iF Design Award 2027 Open for Entries Until 2 November

Entries for the iF Design Award 2027 close on 2 November 2026, with 93 categories open across architecture and design. The award, run by the Germany-based nonprofit iF Design Foundation since 1953, draws nearly 10,000 entries from more than 70 countries each year.

The competition is open to everyone, from local studios and emerging creatives to international firms and long-established brands. It spans nine disciplines: product design, packaging, branding and communication design, service, system and process design, UX, UI, architecture, interior architecture and concepts.

How does the jury judge?

Looks alone won't win it. 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.

The framework reflects iF Design's ambition to recognize projects that "hold up beyond aesthetics", the organization told Dezeen. An independent jury of international design experts, numbering more than 130 members, evaluates each project over two rounds, selecting entries whose ideas "break new ground".

"Based on [the] criteria, the jurors [score] each aspect of an entry and provide participants with meaningful feedback at every stage," iF Design explained. Every entrant receives a detailed feedback chart regardless of outcome, with a breakdown of jury scores across the five criteria and comparisons with other entries.

Who has won before?

The award's former winners set the bar. Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola received the iF Design Lifetime Achievement Award for 2026, following British architect Norman Foster in 2025 and German industrial designer Dieter Rams in 2024. Rams, a former iF jury member, has also contributed to the iF Design Foundation's research on design education.

Recent Gold Award winners include:

• The Grand Ring by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto — a landmark wooden structure for Expo 2025 Osaka, Gold for architecture in 2026.
• Music Studio 5 — a wireless speaker designed by Erwan Bouroullec for Samsung, Gold for product design in 2026.
• Haikou Gaoxingli Insun Cinema by One Plus Partnership — a sculptural interior, Gold for interior architecture in 2025.

"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.

Christian Schluender, senior vice president and general manager of Global Design at Harman, described what the recognition means to winners: "Being part of this [award], surrounded by the very best in the industry, is both humbling and deeply inspiring."

"We are truly honoured to be recognised among such an outstanding group of peers," Schluender added. "This award means so much to us because of the calibre of the competition and the excellence it represents."

What does this change for entrants?

The practical draw is the feedback: even unsuccessful entrants leave with scored, jury-validated insight into their project's strengths and weaknesses — a rare asset in a competition of this scale.

Beyond the award, iF Design runs an annual Trend Report, a Trend Conference and the award-winning Future of XYZ interview series, while the newly launched iF Design Academy offers expert-led courses 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," iF Design said. "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 close on 2 November 2026 at ifdesign.com.