Dynamic Lineup of Industry Experts to Judge the Official NeoCon Awards Program
NeoCon, the world’s premier fair for commercial design, is pleased to announce a powerhouse jury for the 2025 Best of NeoCon Awards. Now in its 35th year, the industry-leading competition features an on-site panel of top architects, designers, facility managers, and business media who will conduct an in-depth review of the latest solutions shaping contract environments. Broad in its reach, the hallmark program brings together multidisciplinary professionals across workplace, healthcare, education, retail, and hospitality sectors to evaluate 40 plus categories––from furnishings and architectural products to surface materials and more.
With insider knowledge and real-world experience in specification, design strategy, and product performance, the impressive 2025 roster includes decision-makers from Aflac, Corgan, Gensler, Marmon Mok, Shepley Bulfinch, and Walgreens, to name a few. The distinguished group will judge each entry in-person at THE MART in Chicago on June 6 and 7, before the show opens. Winners will be unveiled during a high-energy ceremony on Monday, June 9, at 7:30 a.m., kicking off the 56th edition of NeoCon.
“Each year, we select a jury with a keen understanding of how products influence the built environment,” remarks Eileen McMorrow, Director of the Best of NeoCon Program. “Their expertise––from both the interior design perspective and the facility manager and end-user experience––is invaluable in recognizing solutions that push the industry forward.”
Uniting returning and first-time jurors with a diverse range of perspectives and project experience, the delegation ensures a well-rounded assessment of every submission. Participants include Suzanne Lefebvre of CannonDesign (Buffalo, N.Y.), Annie Portner of Gensler (Philadelphia), Brad Robichaux of HKS (Dallas), and Robin Turansky of TVS (Atlanta), alongside seasoned facility managers Lelitha Williams of Aflac (Columbus, Ga.), Kathyryn Feddor of CBRE (Chicago), and Jennifer Leighty of Walgreens (Kenosha, Wis.). The full list of jurors can be found on the Best of NeoCon website.
Regarding the critical role the Best of NeoCon jury plays in recognizing standout innovations, Lelitha Williams, Supervisor, Office Design & Planning at Aflac, says “We carefully assess each product’s potential impact on real-world applications, validating that award recipients represent the best solutions for today’s built environments and reinforce the integrity and prestige that have made these awards so respected.”
Jurors will engage in an immersive evaluation of every Best of NeoCon entry—allowing for careful deliberation, meaningful dialogue with manufacturers, and product testing. This face-to-face exchange, paired with the jury’s thorough onsite assessment, upholds the Best of NeoCon program’s reputation as the most trusted industry benchmark for design excellence.
“One of the highlights for me is meeting with the product designers and learning about their process, seeing firsthand how their vision comes to life,” notes returning juror Suzanne Lefebvre, Interior Design Leader at CannonDesign. “I value the opportunity to dive deeper into emerging trends and technologies, particularly in how they affect student and staff experiences in the academic and workplace settings.”
Awards are given for Gold, Silver, Innovation, and Sustainability, and the singular Best of Competition honor. The Business Impact Awards will also return, recognizing products that drive organizational performance through smarter workflows, cost savings, space optimization, and other strategic outcomes. Business Impact finalists will advance to a second round of on-site review by a panel of business journalists from Fast Company, Forbes, Newsweek, Vogue Business, and Morning Brew, among other notable publications.
This year, NeoCon attendees will also be able to weigh in on innovations through the inaugural People’s Choice Awards. This peer-to-peer recognition allows industry professionals to vote for their favorite Best of NeoCon-winning products via QR codes displayed in award recipients’ booths and showrooms throughout THE MART, during the show. The winners will be revealed on Wednesday, June 11.
Submission Rules, Deadlines, and Fees
NeoCon exhibitors are encouraged to submit entries through the Best of NeoCon online portal. Eligible products must have entered the U.S. market since June 2024 and be on display at NeoCon 2025. Products previously entered in Best of NeoCon 2024 are ineligible. Entrants must be NeoCon 2025 exhibitors. Submission deadlines and entry fees are detailed below:
April 1-30 (standard entry): $1,000 per entry
May 1-20 (late entry): $1,100 per entry
Business Impact Opt-In: $250 per entry
More details on the program and entry process can be found at neocon.com/awards/best-of-neocon.
NeoCon 2025 is open to trade, C-Suite executives, and other industry-related professionals and registration is free for all attendees. Register here.
For showroom, exhibitor, and general NeoCon news, images, and real-time information, follow NeoCon on: Instagram (@NeoCon_Shows), LinkedIn (@NeoCon-Shows), and Facebook (@NeoConShows).
About NeoCon: NeoCon is the world’s leading platform and most important event for the commercial interiors industry, held each year at THE MART in Chicago. Since launching in 1969, NeoCon has served as the annual gathering place for the commercial design world’s manufacturers, dealers, architects, designers, end-users, design organizations, and media. The three-day event showcases game-changing products and services from more than 400 leading and emerging companies—providing unparalleled access to the latest and most innovative solutions. A robust educational program of keynote presentations and CEU sessions offers world-class expertise and insight into today’s most relevant topics as well as the future of commercial design. www.neocon.com
NeoCon® is a registered trademark of Merchandise Mart Properties Inc., a subsidiary of Vornado Realty Trust.
About Best of NeoCon: Best of NeoCon is the official awards program honoring outstanding new products from exhibiting companies across a wide range of verticals. Best of NeoCon features entrants in 40-plus product categories evaluated on-site by a diverse jury of leading architects, designers, specifiers, and facility managers with expertise spanning the commercial, healthcare, education, and hospitality sectors. Entries will be considered for honors for Gold, Silver, Innovation, Sustainability, and the singular honor of Best of Competition. Additionally, the Best of NeoCon jury will nominate products for consideration for a Business Impact Award, which will recognize exceptional solutions through a business-oriented lens.
About THE MART: THE MART is the largest privately held commercial building in the United States: It encompasses 4.2 million gross square feet, spans two city blocks, rises 25 stories, and is visited by an average of 30,000 people each business day (or nearly 10 million people annually).
THE MART serves as the home to Chicago’s most creative and technologically innovative companies, including Motorola Mobility, PayPal, Avant, and MATTER, as well as Fortune 500 companies Conagra Brands, Allstate, Medline Industries, Beam Suntory, IPG, and Grainger. It is also the largest and most important center for design in North America, with more than 250 premier design showrooms offering the latest resources for both residential and commercial markets.