Categories include Scenic Design, Costume Design, Lighting Design and Notable Effects, which encompass "sound, music, video, puppetry and other creative elements." All nominated designs must have originated in productions within the U.S.

Lincoln Center Theater's production of South Pacific and Atlantic Theater Company's staging of Trumpery each received four nominations, the most garnered by any production of the 2007-2008 theatre season.

Originally titled the Maharam Awards and later known as the American Theatre Wing Design Awards, the awards were renamed in 1999 to honor founder Henry Hewes. The 44th Annual Henry Hewes Awards — supported by the American Theatre Wing — will be presented at a luncheon Nov. 14.

The Henry Hewes Design Awards Committee comprised theatre critics Jeffrey Eric Jenkins, chair; Dan Bacalzo; David Barbour; David Cote; Tish Dace; Glenda Frank; Mario Fratti; and Joan Ungaro.

The nominees for the 44th Annual Henry Hewes Awards follow. Scenic Design
Allen Moyer, From Up Here
David Korins, Hunting and Gathering
David Korins, Pumpgirl
David Korins, The Receptionist
David Zinn, The Four of Us
Derek McLane, Rafta, Rafta
James Noone, Come Back, Little Sheba
Jan Versweyveld, The Misanthrope
John Lee Beatty, Mauritius
Klara Zieglerova, The Farnsworth Invention
Mark Wendland, Next to Normal
Mark Wendland, Richard III
Mark Wendland, Unconditional
Michael Yeargan, South Pacific
Mimi Lien, Queens Boulevard (the musical)
Peter J. Davison, Is He Dead?
Peter Ksander, Untitled Mars (This Title May Change)
Ray Klausen, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Robin Wagner, Young Frankenstein
Sandra Goldmark, Crossing Brooklyn
Santo Loquasto, Trumpery
Scott Bradley, Eurydice
Scott Pask, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Takeshi Kata, Adding Machine
Todd Rosenthal, August: Osage County
Tom Pye, Top Girls
Zach Zirlin, Blind Mouth Singing

Costume Design
Alvin Colt, Forbidden Broadway: Rude Awakening
Anita Yavich, Iphigenia 2.0
Catherine Zuber, Cry-Baby
Catherine Zuber, South Pacific
Christal Weatherly, Queens Boulevard (the musical)
Clint Ramos, Edward II
David C. Woolard, The Farnsworth Invention
Emilio Sosa, The Misanthrope
Gail Cooper-Hecht, Morning Star
Gregory Gale, Cyrano de Bergerac
Jane Greenwood, Trumpery
Jess Goldstein, Cymbeline
Jess Goldstein, The Homecoming
Katrina Lindsay, Les Liaisons Dangerueses
Mara Blumenfeld, The Glorious Ones
Martin Pakledinaz, Gypsy
Michael Bottari, Ronald Case and Jessica Jahn, Die, Mommie, Die!
Oana Botez-Ban, Untitled Mars (This Title May Change)
Suzy Benzinger, The Seagull
Theresa Squire, Rafta, Rafta
Willa Kim, Adrift in Macao
William Ivey Long, The New Century

Lighting Design
Ann G. Wrightson, August: Osage County
Brian H. Scott, Hotel Cassiopeia
Brian MacDevitt, The Receptionist
Brian MacDevitt, The Seagull
Daniel Meeker, Rock Doves
David Weiner, Pumpgirl
David Weiner, The Overwhelming
Donald Holder, Cyrano de Bergerac
Donald Holder, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Donald Holder, South Pacific
Howell Binkley, Cry-Baby
Howell Binkley, Gypsy
Howell Binkley, The Farnsworth Invention
Howell Binkley, Xanadu
James F. Ingalls, Trumpery
Jason Lyons, Rafta, Rafta
Justin Townsend, Opus
Keith Parham, Adding Machine
Mark Barton, The Sound and the Fury
Natasha Katz, The Little Mermaid
Pat Collins, From Up Here
Russell H. Champa, Eurydice

Notable Effects
(Notable Effects Nominations—Production Design)
Watoku Ueno (scenery, lighting, shadow image), Makoto Takeuchi (shadow image), Luba Kierkosz (costumes), After the Rain
Peter Ksander (scenery), Ramona Ponce (costumes), Miranda K. Hardy (lighting), Kristin Worrall (sound), The Cenci
Neil Patel (scenery), James Schuette (costumes), Brian H. Scott (lighting), Darron L. West (sound), Greg King (projections), Hotel Cassiopeia

(Notable Effects Nominations—Individuals)
Allen Moyer (handcraft design), The New Century
Dan Moses Schreier (sound design), Gypsy
David Korins (trick floor), Drunken City
David Valentine (puppet design), Fight Girl Battle World
Janie Geiser and Susan Simpson (production design), Frankenstein (Mortal Toys)
Jill BC DuBoff (sound design), Umbrella
Jim Findlay and Jeff Sugg (projection design), The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island
Jorge Cousineau (sound design), Opus
Joseph Fosco (sound design), The Conversation
Kevin Augustine (puppet design), Bride
Kevin Cunningham (production design) and Jeff Morey (video design), Fire Island
Kirjan Waage (puppet design), Fabrik - The Legend of M. Rabinowitz
Marc Brickman (special effects), Young Frankenstein
Miklos Buk and Balázs Vajna (video design), Untitled Mars (This Title May Change)
Obadiah Eaves (sound design), Trumpery
Ralph Lee (puppet design), The Puppetmaster of Lodz
Reid Farrington (video design), Hamlet
Scott Lehrer (sound design), South Pacific
Sven Ortel (video design), The Little Mermaid
Tal Yarden (video design), The Misanthrope
Zen Mansley and Candice Burridge (puppet design), The System of Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether