PAVE Student Design Competition

Scholarship Sponsored by PAVE

The Hershey Company is calling on students to design an innovative, in-store snacking hub within a conventional grocery store. The challenge is to create an engaging, interactive space that utilizes advanced technology, lighting, and sensory elements to enhance the shopping experience and stand out from the crowd.

Your design should be adaptable to various retail spaces and should incorporate Hershey's signature brand elements while creating mini-events such as s'mores, movie time, and cultural celebrations. Think about how technologies like AR, digital signage, scent diffusion, and dynamic lighting can be used to create a unique snacking destination.

Explore the potential.

Prizes & Awards

THE TOP 3 DESIGNS WILL BE REWARDED

Each of the top 3 designs will receive a prize of $4,000 USD.

Students will be invited to the PAVE Gala in New York City on December 11th (with travel expenses covered*) where they will be acknowledged for their accomplishments.

A travel grant of $1,000 USD will be given to the students' Educator to accompany the student(s) to the PAVE Gala.

Students may also get the chance to collaborate with one of the industry's top design and manufacturing teams to bring their designs to reality!

Who Can Enter

This yearly global competition is exclusively for current undergraduate and graduate students studying retail planning, visual merchandising, interior design/architecture, branding, graphic design, UX/UI design, industrial design, and similar programs. If you're unsure whether your field of study qualifies, please contact PAVE at info@paveglobal.org.

How to Submit

Submissions should be in the form of an 11 x 17-inch, landscape/horizontal format PDF.

Submissions should not exceed 10 single-sided pages, excluding cover and reference pages.

The submission should meet the general requirements of the design brief, with the scale and composition determined by the student.

Renderings can be either hand-drawn or computer-generated.

AI tools can be used for brainstorming, inspiration, and prototyping. All AI usage must be clearly documented in your final submission.

Submissions will be judged on the quality of the renderings and their ability to vividly and effectively convey your concept.

This is a solo competition - only individual entries will be accepted.

The entrant's name and/or school MUST NOT appear on the presentation materials or cover.

Evaluation Criteria

The following criteria will be used to create a scoring matrix based on the evaluation of broad categories implicit in the design submission. A panel of industry professionals will assess and judge all entries using a blind review process. (download judging criteria PDF)

15% - Design Concept

• Originality, creativity, and inspiration.

25% - Space Solution

• Traffic flow, fixture layout, successful integration of the concept with the store in a way that creates a compelling, authentic brand story, with an inspiring customer journey and innovative use of 2D and 3D elements.

25% - Interior/Architectural Design

• Style, suitability, color and material choices, fixtures, lighting, and merchandise display.

25% - Branding

• Logo color, style, signage, graphics, and technology integration.

10% Quality and professional presentation of work.