The Smithsonian Institution's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum recently announced the initial winners and finalists in its fourth annual National Design Awards recognizing design leaders. The awards recognize extraordinary contributions to design in eight categories: lifetime achievement, corporate achievement, design patron, and architecture, communications, environment, and product design. This year a new fashion category has been added, celebrating outstanding achievement in clothing, accessory, or footwear design.

The winners of the five awards in architecture, communications, environment, product, and fashion design will be announced and the lifetime, corporate, and special commendation recipients will be officially honored at a gala dinner held at the museum on Fifth Avenue in New York City on October 22nd.

The winners and finalists were among more than 300 nominations received earlier this year, nominated by a committee of more than 700 leading designs, educators, journalists, cultural figures, and corporate leaders from every state. A panel of 7 judges from every field whittled down the entries to the finalists and winners.

Below are this year's winners:
Lifetime Achievement Architect Ieoh Ming Pei and designers Lella and Massimo Vignelli

Corporate Achievement Target

Design Patron Award Gordon Segal of Crate and Barrel

Design Award Finalists
Tom Ford, creative director of The Gucci Group and designer for Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, and Gucci; Christina Kim, owner of fashion house Dosa; and Narcisco Rodriquez, who launched his signature women's clothing line in 1997.

Architecture Design Award Finalists
Architecture Research Offices; Frederic Schwartz, former director of New York-based Venturi and Scott Brown and co-founder of the THINK team, one of the finalists for the WTC redevelopment; and architects Billie Tsien and Tod Williams.

Communications Design Award Finalists
Cynthia Breazeal, professor at MIT's Media Lab; Robert Greenberg, co-founder of R/GA, the first firm to bring print, television commercials, and feature films under one roof; and Joseph Holtzman, editor-in-chief of nest.

Environmental Design Award Finalists
Laurie Olin, a leader of American landscape and architecture; Orcky mountain Institute, which incorporates green design processes that promote the efficient and restorative use of resources and new business models; and Michael Van Valkenburgh, a professor and mentor in Harvard's Graduate School of Design and landscape architect.

Product Design Award Finalists
Antenna Design; Herman Miller; and Suzanne Tick.

For more information about the National Design Awards benefit dinner, call George Trescher Associates at 212.685.1095.