This year's edition of the prestigious iF Design Award is open for entries until 2 November, with 93 distinct categories across architecture and design.
Established in Germany in 1953 by the nonprofit iF Design Foundation, the annual award programme celebrates excellence in design and architecture, and receives nearly 10,000 entries from over 70 countries each year.
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The iF Design Award is open to all, welcoming submissions from local studios and emerging creatives through to international firms and long-established brands.
The award spans 93 categories across nine design disciplines: product design, packaging, branding and communication design, service, system and process design, UX, UI, architecture, interior architecture and concepts.
While the award celebrates visually compelling design, its evaluation extends well beyond appearance. According to iF Design, every entry is assessed against five equally weighted criteria – idea, form, function, differentiation and sustainability – each accounting for 20 per cent of the overall score.
This approach reflects iF Design's longstanding ambition to recognise projects that "hold up beyond aesthetics", setting a high standard for design excellence across creative industries, it told Dezeen.
Through careful scrutiny, an independent jury of international design experts evaluates each project, selecting those whose ideas "break new ground" and whose impact merits recognition on the global stage.
"Based on [the] criteria, the jurors [score] each aspect of an entry and provide participants with meaningful feedback at every stage," iF Design explained.
The award's rigorous and transparent judging framework requires the 130-plus jury members to examine entries over two rounds of evaluations. According to iF Design, every entry receives a detailed feedback chart, regardless of award outcome.
The chart provides a breakdown of the jury's scores across the five criteria, along with comparisons with other entries, offering objective insight into a project's strengths and areas for improvement, backed by independent expert validation.
"We see the iF Design Award as one of the world's most important design platforms where leading brands, start-ups, designers and creators can challenge themselves, be inspired and stand out from the competition," said iF Design CEO Uwe Cremering.
For award recipients, that recognition carries particular significance, iF Design explained.
"Being part of this [award], surrounded by the very best in the industry, is both humbling and deeply inspiring," said Christian Schluender, senior vice president, general manager of Global Design at Harman.
"We are truly honoured to be recognised among such an outstanding group of peers. This award means so much to us because of the calibre of the competition and the excellence it represents."
The award's international standing is evident in its illustrious list of former winners, which includes Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola, who received the iF Design Lifetime Achievement Award for 2026.
Last year, British architect Norman Foster was the recipient of the same award, following German industrial designer Dieter Rams in 2024.
A former iF jury member with longstanding ties to the organisation, Rams has also contributed to the iF Design Foundation's research and initiatives on design education.
Winners of the iF Design Award 2026 also include The Grand Ring – a landmark wooden structure created for Expo 2025 Osaka by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto, which received the Gold Award for architecture.
Meanwhile, the wireless Music Studio 5 speaker designed by Erwan Bouroullec for Samsung took home the Gold Award for product design. In 2025, the sculptural Haikou Gaoxingli Insun Cinema by One Plus Partnership was among the Gold Award winners for interior architecture.
Alongside the award, iF Design further advances design excellence and impact with its annual iF Design Trend Report, Trend Conference, and award-winning Future of XYZ interview series, while the recently launched iF Design Academy offers expert-led courses tailored specifically for design leaders.
"With the final deadline for the iF Design Award 2027 fast approaching, designers, studios and brands have one last opportunity to enter," said iF Design.
"For those with exceptional projects deserving of international recognition, this is the final chance to have your work celebrated alongside some of the world's most respected names in design."
Entries to the iF Design Award 2027 close on 2 November 2026. To learn more and enter, visit ifdesign.com before the final deadline.
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