Need some support pulling together your proposal?
Proposals for SDF 2024: WHAT IF? are due May 29 at 5pm!
Review the Call!
Have you read through all 14 pages of our call for proposals? WE KNOW… it’s a lot, but that’s because we wanted to get ahead of as many of your questions as possible!
Connect with the Planning Team
Join the Seattle Design Festival team for a casual social hour on Wednesday, May 8 and May 22 at 5:30 p.m., at citizenM Seattle South Lake Union, to learn more about the Festival and how to participate.
This is the time to ask questions, meet other designers, connect with volunteers… or become one! Leave with everything you need to submit a proposal for the 2024 Seattle Design Festival.
RSVP for Spring Mixer 1 | RSVP for Spring Mixer 2
Special thanks to our Design Mixer In-Kind Sponsor and host venue, citizenM Seattle South Lake Union.
How are Proposals Selected?
The Festival is entirely a product of the people that are involved in it. It is planned by a core group of dedicated volunteers, many of them emerging designers, who develop our Call for Proposals each year. All of the proposals brough forward by our community will be reviewed by the Festival Planning Team. This team will be looking for proposals that directly relate to the theme and demonstrate the relevance of design thinking, empower communities to leverage design, and promote a culture of collaboration.
We evaluate the quality and feasibility of each proposal: is it thorough or vague? How will you communicate your design process? Is it design-focused and accessible to all? Is the proposed format engaging and participatory? The Festival Planning Team provides feedback to all Festival Partners when sending out acceptance letters.
On average, we have over 100 program partners a year, including not only designers and their firms, but also community groups, nonprofit organizations, government partners, and students. The most successful proposals come out of partnerships between designers and community groups, creating lasting relationships that live on past the festival and spark change in our city moving forward.
Quick Links
SDF 2024: WHAT IF? Theme Statement
Designing an Accessible and Inclusive Seattle Design Festival