Wits End Design, Catina Roscoe, Catina Unlimited; Taylor West, West Design Group.