SOMANY Ceramics Launches the SOMANY Design Excellence Awards to Celebrate India’s Finest Architectural Talent
Held in Goa from 6–8 August, the retreat marked the formal beginning of an initiative that seeks to address a longstanding gap in India’s architectural landscape—providing a credible national platform for architects whose work has traditionally remained outside mainstream design recognition, despite making significant contributions to the built environment.
Unlike conventional architecture awards that largely draw entries from metropolitan cities, the SOMANY Design Excellence Awards are exclusively open to architects practising across eighteen selected cities and their surrounding townships, ensuring that regional excellence is evaluated within its own context.
The jury reflects the same philosophy. One practising architect from each participating city forms an eighteen-member independent jury, bringing local understanding of climate, materials, construction practices and community needs into the evaluation process. During the retreat, the jury finalised the awards framework, category criteria and evaluation methodology, establishing a transparent and structured process that assesses every project against defined parameters, including design originality, contextual relevance, innovation, sustainability and overall impact.
Abhishek Somany, Managing Director & CEO, SOMANY Ceramics Ltd., while commenting on the initiative, stated, “Architecture across India’s Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities is addressing some of the country’s most complex design challenges, yet much of this work remains outside the national spotlight. The SOMANY Design Excellence Awards have been created to change that. By bringing together an independent jury representing these cities, we are establishing a platform that recognises excellence within its own regional context while setting a benchmark for credibility and transparency.”
The awards will recognise excellence across eight categories, including Emerging Architect of the Year, Women in Architectural Leadership, Commercial Excellence, Institutional Excellence, Residential Excellence, Adaptive Reuse & Heritage Reinterpretation, Community & Cultural Impact, and the Lifetime Achievement Award. Several categories place particular emphasis on contextual relevance, regional impact and architectural innovation, while the Lifetime Achievement Award will be conferred through jury nomination.
For SOMANY Ceramics, the initiative represents a natural extension of its longstanding engagement with India’s architecture and design community. As a comprehensive Home & Building Solutions brand with a strong presence across emerging markets, the company aims to create a platform that celebrates architectural excellence while encouraging dialogue, knowledge sharing and regional design leadership.
Nominations for the SOMANY Design Excellence Awards 2026–27 open on 15 August 2026 and can be submitted at somanyceramics.com/awards.
Published on:
12 August 2026
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