Awards 2024 Making an entry
Making an entry
Open to projects launched or extensively renovated between the 1st January 2023 and 31st March 2024. All work must be entered as a collaboration between the designer and the hospitality project operator.
All entries must be made in English.
There are six simple steps involved in submitting your entries. Make sure all entry materials (text and images) are clear, concise and of the best possible quality. Poor quality visual media will weaken your application, please see the photography section above for tips! Before beginning your entry submission, read the Terms and conditions.
Submitting an entry means that you have read and agreed to all the conditions, including obtaining appropriate releases and authorities in writing from your client/designer, photographer and, where applicable, the principal of the design practice.
Begin application - You will enter the name and location (country) of the restaurant or bar.
Entry form - A project can be entered into any relevant category, see our category section for more details. If you collaborated on a piece of work with another company or individual, you will need to make sure they haven’t entered it as well.
We advise you to first complete your written criteria in a separate text document, and then cut and paste your responses into the relevant parts of the online submission form.
The written criteria is divided into three sections, design brief, design challenges & design results. You have up to 450 characters (approximately 60 words), including spaces and punctuation per section. Please ensure that these sections are written in English, taking care with spelling and grammar. Texts should not be entered in all CAPITALS or all lower case.
In total your answer should include information about significant aspects of the project e.g. client brief, concept, site constraints and opportunities, spatial planning and volume, material strategy, sustainability principles and budget, collaborations etc.
In this section you will be entering details about.
- Environment (is the venue standalone or part of another space, e.g. hotel, airport or retail space?).
- The venue’s parent company (if applicable).
- PR representative for the venue.
- Details for the restaurant or bar such as date the restaurant or bar was opened or renovated, full contact details including email address and telephone numbers as well as website address.
- Optional link to video if one exists.
- Lead designer, design firm or architect details including Instagram handles (if applicable).
- Other designer, design firm or architect details (if applicable).
- Contact information for online payment / receipt.
- Select the categories you wish to enter.
- The supporting text for your entry: - Design brief - Design challenges - Design results.
Products - You must enter the details of at least 6 products that were used in the design / delivery of the project. E.g. Products used within the space such as furniture, lighting, surfaces etc. You can add more than 6 if you want to. These products are further used to showcase your project.
For each product you will need to state the company name, select from a list of ‘type of product’ and provide a web address.
Photo upload - Before you upload any images you must ensure that you have the applicable image rights to do so. Submitting images as part of this entry process binds you to our terms and conditions regarding images and their use and if there are any concerns raised later on about copyright infringement, the entrant will be solely responsible. Visualisations are strictly prohibited.
You can upload up to ten good quality photos of your project (CGI and visualisations are not permitted). Each photo must be JPEG / JPG format and no bigger than 2MB in size. See our photography section for tips and how to select the best photos.
Review entry - You will have a chance to review your entry before proceeding to payment.
Entry payment - All entries must be paid online in full before they can be submitted. Each payment is confirmed by the issuing of a tax receipt which is available to download as a PDF from your entry dashboard.
We accept Visa, Mastercard and Amex.
Entry confirmation - After submission it may take us a few days to review your entry. If your entry is accepted, you will be notified and it will be shown on our website and be entered into this year’s awards program. You will be notified by email at every stage.
Photography
We have put together a few points on how to get the best out of your entry photographs. You can submit up to ten good quality photos of your project (please do not use visualisations or split photographs). Photos should be less than 2MB file size, around 2000px wide and landscape photos work better than portrait ones.
We asked photographer Richard Lewisohn for tips on how to use great photography to make successful entries at the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards. “The quality of photographs is of prime importance. The judges will be looking not only at the detailing, but primarily at how the space works as a whole. Therefore it is important, where possible, to convey how the spaces flow into each other. The first entry photo is the one that best showcases your project and should preferably be in landscape.
The photos need to perform the sometimes paradoxical task of being bright enough to see and understand the architecture and detailing while still conveying the atmosphere of the restaurant or bar. Personally, I photograph between four and six exposures of the same scene and carefully combine these in post production so that the brightest areas (the lighting) and shadow areas maintain some detail. The trick, of course, is to maintain the ambiance of the spaces.
The photo above shows the length of the space and how the different seating areas work together. Try and ensure you are allowing the judges to explore the whole space, without details being lost in dark areas. Equally, sunlit areas are fine as long as detail can be seen both in the area lit by direct sunlight and darker areas. Avoid shots with people, extraction fans, television screens, security cameras and toilets (unless they are amazing).
Focus should be on the space and design details and you don’t want any distractions cluttering your photos. Please include photo credits if applicable.
Usage of photographs
- Online judging
- Social Media (Think about what photos will have the best impact on instagram, facebook and more, remembering to upload in order of priority).
- Restaurant & Bar Design Awards Archive - All 2024 entries will be showcased on our website archive, so make sure you submit your highest quality work to give you the best advantage of standing out.
Remember, you have a better chance of winning if you match your images to the categories you are entering.
This photo shows the entrance to the interior of the space and highlights how the architects adapted the vaulted space as well as showing three types of seating used.
As well as wide shots outlining the spaces and how they interact, include closer shots - perhaps a line of tables or the bar etc. The photo above shows the tiled bar and combined tile and wood strip wall finish as well as the inlaid floor. Supply close up shots that convey the detail within your projects, showcasing the materials, texture & form.
It is helpful to include details of surface finishes showing materials used. This image highlights the choice and combination of materials.
This photo is a medium wide shot showcasing one of the seating areas of the restaurant, showing banquette design, wall finish texture and floor finishes.
This photo shows how elements of the original architecture of the building were retained, with contrasting materials, sympathetic with the industrial heritage of the space.
Video
You will have an opportunity to include links to video hosted on YouTube or Vimeo (or another streaming service) as part of your application. These videos may be used for additional promotion of your project via our social media channels but they will not be published on our website or form part of your entry as displayed on our website.
