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Pvilion solar canopies win BLT Built Design Award

Projects | February 1, 2024 | By: ATA

Visitors to the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx looking for a brief respite to refuel and recharge have been doing so for the past few years under canopies that now can be called award-winning. Last fall Pvilion received recognition in the BLT Built Design Awards in one of the Landscape Architecture categories for this project. Strategically located near the botanical garden’s food truck area, the eight shade canopies have solar cells integrated into the fabric.

The New York Botanical Garden was the launch site for the company’s solar-powered canopy structures. The lightweight, turnkey canopies are fire-retardant, UV-resistant, sturdy and aesthetically pleasing—the latter of which was important to the client. Their installation was part of a pilot project funded by the Innovative Demonstrations for Energy Adaptability (IDEA) Program, an initiative of New York City’s Division of Energy Management that engaged vendors testing new or underused energy technologies. As a part of the city’s carbon emission reduction efforts, seven of the canopies contribute energy directly to the city’s power grid.

“It’s only fitting that the New York Botanical Garden, a place known for its greenery, will be leading the way with green energy technologies,” said Lisette Camilo, commissioner of the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services, at the time of the canopies’ installation.

The testing and demonstration time period for the canopies spanned July 2020 to December 2021. The study recorded results and listed notes for installation best practices. Because of this pilot, the canopies are popping up in other areas of the city as well, the company says, such as public library locations.

The BLT Built Design Awards program has four annual honors in landscape, architectural and interior design, and construction segments. The landscape awards in particular honor exceptional design that’s resilient, forward thinking and ecologically sensitive. “The award recognizes planning, design, management and nurturing of the built and natural environments,” the awards website notes. Open to entrants around the world and projects from the previous five years, the BLT Built Design awards are part of Three C Group GmbH, a Swiss company. 

To read the original article, click here.

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The Importance of Shelter and Off-Grid Power in Emergency Response

Pvilion Blog |  February 23, 2024 | By Julia Fowler

In any emergency, two of the most essential tools are shelter and power. Without first meeting the need for shelter and power during times of crisis, individuals are left vulnerable, and emergency responders cannot treat the community as safely until they are in place.

Types of Disaster

Disaster can strike anywhere at any time. This map from the American Red Cross demonstrates where different types of natural disasters are likely to occur in the US.

There are a variety of situations that constitute a state of emergency, including the following:

  • Natural disasters like earthquakes, wildfires, hurricanes, extreme temperatures, tornadoes, wildfires, and floods
  • Public health crises
  • Man-made conflicts such as war

When a state of emergency or other similar event takes place, the appropriate emergency management teams will take action in the affected communities. Response actions are typically organized by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Need for Shelter

When disaster strikes, shelters serve many purposes. It is one of our most basic requirements for survival – according to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, shelter falls under the most essential human need, physiological needs. Temporary shelter is also one of the core clusters recognized by the United Nations for greater coordination in humanitarian crises.

Not only does shelter offer us a place of refuge, but also space for privacy, dignity, security, treatment, and recovery. Temporary shelter rapidly provides this space during the response phase of an emergency and helps allow for a smooth transition to recovery following disaster.

Shelter Application in an Emergency

  • Resiliency hubs
  • Medical facilities
  • Temporary housing
  • Storage & distribution centers
  • Communication/command centers

Need for Essential Power

Power is essential for access to medical equipment, heating and cooling systems, communication tools, lighting, water supply, and other critical devices. In situations where affected areas are left with disruptions to the local power grid, the need for power can become dire.

The Power of Solar

When considering off-grid power systems, solar offers several advantages. Some of the key benefits of utilizing solar in emergencies include:

  • Sustainable power. Solar is a renewable resource that harvests the sun’s energy and stores it in batteries that don’t release harmful emissions.
  • No need for fuel resupply. Since solar power is continuously derived from photovoltaic panels, there is no need to source battery systems with fuel.
  • Dependability. During times of crisis, it is important to have a system you can rely on to provide power for essential activities.
  • User friendly. Solar power systems are very user friendly and require little maintenance.
  • Silent. The batteries used in solar power systems are completely silent, unlike the loud and ear damaging roar of a diesel generator.

How Can Pvilion Help?

Pvilion’s Solar Power Integrated Structures (SPIS) integrate solar power into shelters that are designed to meet the specific needs of emergency response. The features of Pvilion’s SPIS include:

Rapidly deployable. They can be quickly set up to provide temporary shelter anywhere.

Integrated power. The tents feature Pvilion’s signature solar powered fabric, providing power anywhere the shelter can receive sunlight.

Easy to store and transport. The lightweight solar fabric makes for easy and compact storage and transportation.

Modular. The shelter and battery systems can be easily scaled up and interconnected to provide as much shelter and power as needed.

Turnkey solution. Pvilion’s SPIS can provide everything needed in conjunction with a shelter and power system, all in one solution. In addition to shelter, fabric solar panels, and battery systems, Pvilion SPIS Kits can also include lighting, heating and cooling units, water harvesting systems, and many other additional functions.

It’s important to be prepared for unexpected situations and emergencies. Our focus at Pvilion is to make clean energy and shelter available in any setting, at any time. Pvilion’s Solar Powered Integrated Structures are designed to be durable and easy to use. That way, when the unexpected occurs, communities have easy access to safe and reliable shelter and power as quickly as possible.

30% Incentive Tax Credit

All Pvilion Solar Powered Integrated Structures also qualify for a 30 percent tax credit thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act. Under this act, nonprofits, government agencies, and other tax-exempt entities can still benefit through the elective pay provision. This means purchasers can receive 30 percent of the entire system’s value back, thanks to its solar integration.

To learn more about how the ITC works, click here.

Want to learn more about how Pvilion Solar Powered Integrated Structures can help with your resiliency needs? Get in touch with our solar shelter experts to learn more and receive a free quote.

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“Best of Best” | Product Design Award 2023 Winner | Architecture Masterprize

PVILION’S SOLAR FABRIC EVENT KITS

In an effort to replace noisy, polluting diesel generators, Pvilion has created solar-powered fabric kits that can be used to provide event spaces with self-sustaining, environmentally friendly power. The kits are lightweight, flexible, easily folded up, and designed for ease of transport. The solar-powered fabric can be quickly set-up on any surface that receives sunlight and used to power silent, clean-energy battery kits. They are modular and can be scaled to meet different power output needs for event venues.

Location: Brooklyn, United States

Company: Pvilion

Lead Designer: Todd Dalland

Design Team: Colin Touhey, Robert Lerner

To view the award, click here.

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Solar Powered Fabric Designer Expands in Industry City, Takes Leading Role in Transformative ʻTrain and Hireʼ Programs Here

December 19, 2023 | Brooklyn Eagle Staff

INDUSTRY CITY — A Brooklyn-based solar-powered fabric designer and manufacturer is following a proven Industry City model of training and hiring from neighboring Brooklyn communities. The company, Pvilion, was founded by Park Slope native Colin Touhey, and recently hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate their expansion and grand opening of a new headquarters.

Demonstrating their new technology and introducing an expansion of employees through BlocPower and the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Pvilion held a press conference Wednesday, Dec. 13, in their new headquarters overlooking New York Harbor.

Showing off their new 13,500-square-foot office and manufacturing space in Industry City’s Building 8 marks a huge milestone for the small business. It also celebrates its recent partnership with BlocPower to provide valuable clean energy job training within low-income communities and communities of color to develop the skills needed to build a clean energy future.

“We’re thrilled to celebrate this huge milestone with so many members of the community! The new headquarters will provide enough space to significantly increase our local manufacturing for commercial and defense products. We have already hired more employees to help with production in this new manufacturing space, and we hope to continue to expand and create more jobs in the clean energy space within New York City,” said Colin Touhey, CEO and co-founder of Pvilion.

Through their partnership with BlocPower’s Civilian Climate Corps program, Pvilion will continue to provide green job training in their new space. Additionally, this recent growth has led to the hiring of new full-time employees from BlocPower’s training program to help manufacture clean energy projects.

An example of the equipment manufactured in the space. This tent structure made of solar collecting material could contain electronic equipment for a rock band or a military operation in the desert. Photo: John McCarten/Brooklyn Eagle.

This grand opening celebrates the small business’s growth, expanding upon 10 years of manufacturing clean energy products in Brooklyn for customers from New York City to Ukraine, Guam, California and Asia. Among their clients are U.S. government projects and major rock bands, whose lights and equipment normally require diesel-fueled generators at the scene of the concert. Now, their solar collecting equipment enables rock bands to be more ‘green’ in major public spaces, like parks.

Colin Touhey speaks. Photo: John McCarten/Brooklyn Eagle.

Following the ceremony, Pvilion held an open house and technology demo and exhibit for guests to tour within the new space. Guests were able to tour a variety of Pvilion’s solar-powered fabric products, battery systems and production processes. The exhibit included opportunities to walk through solar-powered tents and learn more about the social, economic, and carbon impact of each project within New York City.

The ribbon is cut. Photo: John McCarten/Brooklyn Eagle.

To view the original article on the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, click here.

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Tax-Exempt Entities and the ITC – How to take advantage of elective pay.

Pvilion Blog |  October 23, 2023 | By Julia Fowler

What is the Investment Tax Credit?

The Investment Tax Credit (ITC) originated from the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Although it was originally set to end in 2007, its success in promoting the shift to renewable energy in the United States led to many extensions over the past several years.

Most recently, the Inflation Reduction Act was signed by President Biden in August of 2022, extending the ITC for the next ten years. This means that businesses can continue to benefit from a 30 percent tax credit until 2032. The tax credit will remain available at 26 percent in 2033 and 22 percent in 2034.

To learn more about the ITC, click here.

How Does this Benefit Tax-Exempt Entities?

Elective pay, also referred to as direct pay, is a provision of the Inflation Reduction Act that allows tax-exempt entities to join the private sector in benefitting from the incentive program. It essentially makes qualifying clean energy tax credits refundable. Qualifying entities can now receive payment from the IRS of equal value to the ITC for any qualifying clean energy project.

How Does it Work?

So, for example, if the ‘City of Solarsville’ purchased Pvilion Solar Canopies for each of their parks, the city could apply to receive up to 30% or $40,000 (whichever is lower) of the entire solar canopy system back through elective pay. That would be 30% of the entire project’s cost, including the structure, battery storage systems, installation labor and permitting, hardware and equipment, and applicable sales tax. That money could then be used by the city for any other projects or programs.

This Entire System + Cost of Installation Qualifies for the ITC

How Can You Apply for Elective Pay?

According to whitehouse.gov, the steps for applying for elective pay are as follows:

This is the first time that tax-exempt entities have had the opportunity to use this type of tax incentive. This will help nonprofits, government agencies, and many more to save money on clean energy and allow them to allocate more funds towards their mission.

Other Resources

The IRS website has a lot of information for commonly asked questions regarding the ITC and elective pay: https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/elective-pay-and-transferability.

Full list of applicable tax credits for elective pay: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p5817g.pdf.

The white house also released a helpful video brief explaining elective pay. Video:

More about the ITC:

Want to learn more about how Pvilion Solar Canopies can transform your outdoor space? Get in touch with our solar fabric experts to learn more and receive a free quote.

Disclaimer: This post was prepared for informational purposes only and is not intended to be used as financial or tax advice. You should consult your own tax, legal, and accounting advisors before engaging in any transaction.

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Winner | 2023 BLT Built Design Awards

Pvilion’s Quad Pole Solar Sail wins a 2023 BLT Built Design Award in Landscape Architecture.

October 2023

This project included the design and installation of eight outdoor solar powered canopies at the New York Botanical Garden. These large, sturdy canopies were designed to provide the garden with plenty of sheltered outdoor space where visitors can relax in the shade on sunny days, charge their devices, and eat lunch provided by the nearby food trucks. They are strategically placed near the entrance by the food truck area of the garden, where they easy for visitors to find and enjoy.

The fabric used for the canopies is integrated with specialty solar technology that is lightweight, flexible, and easily integrated into unique and beautiful designs. The canopies are also waterproof, fire-retardant, UV-resistant, and built to withstand extreme weather conditions. The outlets beneath the canopy are completely powered by the batteries connected to solar fabric system. These sustainable and carefully designed canopies were added to the park as an effort to solve the garden’s need for easily accessible outdoor seating and off-grid power supply.

About the BLT Built Design Awards:

The BLT Built Design Awards recognize the expertise of all professionals involved in the realization of outstanding projects, on a global basis — from architecture firms and interior design experts, to construction products and landscape architects.

Our objective is to become the world’s most inclusive awards platform for the building industry, identifying and promoting outstanding projects annually. We want to raise awareness and shine a well-deserved spotlight on all the professions involved in the realization of new infrastructure.

We focus on celebrating projects, people, and their passion for the industry, and through our rigorous judging process, we recognize those that have gone above and beyond normal, expected standards in the last five years. Selected by our esteemed jury of architects, designers, manufacturers, and leaders in construction and architectural fields, the annual winners will receive the BLT Awards trophy, extensive publicity showcasing their designs and project to an international audience, and more. To continue reading this excerpt from their website, click here.

To view our award on their website, click here.

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Two Wins, a Loss, and a Disaster

Another day in the life of the climate fight.

September 12, 2023 | BILL MCKIBBEN | The Crucial Years Newsletter

We are truly in the midst of the climate battle now, all around the world, with new developments daily in the ongoing fight between activists who want to speed up the transition to clean energy and the fossil fuel industry that wants to slow it down. I spend much of the day trying to help in some small way in that battle: today it meant a couple of press conferences, some pressuring of corporate execs, working with my colleagues at Third Act, talking with colleagues in Africa and Europe. But it occurred to me that the very banality of a day like this hides the extraordinary ebb and flow of events. So here’s just a few of the things that happened on some of the various fronts today:

If this newsletter seems useful to you, consider supporting it via the modest and voluntary subscription fee. Not because you have to—it will always be free to all—but because it helps. Thank you.Subscribe

In California, SB 253 made it through the legislature, which is an incredibly big deal. Because California is the fifth largest economy on earth, and this law would force the big companies that do business there—which is everyone, really, because who is going to miss out on that economy?—to fully disclose their carbon emissions, including their “Scope 3” emissions, which are the ones that come from the supply chain. Before the bill could pass it had to overcome huge lobbying by the Chamber of Commerce and the fossil fuel industry—they know that if companies like, say, Google are required to report, say, the carbon that comes from their banking arrangements with Chase or Citi, then Google will start putting pressure on those banks to stop lending to Exxon and Chevron. Enormous thanks to the legislators and activists who pushed—and who now must push Gavin Newsom to actually sign the law. He talks an excellent climate game, but rest assured there will be enormous pressure on him here. The Sierra Club’s executive director Ben Jealous called on Newsom to sign, and added that the “Securities and Exchange Commission should join California, the European Union, and other jurisdictions in taking a comprehensive approach to requiring the disclosure of all emissions and major climate risks.”

To understand why this is so important, consider Apple’s new product launch today, which featured a quite wonderful environmental skit starring Apple boss Tim Cook and his sustainability vp Lisa Jackson (former head of the EPA), playing opposite Octavia Spencer as Mother Nature. It was part of the company’s announcement that their Apple Watches were now carbon-free—a real accomplishment in metallurgy, fabric science, and so on. But also not quite true, because Apple’s biggest source of carbon emissions is the money it keeps in America’s banking system, which is lent out for new pipelines and the like. When you count those emissions, Apple’s carbon footprint goes up 64 percent. And SB 253 will make them count those emissions—and I have no doubt that their teams will then get to work reducing them, by pressuring the (much smaller in corporate terms) megabanks to stop bankrolling fossil fuel expansion. If you’re the head of Chase, and Tim Cook says ‘bro, we cannot meet our promise to be net zero by 2030 if you don’t change,’ then you have precisely the kind of problem that’s necessary for progress.

+A loss—partial, and smaller—across the country in New York. The city is getting ready to enforce a law that requires landlords to retrofit their buildings to reduce carbon emissions; the city’s landlord class opposes it, and they apparently have enough political clout to sway the city’s mercurial mayor Eric Adams, who today proposed a series of loopholes to weaken the law. Groups like New York Communities for Change and Food & Water Watch called it “a huge gift to New York’s top corporate polluters — the real estate lobby, who are his largest campaign donors. If his proposed rules are adopted, New Yorkers could lose tens of thousands of jobs, air pollution could increase by millions of tons per year, and energy bills could get even higher because landlords will be allowed  to avoid upgrading their dirty, polluting buildings to high energy efficiency.”

Just as the California fight isn’t over till Newsom signs the bill, so the New York one isn’t done yet either. And in both cases success depends on activism, which is why it was sweet to see a tweet first thing in the morning from the New York University chapter of the Sunrise Movement disclosing that NYU has finally divested from fossil fuels. This battle has been going on for a decade—I’ve watched many remarkable students and faculty push hard, with sit-ins and petitions and all the tools of the activist toolkit. The administration has been absurdly resistant—back in 2016, after a faculty vote for divestment, it said it would be “disingenuous” to sell oil stocks while the campus was still using oil, which is Twitter-level political analysis. But the kids kept coming, and today it was victory.

And, also today, it was terrible, heart-rending defeat. Record rainfall in Libya—the kind of rainfall you get when you heat the ocean and the atmosphere—overwhelmed two dams. At least five thousand people are dead, and since ten thousand are missing that number will keep rising. Nothing we do will prevent tragedy at this point; but if we do all we can, then there will be less tragedy. That’s the calculus of this day, and every day, on our overheating earth.

In other energy and climate news:

+In late August Eucadoreans voted overwhelmingly to keep the oil beneath the Yasuni National Park in the ground. That’s about 726 million barrels, no small thing, and it should shame rich countries of the north that can’t bring themselves to do the same.

The oil industry is a global, interconnected industry. Much of the oil exploited in Yasuni for example is taken to the United States; in California, one out of every nine tanks of gasoline is filled with oil from the Amazon. Resistance to global corporations and the powers of greed, is only possible through global movements, countering these powers and protecting their territories of life. Our collective power to confront the oil industry is in unity;the frontlines lead, but are supported by national and global solidarity. To win this historic victory, Indigenous and non-Indigenous activists and organizations joined forces, coordinating mobilizations, assemblies and eye-catching digital campaigns. Over the last month, the campaign gathered international support and recognition from international celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprioMark RuffaloGreta ThunbergJada Pinkett SmithJason MomoaGael Garcia Bernal, among others. This vote shows that when we come together, and are creative in our collaborations, we win. When we build bridges across divisions, we are unbreakable.

+Nifty account by Liza Featherstone in In These Times about how New York state activists won the legislative battle to “put the publicly owned New York Power Authority in charge of building renewable energy with a mandate to do so in the interest of working people” instead of leaving it up to private utilities:

The New York power campaign canvassed in neighborhoods suffering unreasonably high electric rates and the fallout of climate disasters. The devastating 2019 blackout in New York City left many stranded in elevators and subways, which revealed — according to Amber Ruther, then an NYC-DSA member who was part of the early organizing— that ConEd, a for-profit company with a monopoly, ​“didn’t have the incentive to invest in even basic grid maintenance.” Public power advocates argued that the government, without the profit motive and with democratic oversight and obligation, could do a better job.

The campaign also held town halls in affected neighborhoods. It turned out that ConEd had kept the lights on in wealthy areas but had cut off power in working-class Black communities like Flatbush. Ruther recalls ​“a lot of righteous anger from the community about those blackouts” during town hall events. As one Flatbush resident interviewed for a DSA video put it, ​“Why are we always in the dark?”

Meanwhile, Brooke Anderson in Yes about the unlikely and inspiring story of the Shelterwood Collective, bringing a solar-powered microgrid to thier part of northern California:

“Shelterwood centers queer and trans folks in ecology. It means a lot—returning to home—especially in a community in which we’re ostracized into the margins or forced into the cities for protection,” says Layel Camargo, co-founder and co-executive director of Shelterwood, and an Indigenous (Yaqui and Mayo of the Sonoran Desert), trans organizer and cultural worker. “We’re returning our people back to the land.”

But Shelterwood is in the heart of Northern California’s wildfire country, Camargo explains. When it’s hot and windy, PG&E turns off the power without warning. This is a problem for Shelterwood, which sits outside of cellular service and relies on electricity to power satellite phones. Shelterwood also depends on power for their housing, kitchen, retreat center, phones, lights, internet, electric vehicles, and electric tools.

“Rural communities are really at the hands of these monopolized energy companies. In an emergency, without power, we couldn’t call 911. There’d be no way to get information about an evacuation,” Camargo says. “The best way for us to survive out here, and to stay ecologically aligned, is to have as much control of our utilities as we can.”

+Wyoming is the biggest coal state in the union, but by the time the Transwest transmission line is finished, it could be a clean energy powerhouse

+Definitely read Naomi Klein’s new book, released today. The craziness that she describes settling over our global politics is driven in no small part by climate denial, which became a template for covid denial.

+Not just New York—climate marches all over the country and the world this weekend. Paul Hockenos writes from Berlin, where his son is skipping school to march:

In discussion, and on the TV and radio talk shows, the young people quake with indignation. They talk passionately of a system that is wrecking their future and which they — ineligible to vote — have no say in. They talk about “taking back their future.”

They’ve opted for the school strike and other forms of civil disobedience because the decisions directly affecting their lives are made over their heads — and often it seems for the worse. As they say, they’re the ones most affected in the long term — and yet, in many cases, their young age means they’re not even able to vote.

The way they can be heard is to take to the streets. And doing so on a school day packs an even harder punch — that’s civil disobedience.”

+Solar fabric from a company called Pvilion is being used in war relief in the Ukraine—and also in canopies for cocktail parties in New York. Solar everywhere!

And since we’re talking appropriate technology, check out a great new film on the burgeoning sail cargo movement.

+Teen Vogue, always on the case—this time reminding us that our banks and credit cards are huge sources of emissions.

That’s why climate activists are increasingly turning their attention to big banks as part of their efforts to prevent more carbon from entering the atmosphere. “We wouldn’t have things like the Willow Project or Line Three” — an oil drilling project in Alaska and a pipeline from Canada to Wisconsin, respectively — “if we didn’t have these big banks underwriting them by lending them all this money,” said Cathy Becker, responsible finance campaign director for Green America, a nonprofit.

+A fascinating Rural New Deal proposal, from Progressive Democrats of America, with some focus on energy, and a full suite of smart proposals for turning around some of the things that have turned the countryside bitter.

To view the original source, click here.

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GOLD AWARD WINNER |  2023 Muse Design Awards

Pvilion’s Portable Lightweight Solar Sail

September 2023

Pvilion Walks Away Victorious in the 2023 MUSE Design Awards: Season 2

Brooklyn, NY – The MUSE Creative and Design Awards, leading competitions that honor creative and design professionals, have released the list of winners for its second competitive season of 2023. The awards saw as many as 6,500 entries submitted from across the world, all vying for a chance to be honored as a MUSE.

For this competitive season, Pvilion walks away victorious with the Gold award to their name.

The MUSE Awards is made up of a series of competitions organized to honor excellence in various fields and industries. In order to guarantee recognition only goes to those who truly deserve it regardless of class or background, IAA ensures that these competitions are kept accessible and fair.

“This season’s works took the team by surprise with the level of quality they were at. The entrants certainly deserve the recognition for all the efforts they had put in,” Thomas Brandt, spokesperson of IAA elaborated. He continued, “these professionals and creatives demonstrate how those who pursue excellence will always thrive, regardless of the changes their industries go through.”

Judging was done by a jury panel which was composed of industry professionals. Thanks to their efforts, IAA was successful in upholding impartiality and implementing industry-relevant assessment criteria. The jury was tasked with identifying companies or individuals whose works exemplified excellence and that had pushed their respective industries forward.

Grand Jury Panel

The awards received jury nominations from 17 countries and ended up with 60 jurors. These professionals are held in high regard in their respective industries and are tied to renowned organizations in the creative and design industries. For example, Lead Consultant at Coldharbour Communications – Jon Meakin, Founder/CCO of Cutwater – Chuck McBride, VP, Brand & Creative Services of PubMatic, Inc. – Imelda Suriato, Associate Creative Director at McCann NY – Alexandre Kazuo Kubo, Group Creative Director at Ogilvy NY – Mohamed DiaaEldin Osman, Principal Architect and Landscape Architect at Studio Arth LLC – Rituparna Simlai, Senior Architect at Tiago do Vale Architects – Tiago do Vale, Director of DesignAware – Takbir Fatima, Founder, hcreates interior design – Hannah Churchill, Founder and Creative Director of IN.X Design – Wu Wei, to name a few.

On top of having industry-relevant standards in the judging process, impartiality was further enforced by using the blind judging method. Effectively, each entry was evaluated by multiple judges without being compared to other submissions. In this scenario, every work could only win based on their own merits.

Participation of International Brands

Thanks to IAA’s global presence, the MUSE Creative and Design Awards received entries that included names of globally prominent organizations. Some submissions were made directly by said companies, while others were submitted by entrants who had produced work for them. For direct submissions, familiar names such as Paramount Global, Mastercard, Explainly, Savannah College of Art and Design, T Brand Studio/New York Times Advertising, United Nations Peacekeeping, International Monetary Fund, NORC at the University of Chicago, VICE Media Group, Leroy & Rose, Leo Burnett Malaysia, The Narrative Group, Vanpin Design, Guangzhou S.P.I Design, Archer Aviation, Natuzzi Italia, Kao (China) Research & Development Center Co., Ltd., Hugo Eccles, China University of Technology/ShiuanYuan Group, M&A Creative Agency, and Zippo (China) Outdoor Products Co., Ltd. were present; whereas indirect submissions included The Walt Disney Company (Southeast Asia), Uber Eats, KFC Canada, Funcom, Unilever, SIEMENS Mobility GmbH, General Motors, AstraZeneca, AT&T, Mars Wrigley, McDonald’s (China), Hartness Holdings, CHAGEE, vivo, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, Da Long Yi, and China Railway Engineering Corporation.

“The winners of this season are undoubtedly some of the best talents the industries have to offer and it makes us proud to be able to honor these people for all their hard work,” Thomas said. “As they continue to express themselves in their works and push forward in excellence, we will certainly remain here to be a platform to spotlight their talents.”

To view the award listing, click here.