Top 10 international Product Design Awards any designer should know

Winning one or more of the product design awards promoted by the industry is not the only way to measure the success of a product but it’s definitely a great way to highlight and underline its design quality.

A blockbuster event bringing together some of the greatest names within the industry, today product design awards showcase the best of the best, celebrating who and what’s new as part of an invaluable platform promising international acclaim.

Still, with new design awards being announced every year it can be difficult to navigate the various competitions out there. So, we’ve selected 10 of the best in class industrial design awards and detailed a little bit about each one for you to consider.

Red Dot Design Award

The Red Dot Design Award (see website) is an annual and international design competition, which dates back to 1955.

It has roughly 50 categories ranging from ‘Lamps and Luminaires’ to ‘Office Supplies and Stationery’, all of which are reviewed by a 50-strong jury of brand experts, designers and other creative authorities.

In search of innovation, the Red Dot also offers a platform for younger designers with an annual “Young Professionals Application Day” that gives away 50 free entries for recent graduates.

A’ Design Awards & Competition

The A’ Design Award (see website) is an international industrial award whose aim is to provide designers, architects, and innovators from all design fields with a competitive platform to showcase their work to a global audience.

It stands out for its exceptional scale and breadth, with over 100 award categories including:

• Interior Space and Exhibition Design
• Packaging Design
• Furniture Design

In the 11 years since it was founded, The A’ Design Award, which is judged by hundreds of experts from around the world, has honored over 12,000 designers.

iF Design Award

Awarded in Germany since 1953, the iF label (see website) is recognised, within the realm of of the best product design awards, as a reliable sign of good design, honors design achievements in all the following disciplines:

• Product, Packaging
• Communication and Service Design
• Architecture and Interior Architecture
• Professional Concept
• User Experience (UX)
• User Interface (UI)

It has more than 5,500 entries from around 59 nations every year, all of which are reviewed by an international jury including the likes of Italian architect Michele De Lucchi and global design leader Kren Korellis Reuther.

IDEA

The International Design Excellence Awards (see website) is one of the longest-running and most prestigious design awards programs in existence.

Over 41 years the program has grown to highlight design in many connected disciplines including design strategy, branding, digital interaction and so much more.

Each year, thousands of entries are submitted by design teams across the globe, and each year the jury reviews entries across 5 criteria:

• Design Innovation
• Benefit to User
• Benefit to Client/Brand
• Benefit to Society
• Appropriate Aesthetics

Good Design Awards

Founded in Chicago in 1950 by Edgar Kaufmann, Eero Saarinen, and Charles and Ray Eames, the Good Design Awards (see website) honors the yearly achievements of the best industrial and graphic designers and world manufacturers.

Today, the jury has similarly impressive names including architect Matteo Thun and journalist and Design Critic Claudia Donà.

The program recognizes new and innovative product concepts that push the envelope beyond what is considered standard product and consumer design.

For 71 years, everything and anything produced in, and for the environment, from a paperclip to a Boeing 787 Dreamliner have been honored.

James Dyson Award

The James Dyson Award (see website) is an international student design award, run by the James Dyson Foundation.

Challenging young people to, “design something that solves a problem”, the contest is open to university-level students (or recent graduates) in the fields of product design, industrial design.

Its mission is to get young people excited about design engineering all over the world, awarding one national winner and four finalists in all 27 countries the awards is open to.

James Dyson selects an international winner for the overall prize.

BraunPrize

Launched in 1968 as the first international competition in Germany to promote the role of industrial design, BraunPrize (see website) nurtures young, up-and-coming designers from all over the world.

Held every three years, this international competition invites design schools, students, and young talents to enter innovative product ideas, bestowing 10 awards across two categories:

• Students
• Young Talent

Traditionally the Head of Braun Design has been the chairman of the BraunPrize jury including the iconic Dieter Rams, and more recently, renowned product designer, Oliver Grabes.

Compasso d’Oro

The Compasso d’Oro award (see website) was the brainchild of Gio Ponti and Alberto Roselli whose original idea inspired the company La Rinascente to start presenting it in 1954, celebrating quality in the field of industrial designs made in Italy.

Over the years, jurors have included Cino Boeri, Achille Castiglioni and Richard Sapper.

Since its inception, approximately 300 designs have been honored with the award, covering a wide range of products including racing bikes, portable sewing machines, desks and sofas.

Additional categories have been introduced in recent years like the Lifetime Achievement Award, International Awards and Product Lifetime Achievement Awards, dedicated to 3 objects still in production after many years.

Australian Good Design Awards

Recognised as Australia’s peak international awards program, the Good Design Awards (see website) represent 12 specific Design Disciplines covering more than 30 Categories and Sub-Categories.

Dating back to 1958, the Awards celebrate the best new products and services on the Australian market, excellence in:

• architectural design
• engineering, fashion
• digital and communication design
• design strategy
• social impact design
• young designers

More than 55 Good Design Awards Jurors, including renowned experts from Australia, evaluate each entry according to a strict set of design criteria which covers ‘good design’, ‘design innovation’ and ‘design impact’.

European Product Design Award

The European Product Design Award (see website) recognizes the efforts of talented international product and industrial designers who aim to improve daily life with practical, well-thought-out creations.

Entries can be submitted as conceptual designs, in progress, or as completed projects.

The only restriction is that entries or completed projects must be no more than 5 years old.

There are 35 award categories, in seven groups, covering:

• branding
• packaging
• exhibition design
• typography
• digital design
• illustration and self-promotion

among others.

There are also three special distinctions: Agency of the year, Best of show and Jury prize.