iF Design Award 2027
Dezeen Competitions: iF Design has launched the iF Design Award 2027, an international design award that honours design excellence across 93 categories.
Submissions are open across nine design disciplines, including product, packaging, architecture and UX.
Organiser: iF Design
Competition: iF Design Award 2027
Judges: over 130 international design experts (Jury members); view the complete jury list online
Submission deadline: 18 September 2026
Prizes: prize details can be found here
Competition overview
For over 70 years, the iF Design Award has been recognised as one of the world's most prestigious design awards.
It is the largest independent design award in the world today. Run by the non-profit iF Design Foundation based in Germany, the award emphasises design excellence and impact.
As part of a rigorous two-stage jury process, 130-plus renowned international design experts from across the world uphold strict judging criteria to ensure independence and transparency.
Sustainability makes up one-fifth of the judging criteria across all categories, evaluated from a holistic perspective that considers the broader environmental and social impact of each design.
With 93 categories across nine design disciplines – Product Design, Packaging, Communication, Service Design, Architecture, Interior Architecture, User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX), and Professional Concepts – the iF Design Award attracts companies, design studios, creative agencies, and independent designers.
Each year, the competition receives over 10,000 submissions from 70 countries.
Winners are honoured at the annual iF Design Award Night in Berlin, where their award-winning work is showcased on stage to an audience of 2,400 international design leaders.
Eligibility and judging criteria
Independent designers, agencies, design studios, brands, in-house design teams, and companies are eligible to enter.
Entries must be less than two years old at the date of registration, or must be launched, published, or realised in the award year.
Future-oriented concepts and studies whose implementation is not planned or expected can be entered under the concept discipline.
The proposals will be judged on:
- Idea: task, relevance, and fit for purpose
- Form: emotional appeal, execution, and aesthetics
- Function: usability, efficiency, and user benefit
- Differentiation: innovation and brand differentiation
- Sustainability: social benefit and sustainability
The iF Design Award jury process is divided into two stages: an online preselection, out of which about 50 per cent of all entries advance to the second jury round, which is the three-day, in-person Final Jury in Hamburg.
The Final Jury determines the winners each year.
Each juror enters their detailed assessment of each entry into the iF Digital Jury Tool, which will then be available to all participants as a feedback chart, regardless of award outcome.
Information on how to enter can be found on the competition's website.
Submission deadlines
The regular registration deadline is 18 September 2026, and the last chance registration deadline is 2 November 2026.
The online preselection (jury round one) takes place from 30 November to 3 December 2026, followed by the final jury (jury round two) from 16 to 18 February 2027.
Winners will be notified and announced on 24 February 2027, with the iF Design Award night 2027 taking place in Berlin on 26 April 2027.
About iF Design
iF Design is one of the world's leading independent design institutions.
Since 1954, iF has organised the globally prestigious iF Design Award.
Headquartered in Hannover, Germany, with offices around the world, iF is committed to excellence, objectivity, transparency, and impact in design. The sole shareholder of iF Design is the non-profit iF Design Foundation.
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