Celebrating Excellence: A Deep Dive Into The Starnet Design Awards
For 28 years, the Starnet Design Awards have stood as a pinnacle of achievement in the commercial flooring industry. Often compared to the “Oscars” of flooring, this exclusive competition celebrates the intersection of innovative design, technical precision, and the collaborative spirit of Starnet members and vendor partners. If any of these categories, designs, or projects match your needs be sure to check find a reliable and professional contactor near you here.
With the 2026 submission deadline of January 15th fast approaching, let’s explore the diverse categories that define this prestigious event.
CORPORATE
The Corporate category highlights the evolution of the modern workspace. Moving beyond “boring” cubicles, this category celebrates designers who use flooring to foster productivity and brand identity in office buildings, lobbies, and conference rooms.
The 2019 winner, Interpublic Group Global Headquarters (by Architectural Flooring Resource, Inc.), showcased how vibrant colors and intricate layouts can make a floor the “star” of a corporate environment.
HEALTHCARE
In Healthcare, the stakes are high. Flooring must balance extreme precision and hygiene with a sense of healing. This category includes hospitals, clinics, and patient rooms where the material choices are critical to the facility’s function.
The 39 Rainbow Healthcare project in Kansas City, the 2015 Gold Winner by Interior Surface Enterprises LLC, remains a gold standard for how flooring can contribute to a therapeutic atmosphere.
EDUCATION
Focused on K-12 and higher education, this category looks for innovative learning environments. Judges look for projects that prioritize the needs of students while maintaining durability.
Success in this category requires a perfect match between flooring design and the surrounding environment to avoid “floor care nightmares” and ensure longevity. A good example is from 2025 with San Antonio Floor Finishers’ School of Science & Technology submission.
HOSPITALITY AND PUBLIC SPACES
This category covers a broad spectrum, including restaurants, libraries, health clubs, and hotels. These projects often involve massive scale and complex, varying patterns across large footprints.
Work by partner Universal Metro illustrates how high-traffic hospitality venues can achieve “cranked up” levels of creative design despite their immense size. The 2025 Grand Prize winner by Universal Metro the Murrieta Hot Springs Resort represents everything this category stands for and represents.
MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENTS
As urban landscapes change, Mixed-Use projects—buildings containing at least two different types of facilities under one roof—have become a vital category. These projects require versatile flooring solutions that transition seamlessly between different functional areas.
The 331 Pine Street project in Jersey City, the 2023 winner by Flooring Central, stands as a prime example of innovative product use in a multi-functional space.
SINGLE SOURCE INTERIOR CHALLENGE
This niche category recognizes companies that provide both interior design and construction services. By keeping the design and installation “under one roof,” these firms assume all the risk but gain total control over the creative vision.
Midwest Floor Covering, Inc. took home Gold in 2024 for the Skutt Student Center at Creighton University, proving the power of a unified “single source” approach.
UNIQUE INSTALLATION CHALLENGE
This is widely considered the most exciting category because it focuses on the “level of difficulty.” While other categories prioritize design, this one is judged by technical experts on the complexity of the execution.
For this award, the written project strategy is vital. It must detail the obstacles faced and the innovative solutions used to overcome them. No project in recent years highlights that better than ReSource New Jersey’s NBC Sports 2026 Summer Olympics Studio which was not only the Unique Install Gold winner BUT the Grand Prize winner in 2017.
CANADIAN PROJECT OF THE YEAR
A newer addition to the awards, this category specifically honors the exceptional work of Starnet’s Canadian members. Unique in its structure, a project can be submitted for a specific sector (like Healthcare) and simultaneously compete for Canadian Project of the Year.
At the 2025 Starnet Design Awards the Canadians had their best performance in the history of the showcase. Our Canadian members are very valuable to the Starnet family and they overperformed with several awards and gold honors. The Canadian Project of the Year in 2025 by Maxwell Floors combined Canadian culture and masterful design. If you need reliable and professional commercial flooring contractors in Canada be sure to check out our excellent list of Canadian Flooring Installers.
ROB STARR PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
Named in honor of the late Rob Star, who treated the Design Awards like “his baby,” this award is held dear by the community. It is the only category decided by the popular vote of Starnet members and vendors, making it a true peer-recognized honor.
The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center (by WC Carpenter LLC) won the 2019 popular vote, proving that a project can be a “fan favorite” even if it doesn’t take gold in its primary category.