Alumni
ArtCenter Awards
Celebrating Creative Excellence and Impact
The ArtCenter Awards celebrate outstanding ArtCenter College of Design alumni whose creative achievements, leadership and service have made a lasting impact on their industries, communities and the world.
From emerging innovators to established creative leaders, ArtCenter Awards honorees embody the imagination, ambition and influence that have defined the ArtCenter community for generations.
Join Us for the 2026 ArtCenter Awards
Celebrate this year’s honorees—Zack Snyder, Clement Mok, Celine Kim and Katie Sprague—at an evening bringing together the ArtCenter community at our iconic Hillside Campus in Pasadena.
Learn more about the honorees, reserve tickets or a table, and view sponsorship opportunities for the 2026 ArtCenter Awards.
Alumni Office
South Campus
1111 S. Arroyo Parkway
Pasadena, CA 91105
Get Directions
626 396-2305
alumni@artcenter.edu
Celebrating Our 2026 ArtCenter Award Winners
ArtCenter proudly honors Zack Snyder with the Distinguished Mid-Career Award; Clement Mok with the Lifetime Achievement Award; Celine Kim with the Young Innovator Award; and Katie Sprague with the Distinguished Service Award.
Past Award Winners
Lifetime Achievement
Honoring an alum for a lifetime of exceptional professional and creative accomplishments.
- 2007 – Syd Mead BS 59 (d)
- 2008 – Frank Nuovo BS 86
- 2009 – Kenji Ekuan BS 57 (d)
- 2010 – Doyald Young BFA 55 (d)
- 2011 – Lou Danziger BFA 48
- 2012 – Bruce Burdick BS 61 (d)
- 2013 – Gordon Bruce BS 72
- 2014 – Shiro Nakamura 81
- 2015 – Drew Struzan BFA 70
- 2016 – Michael Reese BS 74
- 2017 – Kit Hinrichs BFA 63
- 2018 – James Miho 1955 (d)
- 2019 – Doug Aitken BFA 91
- 2020 – Lee Friedlander 1954
- 2021 – Hiroshi Sugimoto BFA 74
- 2022 – Bob Gurr BS 52
- 2023 – Matthew Rolston DHL 06
- 2024 – Diana Thater MFA 90
Distinguished Mid-Career
Celebrating an alum who has made significant and growing impacts in their professional or creative fields. Established in 2019.
- 2019 – Sterling Ruby MFA 15
- 2020 – Melodie McDaniel BFA 91
- 2021 – Yves Béhar BS 91
- 2022 – De Liu MS 15
- 2023 – Rafael López BFA 85
- 2024 – Thomas Mueller MFA 95
Young Innovator
Acknowledging a recent alum for notable professional or creative innovation achievements.
- 2007 – Nikolai Cornell MFA 04
- 2008 – Dustin Arnold BFA 04
- 2009 – Eric Benjamin Nyquist BFA 07
- 2010 – Geetika Agrawal MS 05
- 2011 – Jonathan Jarvis MFA 09
- 2012 – John Niero BS 07
- 2013 – Spencer Nikosey BS 08
- 2014 – Katie Dill BS 07
- 2015 – Mari Nakano MFA 10
- 2016 – Jessie Kawata BFA 11
- 2017 – Jacques Perrault 14
- 2018 – Kevin Bethune MS 12
- 2019 – Ini Archibong BS 12
- 2020 – Parker Kuncl MFA 09
- 2021 – Mariana Prieto BS 12
- 2022 – Azeez Alli-Balogun MS 18
- 2023 – Nidhi Singh Rathore MS 19
- 2024 – Bijan Machen MFA 18
Outstanding Service
Recognizing an alum for significant contributions to ArtCenter or impactful humanitarian design.
- 2007 – Ramone Muñoz MFA 90, BFA 77
- 2008 – Mikio Osaki BFA 61
- 2009 – Michael Osborne BFA 78
- 2010 – Stephanie Sigg MS 98
- 2011 – Wendy MacNaughton BFA 99
- 2012 – Gala Narezo BFA 01
- 2013 – Stan Kong BS 83
- 2014 – Patrick Kiruki BS 05
- 2015 – Gary Meyer BFA 59 (d)
- 2016 – Rob Ball BS 83
- 2017 – Julian Ryder BFA 72
- 2018 – Paul Bielenberg BFA 98 and Jahee Kim Lee MFA 92, BFA 90
- 2019 – Gloria Kondrup MFA 93
- 2020 – Allison Goodman MFA 95
- 2021 – Bruce Heavin BFA 93
- 2023 – Robert Matsumoto BFA 63
- 2024 – Luis Fitch BFA 90
From Theme Parks to High Schools and Every Household— These Are the Trailblazers Deploying Design to Change the World
ArtCenter Alums Bob Gurr, De Liu and Azeez Alli-Balogun to Receive Alumni Awards
Design Leaders Who Pioneer Innovation and Influence Society Honored by ArtCenter College of Design
Hiroshi Sugimoto, Yves Béhar, Bruce Heavin and Mariana Prieto Receive Alumni Awards for Creating Meaningful Change through Art and Design
The responsibility of creative people is to try and offer less traditional paths of problem solving to those who might benefit from it.
Gala Narezo BFA 01
When you’re truly present, creativity and inspiration can come from so many different places.
Nikolai Cornell MFA 04
