Information Is Beautiful Awards
Frequently Asked Questions
Page last updated: November 18, 2024
General questions
What work is eligible for this year’s Awards?
Any data visualizations published between September 1, 2023 and December 31, 2024 are eligible for submission.
Submissions must include screenshots or images and a link location (live through at least July 2025) that can be viewed by the judges and featured in the Entry Showcase if selected for the long list, short list, or as a winner.
One Special Award has a different eligibility period: for the Test of Time award, data visualization works created and / or published between September 1, 2013 and December 31, 2014 (pre-dating this year’s submission period by 10 years) are eligible to be nominated as part of the Special Awards Nominations period opening in September.
What has changed about the Awards since 2022?
Since 2022, the IIB Awards are now hosted by the Data Visualization Society, but have a storied history since their start in 2012. You can read more about the legacy of the Awards and explore the Entry Showcase to learn more about the 2012-2019 Awards. Rather than having a single named sponsor for the Awards, we are recruiting sponsors from the broad community of companies, organizations, foundations, and others invested in nurturing, celebrating, and advancing the data visualization field.
In addition, the Categories and Special Awards have been updated to reflect community feedback and recommendations. A clear matrix of Judging Criteria will be shared with the community, and are outlined below in the section on ‘Judging’.
If I submit my work for consideration in the Awards, do I retain the rights to my work?
Yes, if you submit work for consideration you still retain the rights to the works submitted. Submissions are made via a digital submission form and as such submission content will not be returned to participants in any format.
In alignment with the overall Awards Terms and Conditions, by submitting your work you grant DVS the right to share the links and images of your work(s) in the Information is Beautiful Awards Entry Showcase and in related IIB Awards promotions (such as email and social media) with attribution to the original creators. You can read the full Terms and Conditions and related policies on theIIB Awards website.
Category Awards Submissions
Where can I find out what the categories are?
You can read about the categories and their descriptions on the Categories webpage.
Can one piece be submitted to multiple categories? Can it win multiple categories?
Yes, each entry can be submitted to up to two categories. However, it would only be eligible to win in one category. Please note our team reserves the right to reallocate submissions across categories if appropriate, but will notify you if a category change is being proposed.
Can I submit work created in languages other than English?
Yes, you are welcome to submit pieces created in any language, though there is a field on the submission form where you can direct the judging panel to an English translation if available. We have been working to recruit judges with a variety of different language capabilities in order to fairly assess submissions in different languages.
Is there a limit to how many submissions people can make?
No. As long as each submission is a separate work, there is no limit to the number of submissions an applicant can make. Each entry will be evaluated individually. Please note that entry fees are calculated per entry and not per applicant.
Do I need to be in the United States to submit work?
No. We welcome submissions from around the world.
How many shortlistees will there be per category?
There is no fixed number for the number of shortlistees per category. For reference, there were typically 5-10 shortlisted entries per category in the past.
My entry requires a submission fee, and I haven’t paid yet. Where do I click to pay it?
On the Awards website, click into your user profile to find ‘Your Entries’. If your entry has an outstanding payment, you will see ‘Pay’ next to the option to ‘Edit.’
How do I change my ‘Entry type’ in the submissions form?
Click ‘Your Account’ in the top navigation bar. You will be able to edit your details. You will find the following options to change your Account type: Solo practitioner or small company (1-5 members), Student; Agency, studio, brand, or company; Member of the public; Media outlet or publication; NGO, government, or education; Small company/non-profit from a low/middle income country.
Your account type is auto populated in the submissions form, so if your entry type is incorrect, please update this in your account type. If you are seeking to submit both personal projects and professional topics with a team, please reach out to us around options for completing different types of submissions at iibawards-info@datavisualizationsociety.org.
Can I get a receipt of payment for my submission fee?
Yes. Please send us an email at iibawards-info@datavisualizationsociety.org with ‘Receipt request’ in the title, and indicate the email address associated with the submission(s) you would need a receipt for, (ie. the email address you created an account on the Awards website with).
Can I edit my entry after I’ve submitted it?
You can edit your entry up until the submission deadline of 23:59 UTC January 31st, 2025. Click ‘existing entries’ in your user profile. You will see ‘Edit’ next to each entry you have submitted.
I’m experiencing some issues with the submissions site. What should I do?
If you experience any issues with the submissions site, such as difficulties uploading files or viewing content on the submissions page, please access the site with Google Chrome and disable ad-blocker / content blocker plugins before submitting an entry. If you still experience issues on the site, please contact us at iibawards-info@datavisualizationsociety.org and describe the issue in your email.
Judging Process
What are the judging criteria for selecting the winners?
This year, judges will consider the following criteria when reviewing submissions:
Is the work impactful?
Is the work engaging?
Does the work display clarity of analysis, including clear guidance that makes the visual usable?
Is the work innovative and creative, celebrating novel formats and design approaches?
Is the work inclusive, including using inclusive language, and considering representations of equity appropriately? Does the design single out or leave out data resulting in a viz that is not inclusive?
Is the work accessible, including design decisions to support interaction from all users? How usable is the visualization? Consider color contrast, color blindness, and alt text where applicable. The titles are clear and labels are clear and easily readable and understandable.
Is the work effective, achieving its goals and connecting an audience to the underlying data - which may mean valuing simplicity over complexity?
Is the work beautiful, celebrating aesthetic beauty and design broadly?
We recognize that the assessment criteria demonstrate a wide range of different values that merit Awards and celebrations of excellent work in data visualization, and are working with our judging committee to further refine our assessment matrix for submissions with the goal of continuing to build transparency in the selection process.
How do these criteria impact my submission?
In your submission, you have the option to include a summary about the work being submitted. Please add details on the submission form around your audience, goals, and design process that give us additional insights into how you created your work. Both the works themselves (links and/or images) and your descriptions will be considered in the judging process.
Will my submission be published on the IIB Awards showcase?
In order to amplify the work of practitioners across the global data viz community, all eligible entries are published on the showcase. Exceptions include work that is offensive and/or defamatory. For a list of eligibility criteria, please see the Awards homepage.
How was the longlist determined?
The goal of the longlist is to create a pool of data visualization works that are a snapshot of the field at this moment of time and an inspiring repository of projects. After being reviewed for eligibility, each submission was reviewed by at least three people based on the judging criteria outlined above. If a submission got at least two votes to be longlisted, then it made the longlist. After this process, one reviewer looked at each submission to ensure consistency in the results.
Who are the judges for the Awards?
The Judges are a collection of past IIB Award winners, data visualization experts, professors who teach data visualization, and judges from past Awards seasons. The list of judges will be publicly announced after the Category Award submission period closes.
When will I know if the work I submitted has been selected for the long list or short list?
The major milestones for the IIB Awards submission, judging, and announcement of winners include:
December 15, 2024 - January 31, 2025: Submission form open for the ten open Awards categories
March 20, 2025: Announce the long list publicly
April 20, 2025: Short list announced at the Day of Inspiration Virtual Awards Ceremony
June 2025: Award Presentation at Outlier 2025 reception event
Note that dates for long list and short list announcements are subject to change if there are delays in judging feedback, technical issues, or other constraints that surface unexpectedly, with the goal that we provide ample time for shortlistees to determine if they will attend the Awards Ceremony and make associated travel plans.
Special Awards
What are the special awards?
There are seven special awards this year: Community Vote, Outstanding Studio, Impressive Individual, Rising Star, Impactful Community Leader, Test of Time, and Most Beautiful. The Impressive Individual, Rising Star, and Outstanding Studio Awards will have Gold, Silver, and Bronze prizes as the Category Awards do, but only one winner will be selected for the other Special Awards.
Are there descriptions of the Special Awards?
You can find more information on the Categories and Special Awards page.
When will nominations for Special Awards open?
Nominations for select Special Awards (Community Leader and Test of Time) will open on December 15, 2024 and close on February 15, 2025. There will not be a long list or a short list for the nomination-based special awards.
How many nominations can I submit?
You can submit as many nominations as you’d like, as long as you are not nominating the same work/person for the same award multiple times.
Can people self-nominate?
Yes, we encourage those who would like to be considered for one of the Special Awards open to nominations to complete the form themselves, or collaborate with a colleague to complete the nomination on your behalf.
Do I need to inform the nominee that I am nominating them?
If you personally know your nominee, we encourage you to obtain their consent in being considered for the Awards. Otherwise, we will contact the nominee directly as much as possible.
How will the Special Award winners be selected?
Four special awards will be selected from the pool of eligible submissions by a panel of expert judges, following the past precedent from the program. The 4 special awards are: Outstanding Studio, Impressive Individual, Rising Star, and Most Beautiful. Although these special awards will not take nominations, you are welcome to encourage others to submit for the awards, so that they will be in the pool eligible for this special award.
The Impactful Community Leader and Test of Time Special Awards will be open to nominations.
The final special award, Community Vote, will be a vote by members of the public from the pool of eligible submissions. There will be no additional nominations for this special award, but we hope you’ll encourage your colleagues and data visualization creators whose work you admire to submit their work for consideration!
Why is the Exemplary Book Award no longer on the list?
We want judges to feel comfortable and confident in their assessment of the outstanding data visualization books from our community and the short judging timeframe and the logistical challenges around having available copies of the books makes that a difficult goal to achieve. Books can still be submitted in the topical categories. Separately, we're looking at approaches for compiling annual lists of exemplary viz books and recognizing books in different ways.
Awards ceremony
Where and when will the Awards Ceremony take place?
The 2024 IIB Awards Ceremony will be held virtually in May 2025. Winners attending Outlier 2025 will be presented their awards in person at the Thursday evening reception.
Will the event be livestreamed?
Yes, in line with the DVS goal of being inclusive of our global community, the virtual awards ceremony event will be livestreamed to create the opportunity for data visualization enthusiasts around the world to join in the celebration in real time or watch the event asynchronously if time zones make a real-time viewing challenging. We welcome data viz meetups and local communities to host their own watch parties and are providing some support for those events to our DVS Local Affiliated Groups.
If you are a DVS Plus member, you can access the livestream to the Awards Ceremony for free (you still need to register on Eventbrite to access stream details). Visit this page to claim your discount code.
Is the Awards Ceremony open to the public?
Yes, 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.
I want to attend the Awards Ceremony, how can I register?
Tickets for the 2024 Virtual Awards Ceremony will be available on Eventbrite. Attendance at the virtual awards ceremony is free for everyone this year in an effort to increase the inclusivity and focus on the celebration of the awards themselves. If you are interested and able to contribute financially, DVS is always open to donations as a non-profit organization. Find more information regarding donations, including how to make them.
I’m involved in the Awards planning or have submitted my work for consideration. Any chance I can get a free ticket?
The virtual awards event will be free for everyone, including those who have contributed to the planning and operation of the Awards. Volunteers and shortlisted submitters will receive discounted tickets to Outlier 2025 and winners will receive free tickets to Outlier 2025. In addition, IIB Awards sponsors at different levels receive packages of tickets to Outlier 2025 as part of their sponsorship package.
In addition, all shortlisted projects will receive two free tickets to the event. We hope you’ll join us in person for the celebration and to walk across the stage to accept your trophy if you’re announced as a winner!
We submitted an entry as a team and our work was shortlisted. How many free tickets will we receive?
We provide up to two discounted tickets for authors of shortlisted works (if you are the sole author, you will receive one complimentary ticket) to Outlier 2025. Authors of winning works will receive two free tickets to Outlier 2025. If your winning entry has more than two authors or if you want to bring a guest, we can offer a third ticket at a reduced price. Limitations on the number of free tickets provided for each winning work is due to space constraints and the overall cost of hosting the Awards. (Which is a great opportunity to remind folks that we’re still seeking sponsors for this year’s Awards!)
Does the Award Ceremony have a Code of Conduct?
Yes. On top of the DVS code of conduct, we ask you to follow the IIB Awards code of conduct as well. As the IIB Award Ceremony is a place of social interaction and networking, the IIB Awards Code of Conduct also covers an Anti-Harassment Policy, Photo/Video Policy, and Sponsorship Policy.
For any further questions that are not listed here, please contact us at iibawards-info@datavisualizationsociety.org. This page is meant to be used as a reference. Our team retains the right to make updates and changes to the Program, with the promise that any changes will be clearly communicated to our community.