William Drenttel Award for Design Excellence

In 2015-2016, the Winterhouse Institute collaborated with Teach For All, a global organization operating through partners in 40 countries to expand access to education to ensure all children have the opportunity to fulfill their potential, to present the William Drenttel Award for Design Excellence. William Drenttel, co-founder of the Winterhouse Institute, and Vice President of Communications and Design for Teach For All from 2008-2013, was deeply committed to the value of education. The William Drenttel Award for Excellence in Design was a joint award created by the Winterhouse Institute and Teach For All to honor Bill's legacy.  

“Winterhouse seeks to shine a light on public-minded organizations that activate their missions through design. Teach For All is a world leader on this front and the Drenttel Award recipients show why.”

– chris kasabach, winterhouse institute board of directors

The Drenttel Award aimed to raise awareness of the value of design, while helping Teach For All partners magnify their mission. The award recognized projects from Teach For All partners that utilized design to further their social impact through design. Submitted projects were reviewed by an international group of judges* against the following key criteria: 

• Human-Centered Approach: The solution was conceived with and for people. It has been successful as a design intervention because it responds to the audience’s needs and desires.

• Impact: The solution is a significant improvement over the status quo. There is measurable positive value especially relative to a baseline or the solution that preceded it.

• Responsibility: The solution respects and reflects the cultural and environmental context that it serves. 

• Creativity & Innovation: The solution demonstrates a highly inventive approach to problem-solving. 

• Clarity & Quality of Resolution: The solution has visual clarity and aesthetic appeal, as applicable.

• Capacity of Partner: The solution is impressive in relation to the level of development/capacity of the partner organization. 

Award winners received a featured announcement in Design Observer, announcements at both the annual Winterhouse Symposium and Teach For All Global Conference, as well as design mentoring services through the Winterhouse Institute network. In addition, winners' projects were shared across the Teach For All network as examples of innovative, replicable approaches for advancing access to education.