Attend the Information is Beautiful Day of Inspiration and Awards Ceremony

The 2023 Information is Beautiful Awards

We’re counting down to the 2023 Information is Beautiful Awards Day of Inspiration and Awards Ceremony! On this page, you’ll find all of the details you need to join the events in-person or virtually.

Both events will be hosted at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, with options to join virtually.

DAY OF INSPIRATION

The 2023 Day of inspiration mini conference will take place on November 3, 2023 feature talks from our shortlisted works, including the origin stories, the "making of", and impacts the entries have had on the authors and data visualization community. This day will be anchored by inspirational talks on industry topics by community leaders and highlights from our host's data visualization program.

AWARDS CEREMONY

Each year, the annual Information is Beautiful Awards Ceremony is a memorable celebration bringing together data visualization creators and enthusiasts from around the world. This year’s program will take place on November 4, 2023 and be in true mid-Atlantic form with a Maryland-inspired brunch complete with mimosas and brunch beverages.

Our Awards Ceremony celebrates the amazing shortlisted entries from this year and attendees will be the first to celebrate the winners across nine categories and seven special awards. Plus, the shift to a celebratory brunch allows for wider attendance across more time zones compared to last year’s evening celebration!

SAVE THE DATE!

When: November 3-4, 2023

Where: Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore, Maryland, USA

MICA is easily accessible by public transportation and attendees can opt to fly into any of the three regional airports (Baltimore Washington International - BWI, Dulles - IAD, or Reagan National - DCA). For international travelers, Dulles has the largest volume of international options and Baltimore also offers international flights (sometimes at a lower cost).

For those in the DC metro region, MICA can be accessed using Amtrak or MARC trains from DC and connecting to the local light rail system, or there is ample parking around campus.

There are three ways you can join this year’s celebration:

Join us in Baltimore, Maryland, USA at MICA! Those attending in person will enjoy the Day of Inspiration talks live, with the opportunity to connect with shortlistee speakers. The following day during the Awards Ceremony attendees will experience a festive mid-Atlantic-style brunch complete with mingling with data visualization creators and leaders and sipping celebratory drinks. Don’t miss the opportunity to be there live as we announce the big winners, and snap photos with your viz friends and celebrate all of the incredible shortlistees and Special Awards nominees. Any data visualization enthusiast can purchase a ticket to the Awards Ceremony, though the number of paid tickets available will be limited based on event capacity.

Tune in virtually! Virtual attendees can join the Day of Inspiration and the Awards Ceremony with the livestream, hosted to make the excitement more globally accessible. Join in real time and chat with fellow virtual attendees.

Celebrate and connect at a watch party! Data viz meetups and local communities are welcome to host their own watch parties of the livestream!

Here is a list of local groups who are hosting their own watch parties of the livestream. Click on the links below to learn how you can join:

• DVS Barcelona watch party (November 4)

• Information Is Beautiful Awards Watch Party + Project working session at Washington D.C. (November 4)

Ticket Options

$199 Day of Inspiration + Awards Ceremony (In-Person)

$49 Day of Inspiration Only (In-Person)

$40 Two-Day Streaming Package

        $25 Day of Inspiration Only Stream

        $25 Awards Ceremony Only Stream

Tickets will go on sale on September 20th when the 2023 IIB Awards shortlist is publicly announced.

DVS Plus members have access to discounted tickets for the in-person event, with 30% off in-person tickets, and free access to the livestream both days as part of their membership. Members can find the discount codes in Memberspace - note that you still need to register on Eventbrite to receive access to the streaming details. If you’re not already a member, it’s a great opportunity to join - you’ll support the DVS mission and have access to many other benefits. Join here!

Limited discounted tickets: We are committed to making our DVS programming, including the Information is Beautiful Awards, as accessible as we can, with a limited number of income-conscious tickets available on request. Please email iibawards@datavisualizationsociety.org, to request.

Watch Parties

DVS is keen on providing ways to allow for more people to attend the Awards Ceremony if they can’t join in person. One of the alternatives is to organize a watch party with your local affiliate group. 

In order to be able to host an IIB Awards watch party and receive a lump sum to offset the cost of food and/or venue rental (up to 300 USD), the applicant must:

• Lead a local affiliate group

• Submit a short concept note with agenda, estimated budget, and proposal of icebreaking/break activities.

Applicants should fill in this form by October 10th 2023.

DVS will reply to all applicants up to one week after the submission deadline. We are aiming to fund up to 9 parties that meet the eligibility requirements; in case, we receive more applications, we will prioritize the following:

• Local groups outside the USA

• Local groups in non-English speaking countries

• Local groups led by women and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color)

If all eligibility requirements are met, the local group will be assigned a contact person to provide information and support in planning and hosting the watch party.

Local groups will be asked to submit a post-event document with relevant information (number and diversity of attendees, watch party feedback, photos of the party) to the DVS contact person.

Why should you attend the IIB Awards Ceremony?

The Information is Beautiful Awards have been celebrating excellence and beauty in data visualization, infographics, interactives, and information art for eight years. The Data Visualization Society (DVS) is excited to be presenting the 2023 edition of the awards - and what better way to round out 2023 than a celebration of incredible visualizations?

Attending the Awards is an opportunity to meet leaders in data visualization. Past awards ceremonies have been attended by designers from Tableau, Thomson Reuters, Nesta, British Medical Journal, Density Design Research Lab, Deloitte, and more.

You’ll leave inspired, with new data connections, whether from joining us at the Awards Ceremony in Baltimore or opting to join virtually or at a watch party.

No matter how you plan to join us (in-person or virtually), we ask that attendees register on Eventbrite to make sure you don’t miss any announcements or details about the event, including how to tune in on the livestream for virtual attendees.

Organizing an awards ceremony is very demanding. By buying tickets to this event, you are not only helping us with organizational costs and allow DVS to provide the broadcast as a public good available for free for the broader data visualization community, but also supporting Data Visualization Society’s long-term sustainability. 

Event safety & inclusivity

Like all DVS-hosted events, IIB Awards Ceremony attendees are expected to abide by our Code of Conduct to ensure a welcoming and inclusive event for all attendees. This extends to attendees joining in person, virtually, and at a virtual watch party.

We are mindful of the continued concerns around COVID-19 and are committed to creating a safe event for attendees who opt to join in person. Here is what you can expect if attending the Awards Ceremony in Baltimore:

• Attendees are encouraged to be up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations, including the most recent bivalent booster.

• Attendees are encouraged to rapid test in advance of attending the event, ideally in the hours before.

• If you have a positive COVID test that unfortunately prevents you from attending, we will give you the option to have your ticket price refunded.

• High quality masks are welcome, but not required. Note that the organizers will follow all local ordinances, and if masks are required at the time of the event we will provide masks (KN95 or similar) at the door for attendees.

The past three years has created a radical shift in how events are hosted and considerations for keeping attendees safe. We ask that attendees be kind and respectful of others, particularly those who are opting for different levels of protection from yourself.

We encourage data visualization enthusiasts to join the event however they feel most comfortable, which is why we’ve looked to create different opportunities to participate.