Winners will be honored at the Design & Industry Awards at KBIS 2026 in Orlando.
By Dianne M. Pogoda
Winners of NKBA’s 2024-2025 Student Design Competition exhibited thoughtful planning and creative design as they showed off their aesthetic and technical chops in the most recent contest.
The competition is generously sponsored by Fisher & Paykel. The winners will be recognized at KBIS 2026 in Orlando, during the Design + Industry Awards on Feb. 16 — the night before KBIS’ three-day run at the Orange County Convention Center.
In this competition, aspiring designers were asked to renovate a kitchen and/or bathroom using floor plans and a client profile that described specific needs and required the use of Fisher & Paykel appliances. They could submit entries for kitchens, baths, or both. There is no fee to enter the competition (or to become a student member), and participants must be NKBA student members enrolled in an educational institution at the time of entry. More than 200 students entered, competing for scholarships of $5,000 for first place, $2,500 for second place, and $1,000 for third place. Winners also received complimentary KBIS registration, an expo pass, a ticket to the awards and opening night party, airfare, and lodging.
In the bath category, first place went to Emma Bunz of Lakeland College, second place was awarded to Catherine Wright of Century College, and Kateryna Ponomarova of Montgomery College took home third-place honors.
In the kitchen category, Allison Hedrick of Portland Community College won the top prize, Rachel Mendoza of Georgian College snagged second-place honors, and Ponomarova again earned a third-place victory. Ponomarova also won a prize in last year’s student competition.
Judges included Rebecca Sutton, CMKBD, CKBR, senior designer at Kitchen Design Concepts in Dallas; Jenni Russel, CMKBD, Design in Perspective in Colorado Springs, CO; and Paula Kennedy, CMKBD, owner of Timeless Kitchen Design in Seattle.
Their fictitious client was Lydia Bachman, a retired anthropology professor who recently relocated to an 1895 bungalow in a vibrant neighborhood in Colorado Springs. Lydia wanted to make the kitchen and bath areas more accommodating for guests, and the renovation needed to create a great space for pursuing hobbies and entertaining, as well as accommodate her two Labrador Retrievers. She wanted an open plan that’s still charming and inviting, and an herb garden — essential to her passion for cooking. The bungalow featured a recently remodeled basement with a primary bedroom and bathroom.
Entries were judged on visual appeal, creativity, the elements and principles of design, the NKBA’s 4th Edition Kitchen & Bath Planning Guidelines, NKBA Graphics & Presentation Standards, and how well the designers met their client’s needs.The 2025-2026 Student Design Competition is open and accepting entries through June 5, 2026. Learn more about the competition here.
