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2027 IDEC FOUNDATION GRADUATE SCHOLAR AWARD

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 11:59 pm (PST) – Tuesday, December 1, 2026

PURPOSE

This award is designed for Interior Design graduate students interested in pursuing a career as an Interior Design educator. The award provides:

  1. Funding to partially offset the costs of registration and travel funding to attend the 2027 IDEC Annual Conference in Washington D.C.
  2. Formal mentorship by a team of esteemed Interior Design academic leaders.

Amount

Each scholarship is awarded for $ 1,000 to graduate scholars attending the 2027 Annual IDEC Conference. Up to three scholarship recipients will be selected. Recipients will be informed tentatively by January 3, 2027, so scholarship recipients may plan for travel.

Eligibility

Applicants must be currently enrolled in a graduate program emphasizing Interior Design. Full-time educators and former recipients of this award are not eligible. Current and former IDECF Board Members from the last five years are not eligible to apply

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

This is a blind-review process. Please do not include any identifying information in your response to the question.

  1. Online application form.
  2. An essay responding to the questions below. Be clear, focused, and concise in your answers. Your response to the following questions should not exceed (2) 8 ½” x 11” pages at 12 pt. font. Create a heading for each question so that reviewers may easily navigate your application.
    1. College-level degrees you hold: list any other Associates, Bachelors, Masters, and/or PhD degrees, or state “not applicable”.
    2. What propelled you to seek a graduate degree in Interior Design?
    3. What are your professional plans once you complete your degree?
    4. How will attending IDEC help you achieve these goals?

DISQUALIFICATION

Any of the following will result in the disqualification of the applicant, resulting in the rejection of the application without review:

  1. An application that exceeds the (2) 8 ½” x 11” pages at a 12 pt. font limit.
  2. An incomplete application; all required questions must be answered.
  3. Inclusion of additional materials beyond those requested for the application.
  4. The applicant has received the award previously.
  5. The applicant is not a full-time graduate student in a program emphasizing interior design.
  6. The applicant is a full-time educator.
  7. Any identifying information within the essay, including the revealing of name, program, institution, location, etc. Docs saved with identifying information in the file name will be disqualified.
  8. The application is submitted past the deadline.

QUESTIONS?

Grant Coordinator: Anna Ruth Gatlin, annaruth@auburn.edu

Scholarship Coordinator: Rana Abudayyeh, rabudayy@utk.edu

RUBRIC
Submit Your Application

Thank you to IDEC’s 2026 Sponsors and Partners

© 2026 Interior Design Educators Council