iF Design Award 2027 opens across 93 design categories

Sophie Lindqvist

The 2027 iF Design Award accepts entries until 2 November 2026 across 93 categories, drawing on nearly 10,000 submissions from around the world each year.

The Germany-based iF Design Foundation founded the award, which has celebrated design excellence since 1953. It recognizes contributions across architecture and design, with participation from local studios and internationally established practices.

Which fields can enter in 2027?

iF describes an entry system spanning 93 categories and nine disciplines. The fields named in its material include:

• Product, packaging and branding
• Communication design, service and system
• UX and UI
• Architecture and concepts

For entrants, the scope allows a product studio to submit a physical object, packaging or branding work, while a digital practice can enter service, UX, UI or communication work. Architecture and concepts remain distinct routes.

What do judges measure?

iF says its review looks beyond visual appeal. The organization says the process should ensure that design projects “hold up beyond aesthetics.” Five criteria carry equal weight:

• Idea
• Form
• Function
• Differentiation
• Sustainability

Equal weighting gives each criterion the same leverage in the review. Entrants must address the underlying idea, formal execution, practical use, distinctiveness and sustainability; appearance covers only one part of the assessment. The list also supplies a practical submission structure, because each criterion becomes a claim that the project must support.

For entrants, this turns the award into a five-part submission audit. A proposal must establish an idea, show the form, explain the function, establish differentiation and address sustainability. A case that performs well in one area cannot compensate for silence in the others.

How does the judging process work?

More than 130 international design experts assess submissions over two rounds. Each participant receives a detailed feedback chart that identifies the project’s strengths and suggests improvements. For studios, the chart supplies a documented evaluation alongside the jury’s overall decision.

The feedback chart gives every entrant concrete points for revision, including projects that do not win. That makes the process useful to studios seeking an external design review as well as recognition.

What does the award offer beyond a win?

iF Design CEO Uwe Cremering said: “The iF Design Award is a crucial global stage for designers to challenge themselves and stand out.” Past winners include designer Patricia Urquiola and architect Norman Foster, establishing a record that spans professional practice and building design. For entrants, the award provides international exposure and an external critique of the submitted project.

With nearly 10,000 entries each year, a place among the winners carries visibility within a large international field. Public recognition and written feedback give studios two usable outputs: attention for the work and specific material for its next iteration.

Which 2026 projects received Gold?

Two projects provide the most concrete reference points from the previous cycle:

• The Grand Ring, by Sou Fujimoto, earned the Gold Award for architecture.
• Erwan Bouroullec’s wireless Music Studio 5 speaker earned the Gold Award for product design.

One is an architectural project and the other a wireless speaker, so together they show that Gold recognition covers both architecture and product design. The 2027 jury will apply the same five-part framework to the new entry field.

How does iF extend the award program?

Beyond the competition, iF supports design discussion and professional development through several named initiatives:

• The iF Design Trend Report
• The Trend Conference
• The award-winning Future of XYZ
• The iF Design Academy, which offers specialized courses for design leaders

Elsewhere in the design showcase, Tomas Bata University presents student innovations such as interactive websites and ergonomic furniture. These examples broaden the design context around the award, whose categories already range from communication and service work to interfaces, architecture and product design.

As the 2 November 2026 deadline approaches, studios must submit work whose idea, form, function, differentiation and sustainability can each withstand review.