DBEW Award 2026
Dezeen Competitions: the DBEW Award 2026 invites entries for design projects that are original, innovative, sustainable and relevant to the AI era.
Current undergraduate and postgraduate design students are eligible to enter, as well as those who have already completed their studies.
This competition is now closed
Organiser: ADI Design Museum, Kookmin University
Competition: DBEW Award 2026
Judges:
– Paola Antonelli, USA-based senior curator of the Museum of Modern Art
– John Thackara, UK/France-based author, curator and educator
– Stefano Giovannoni, designer at Giovannoni Design, Italy
– Byoung Soo Cho, Korean architect at BCHO Architects
– Angela Rui, head of MA Programs, Istituto Europeo di Design, Italy
– Zhou Yanyang, professor at Tsinghua University, China
– Lou Yongqi, president of Shanghai University of Engineering Science
– Jin Kuramoto, product designer at Jin Kuramoto Studio, Japan
Submission deadline: 15 March 2026
Winner announcement: late March 2026
Prizes: the total prize fund is over $25,000. Gold prize is $10,000 plus a certificate (minimum one awardee). Silver prize is $3,000 plus certificate (minimum three awardees). Bronze prize is $1,000 plus certificate (minimum six awardees). 30 awardees will receive honourable mentions certificates. Winning works will be exhibited at Milan design week 2026, and selected works will be featured in DBEW publications
Competition overview
DBEW Award 2026 is an international design award open to design students and educators worldwide.
Guided by the vision “design beyond east and west”, the award recognises not only final design outcomes but also the creative educational collaborations behind them, aiming to discover creative talents equipped with sustainable future thinking, cultural balance, and global design leadership in the AI era.
Eligibility and judging criteria
The award is open to both undergraduate and postgraduate design students, as well as graduates.
Works must have been created after January 2024.
Teams can consist of students and educators (professors or instructors), and there is no limit on team size. The entry fee is $23.
Entries will be judged according to the following criteria:
- originality (presenting a new perspective)
- innovation through convergent and interdisciplinary thinking
- relevance to the AI era
- aesthetic completeness and formal refinement
- sustainability value and social responsibility
- clarity of presentation and communication
How to enter
Visit the DBEW Award 2026 website to enter.
Entrants are required to submit approximately five to ten pages in PDF format.
Participants are encouraged to freely present their projects within this format according to their own approach and expression.
Works created within the past two years are accepted (based on the submission date 1 January, 2026).
Any inquiries can be made via email at info@dbewaward.com or via Instagram.
Submission deadlines
The application period is 1 January to 15 March 2026, based on the applicant’s local time.
The evaluation period is 16 March to 25 March 2026.
Final results will be announced in late March 2026. The award ceremony will be held on 21 April 2026, during Milan design week, while the exhibition takes place in October 2026 at Seoul Design Week (DDP Seoul).
About ADI Design Museum
ADI Design Museum is a prestigious institution that presents the world-renowned Compasso d’Oro. They are jointly hosting the DBEW Award 2026 with Kookmin University, Asia’s leading design education institution.
DBEW (Design Beyond East and West) holds its annual forum and exhibition at the ADI Design Museum to reflect the design values and aesthetics of Asian culture within the global design movement.
Since 2023, DBEW has been building a platform for dialogue between Eastern and Western design cultures through forums in Milan and Seoul, exhibitions and academic exchanges.
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