Design Awards
MBNA announced the winners of the 2026 MBNA Design Awards during the business meeting at MB University in Fort Worth, TX on February 28. More than 146 monuments were entered across multiple design categories. Winners were selected through a juried competition of industry professionals, with an additional People’s Choice Award determined by votes from monument professionals attending the annual event.
The highest honor, the 2026 Excellence in Design Award, was presented to:
Harrison Monuments (Warsaw, IL) — “Hardisty Track Monument”
The People’s Choice Award, selected by MBNA members, was presented to:
Quincy Memorials (Quincy, MA) — “Alwyn Clergy”
2026 MBNA Design Award Winners
Conceptual
First Place
Loiselle Memorials, Inc. (Hudson Falls, NY) – “Crane Guarnier”
Second Place
Gaulden Monuments (Rock Hill, SC) – “Robert Smalls”
Third Place
Hunt Memorials Inc. (Nashville, TN) – “Edward Riggins”
Garden Art / Non-Cemetery Memorial
First Place
Sunburst Memorials (St. Cloud, MN) — “Cole Deiley Bullet”
Second Place
Allen Monument Company (Crawfordsville, IN) — “Crawfordsville, IN Star Ambulance – Business Sign”
Third Place
Hunt Memorials Inc. (Nashville, TN) — “John’s Birdbath”
Hand-Etched Monument
First Place
Gaulden Monuments (Rock Hill, SC) — “Forever Connected”
Second Place
Summit Memorials (Summit, MS) — “Final Destination”
Third Place
OM Stone (Hillsboro, OR) — “Dao Vang Memorial”
Machine-Etched Monument
First Place
South Boston Memorials (South Boston, VA) — “Thompson, Odell Etching”
Second Place
Loiselle Memorials Inc. (Hudson Falls, NY) — “Collins”
Third Place
Caldwell Monument Company (Kokomo, IN) — “Kirchner Etched Memorial”
Flat Marker
First Place
OM Stone (Hillsboro, OR) — “Gordon Memorial”
Second Place
Hunt Memorials Inc. (Nashville, TN) — “Finucane”
Third Place – tie
West Memorials (Memphis, TN) — “Eternal Melody – A Tribute to Kali Trotter” and Harrison Monuments (Warsaw, IL) – “Flesner”
Sculpture
First Place
Gaulden Monuments (Rock Hill, SC) — “One of One”
Second Place
South Boston Memorials (South Boston, VA) — “Molly Campbell Sculpture”
Third Place
Springfield Monument (Springfield, IL) — “Elliot’s Dino”
Public-Civic Monument
First Place
Gaulden Monuments (Rock Hill, SC) — “Blue Ridge Monuments Sign”
Second Place
West Memorials (Memphis, TN) — “Danbury”
Third Place
Hunt Memorials Inc. (Nashville, TN) — “Gabriel Field Renovation Project”
Small Monument
First Place
Longstreth Memorials (Galion, OH) — “Volk”
Second Place
Allen Monument Company (Crawfordsville, IN) — “X-Box Controller Monument”
Third Place
OM Stone (Hillsboro, OR) — “Dutton Dastrup Memorial”
Medium Monument
First Place
Hunt Memorials Inc. (Nashville, TN) — “John Malugani”
Second Place
La Crosse Memorials LLC (La Crosse, WI) — “Vision of Color”
Third Place
Loiselle Memorials Inc. (Hudson Falls, NY) — “Hogan”
Large Monument
First Place
Harrison Monuments (Warsaw, IL) — “Hardisty Track Monument”
Second Place
Lewin Monument (Fort Mitchell, KY) — “Jumping Into Eternity”
Third Place
Caldwell Monument Company (Kokomo, IN) — “Zimmerman Memorial”
MBNA members from across North America are invited to submit their most creative and skillfully crafted monuments to the MBNA Design Awards. The award submission form will open November 1. A panel of Certified Memorialists will review all entries anonymously, evaluating each on balance, purpose, creativity, and material selection. All MBNA Retailer members are eligible to enter the Design Awards contest. All entries must be finished monuments (except conceptual) that fall into one of nine categories:
1. Monument by Size
Three awards will be given – Small, Medium and Large. Monuments will be evaluated with monuments of like size.
2. Flat Marker
3. Cremation Memorial
4. Sculpture
5. Hand Etched
6. Machine Etched
7. Public/Civic Monument
8. Conceptual Memorial
9. Garden Art/Non-Cemetery Memorial
You can enter as many categories as you like and submit multiple entries in each category, but each specific monument may only be entered once.
People’s Choice Award:
All Design Award entries are also eligible for the People’s Choice Award. The People’s Choice Award is voted on by MBNA’s entire membership.
*Note: For all submissions, all designs must originate from an MBNA member firm. Retailer members submitting entries in the contest represent and warrant to MBNA that no materials used in or in connection with the monuments in their entries infringe the trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights of any other party.
MBNews Covers:
All Design Award entries will also be considered for an MBNews cover in the upcoming year.
