Awards

CILC Pinnacle Award 2022-2023

The International Spy Museum's virtual student workshops received a 2022-2023 Pinnacle Award by the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration. 

DC Ad Club's American Advertising Awards 2023

This January won one silver, two golds, and two Best of American Advertising Awards for their campaign You Don't Visit the Spy Museum, You Live it.

AIGA50 2023

This January won an AIGA50 award for their OOH campaign for the Spy Museum The Capital of Spycraft.

AISC's Merit Award 2022

The International Spy Museum received AISC's Innovative Design in Engineering and Architecture with Structural Steel (IDEAS2) Merit Award in the $75 Million to $200 Million category in recognition of the architecturally impactful building.  The unique structure has an evocative form and powerful exposed structural steel sloped columns and pleated glass veil, which plays with the concept of "hidden in plain sight." 

CILC Pinnacle Award 2021-2022

The International Spy Museum's virtual student workshops received a 2021-2022 Pinnacle Award by the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration. 

IES Illumination Award 2020

The International Spy Museum was awarded a 2020 Illumination Award for the Museum's state-of-the-art lighting by the Illuminating Engineering Society.

The Telly Awards 2020

The International Spy Museum was awarded one silver and three bronze Telly Awards, honoring video and television across all screens, for their Mosab & Gonen: Spy and Spy Handler video and Cyber Infinity Room.

AAM's 2020 MUSE Awards

The International Spy Museum was awarded a bronze Muse Award for the onsite digital experience Red Team. 

AAM's 2020 Excellence in Exhibition Label Writing

The International Spy Museum was awarded the American Alliance of Museum's 2020 Excellence in Exhibition Label Writing for their Exfiltration: The Canadian Caper label copy.

DC Ad Club’s 2020 American Advertising Awards

Pappas, a DMI Company, won three silver American Advertising Awards for their online & interactive campaigns in support of the International Spy Museum's 2019 grand opening at L'Enfant Plaza.

NAIOP's 2019 Award of Excellence

Hickok Cole received an Award of Excellence from the Commercial Real Estate Development Association's DC/MD chapter for Best Institutional Facility as a result of their work on the new International Spy Museum at L'Enfant Plaza.

ABC's 2019 Award of Excellence

The new International Spy Museum at L'Enfant Plaza received an Award of Excellence from the Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc.

DC Ad Club’s 2016 American Advertising Awards

Pappas, a DMI Company, won four silver American Advertising Awards for their Out-of-Home, Integrated Local, and Integrated National Campaigns in support of the International Spy Museum.

DC Ad Club’s 2013 American Advertising Awards

MDB Communications' won gold and silver American Advertising Awards for their cinema and radio advertising in support of the International Spy Museum's special exhibition Exquisitely Evil: 50 Years of Bond Villains.

2012 National ADDY Awards from American Advertising Federation

Red Tettemer & Partners, an indie creative ad agency, and the International Spy Museum, won Best of Show for the Out of Home Campaign "Behind the Scenes". Red Tettemer’s work for International Spy Museum also won two Gold ADDY Awards for the same campaign.

2012 OBIE Awards from American Advertising Federation

Red Tettemer & Partners, an indie creative ad agency, and the International Spy Museum, won a Silver OBIE for the Out of Home Campaign "Behind the Scenes".

2010 National ADDY Awards from American Advertising Federation Awards

Red Tettemer & Partners, an indie creative ad agency, and the International Spy Museum, won a Gold ADDY in the brochure category of the National ADDY Awards. Red Tettemer’s work for International Spy Museum also won multiple awards at the District Two level and a show stopping 11 awards, including “Best of Television,” at the 2010 Philadelphia ADDY's.

2008 Award for Outstanding Achievement for Operation Spy from The Themed Entertainment Association

2007 American Corporate Identity Awards

The graphic design firm Crabtree and the International Spy Museum won in the promotional design category for the Museum’s quarterly communiqué. The American Corporate Identity Awards is the only national contest devoted to recognizing excellence in the filed of corporate design identity. . Past winners have included AT&T and Fed Ex.

2007 Creativity Annual Awards

The Creativity Awards competition honors the outstanding work done each year by creative professionals in every discipline. The graphic design firm Crabtree and the International Spy Museum won for the Museum’s quarterly communiqué. First launched in 1970, the Creativity Awards is one of the oldest and most well established graphic design competitions.

2006 ADDY Awards

The International Spy Museum and The Redhead Companies received three ADDY Awards in the categories of Out-of-Home Interior Mass Transit for Poison Bottle; Out-of-Home Metro Car Cards for Beautiful Woman, Poison Bottle, Mailbox and Pigeon; and Out-of-Home Metro Dioramas for Beautiful Woman, Roadster, Poison Bottle, and Moe Berg. All winning entries are part of the Museum’s "Gather Your Own Intelligence" Campaign. The ADDY Awards are sponsored by The American Advertising Federation and honor the spirit of creative excellence by recognizing all forms of advertising.

2005 ADDY Awards

The ADDY Awards recognize the most creative and successful advertising campaigns and marketing initiatives. The International Spy Museum won an ADDY Award in the Interactive Media Online Campaign category for advertising created by The Stern Agency for the Museum Store.

2005 11th Annual THEA Awards

Sponsored by the Themed Entertainment Association, presented the International Spy Museum with their Outstanding Achievement award in the Museum category for the Museum's July 2002 Grand Opening.

2004 Development Awards

Sponsored by the DC Marketing Center, awarded the International Spy Museum the Best New Museum award.

2003 Business of the Year

The International Spy Museum was honored as 2003 Business of the Year at the DC Chamber of Commerce 65th Annual Business Awards Gala on November 13, 2003. The prestigious award was presented to the International Spy Museum as the company that has demonstrated the quality and positive results that all other companies strive to achieve through proven financial success, visible community involvement, and a professional and productive working environment for all employees.

2003 Silver Inkwell Awards

Sponsored by the International Association of Business Communicators, presented their Award of Excellence for Media Relations and Publicity and their Award of Merit for New Product Launch to the International Spy Museum for the Museum's 2002 Grand Opening media campaign.

2003 Thoth Award

Sponsored by the Public Relations Society of America National Capital Chapter, recognized the International Spy Museum as a winner in the Special Events and Observances and the Marketing Consumer Products categories for the Museum's 2002 Grand Opening. In addition, the Museum was awarded Best of Show.

2003 PR News Platinum Award

Sponsored by national public relations trade publication PR News, awarded the International Spy Museum an honorable mention for Product Launch for the Museum's 2002 Grand Opening media campaign.

2003 Virginia Public Relations Medallion Award in the Practices Division: Marketing Consumer Services Category

Sponsored by the Richmond chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, has recognized the International Spy Museum and the PR firm of Resnicow Schroeder Associates for the outstanding media outreach that launched the Museum.

2003 Worldfest Bronze Award

Sponsored by the Worldfest Houston Film Festival, has recognized Northern Light Productions for their outstanding creative excellence in the production of the Museum’s final film, Ground Truth.

2002 Bronze Worldmedal

Sponsored by The New York Festivals, has recognized Northern Light Productions for their production of the Museum’s final film, Ground Truth, in the Film and Video (Non-Broadcast): Education, Information and Entertainment: International Affairs category as representative of the World’s Best Work in educational, informational, and industrial productions.

30th Annual Interior Design Competition 2003

Winner: Adamstein & Demetriou Architects

Sponsored by the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), the Annual Interior Design Competition has recognized Adamstein & Demetriou Architects for their outstanding interior design of Zola featuring new ideas and techniques in design and furnishings. The Best of Competition award will be chosen from the various winning entries and presented at the IIDA's award ceremony in June.

2003 Best Renovation: Historic Restoration or Preservation

Winner: James G. Davis Construction Corporation

Sponsored by the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, the Best Renovation: Historic Restoration or Preservation Award has been given to the James G. Davis Construction Corporation in recognition of the adaptive reuse, renovation, and preservation of the five buildings that comprise the International Spy Museum Complex.

2003 ADDY Awards: 18 Awards and 6 Citations of Excellence

The ADDY Awards recognize the most creative and successful advertising campaigns and marketing initiatives. The International Spy Museum has won 18 ADDY Awards and 6 Citations of Excellence for advertising created by The Dan Rosenthal Company and Supon Design Group to launch the Museum and Museum Store including 2 specialty ads, 7 transit ads and 1 transit campaign, 2 magazine ads, and 3 newspaper ads, as well as the Special Judges Award and Best of Category.

2003 Best Retail Deal

Winner: Jemal’s Historic Row

Sponsored by the Washington Business Journal, the Best Retail Deal Award has been given to Jemal’s Historic Row, the block of buildings that house the International Spy Museum, in recognition of how “the opening of the Spy Museum is expected to help lead the resurgence of F Street.”

2003 PRWeek Awards: Corporate Branding Campaign of the Year

Status: Winner

This PRWeek Award recognizes the outstanding use of public relations in establishing an organization’s public image through branding.

2003 PRWeek Awards: Arts, Entertainment & Media Campaign of the Year

Status: Honorable Mention

This PRWeek Award recognizes the outstanding use of public relations in promoting an arts and/or entertainment venue. launching a new product or service, and launching a new company.

2003 Bulldog Award Gold: New Product Launch Media Campaign

Sponsored by the national public relations trade journal, Bulldog Reporter, the Bulldog Awards recognize creativity, media savvy, and tenacity in media relations campaigns.

2003 Bulldog Award Gold: Travel, Hospitality & Destination Industry Media Campaign

Sponsored by the national public relations trade journal, Bulldog Reporter, the Bulldog Awards recognize creativity, media savvy, and tenacity in media relations campaigns.

2003 Bulldog Award Silver: Special Event

Sponsored by the national public relations trade journal, Bulldog Reporter, the Bulldog Awards recognize creativity, media savvy, and tenacity in media relations campaigns.

2003 Craftsmanship Award: Electrical Power Generation, Distribution and Switchgear

Sponsored by the Washington Building Congress, the Craftsmanship Awards recognize the outstanding skills of local craftsmen in the greater Washington, DC area. Craftsmen employed on the International Spy Museum project by Natelco Corporation, SmithGroup, and James G. Davis Construction Corporation have been given this award as a result of the superior work done on the Museum’s electrical switchgear.

2003 eDesign Magazine’s Interactive and Digital Design Competition: Installation Award

eDesign Magazine’s Interactive and Digital Design Competition recognizes excellence in interactive and digital design. Quatrefoil Associates has won the Installation Award for their work on the International Spy Museum’s interactive exhibits.

2002 Rising Star Award

This award recognizes the Museum’s commitment to post all job openings through the city’s First Source, for its pledge that 51 percent of new hires will be Washington, DC residents, and for creating 150 new jobs as a result of the Museum’s opening as well as an estimated 194 new off-site jobs and $7.2 million in annual wages due to the Museum’s presence in the District of Columbia. Sponsored by the National Association of Workforce Boards, the DC Workforce Investment Council and the DC Department of Employment Services.

2002 Catalyst Award

The Washington, DC American Institute of Architects (AIA) awarded the 2002 Catalyst Award in recognition of the International Spy Museum Complex excellence in architecture that positively changes Washington, DC’s streetscape. The award was submitted by two of the Museum Complex architecture firms: SmithGroup and Shalome Baranes.

2002 Downtown DC Momentum Award, Program or Project

The Downtown, DC Business Improvement District awarded the 2002 Momentum award in recognition that the International Spy Museum serves as a magnet to attract people to experience Downtown by improving the environment; enhances the economic, cultural, social or physical well-being of Downtown; has created new development, creative reuse of building, housing or new service; and builds awareness of a continued development of Downtown.