Designverse Awards 2026–2027 Call for Entries

Here’s a design award that starts with data instead of a jury room. Designverse Awards 2026–2027 calls itself the world’s first design ecosystem big data research award, using platform rankings, search data, and online sentiment analysis to build its shortlist before 36 final jurors take over. Regular registration is open right now, so if your studio has a project finished since April 2021, or a bold scheme that never got built, keep reading.

Key Highlights

• A data-driven mission: The award aims to connect global design resources and build a data-driven system for evaluating design value, backed by brand incubation and IP protection support for entrants.
• Five categories, 270 subcategories: Space, Space – Concept, Product, Product – Concept, and Brands/Major Events each branch into secondary and tertiary subcategories.
• Unbuilt work welcome: Concept categories have no time or location limit, so competition entries, projects under construction, and unproduced designs all qualify.
• Weighted jury scoring: Final jurors score innovation at 40%, sustainability at 30%, and social impact at 30%.
• Big names on the panel: Jurors include Liu Hung-Chih of Gensler, Lu Zhongxiao of Nikken Sekkei, Zeng Qun of Tongji Architectural Design, and Liu Yuyang of Atelier Liu Yuyang Architects.
• Serious backing: The Designverse Awards Organizing Committee runs the program with strategic partner Zhangjiang Shang and TOTO as its strategic partner in the medical field.

Entry Categories

Here’s the quick breakdown of what each main category covers.

How Judging Works

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Stage one is the data-based review. The Designverse Big Data Research Center pulls from Designverse Ranking, platform search and IP rankings, and online public opinion analysis to decide the Nomination and Special Honor Prizes. Product entries also draw on e-commerce platform data, while Brands/Major Events are tracked across traditional, online, and social media. Self-submitted entries are measured against the same references.

Consultants get an interesting way in: the Top 10 firms in each architecture, landscape, and interior tertiary subcategory of the 2026 Designverse Ranking can each nominate two technical, professional, or specialized consultants.

Stage two belongs to the 36-member final jury, made up of 12 representatives from international development institutions, 12 from domestic development institutions, and 12 from well-known brands. Beyond the names above, the panel includes Jago van Bergen of van Bergen Kolpa Architects, Dwight Law of Design Land Collaborative, furniture designer María Bravo, and Tony Brown of Beijing Normal University Zhuhai’s Future Design School. Each juror can also nominate two institutions straight into the Nomination Prize and propose a Special Final Jury Prize.

Prize Tiers

• Nomination Prize: Unlimited in number across all tertiary subcategories and announced on a rolling basis.
• Special Honor Prize: The top 4–6 in each Space and Product tertiary subcategory, Concept included, plus 12 selected entries in Brands/Major Events.
• Jury Grand Prize: The top 3 in each Space and Product tertiary subcategory, Concept included, plus 4 selected entries in Brands/Major Events.
• Outstanding Prize: Just 22 chosen from all top-ranked entries: 6 in Space, 6 in Space – Concept, 4 in Product, 4 in Product – Concept, and 2 in Brands/Major Events.

Concept categories carry their own versions of each prize, such as the Concept Jury Grand Prize.

Timeline and Fees

Each deadline covers both payment and submission, all times are Beijing Time, and fees exclude taxes. Identity-verified users on the Designverse platform get one entry fee waived. Special Honor, Jury Grand, and Outstanding Prize winners are announced on March 31, 2027, and promotion and publicity fees are due by May 30, 2027.

Eligibility and Entry Requirements

• Who can enter: Spatial design agencies, product design agencies, brands and enterprises, and brand or major-event planning and operating agencies from anywhere in the world.
• Completion window: Non-concept works must have been completed, purchased, or used between April 1, 2021 and the registration deadline.
• Primary responsibility: Entrants must be the legal entity or individual mainly responsible for the work, such as a manufacturer, distributor, building owner, project developer, or research sponsor.
• Joint entries: Multi-party projects can register together, with one main participant named and every other member registered on the Designverse platform.
• Copyright: You must own the copyright, and registration details can’t be freely changed after you win. The organizer may publish and exhibit entries to promote the award.
• Materials: Space entries need text on concept, spatial narrative, layout, materials, structure, and scenario value; product entries cover concept, functional innovation, craftsmanship, and user value. Images must be HD, watermark-free JPGs.

How to Enter

1. Register an institution account on the official site above and complete your profile with your institution name, introduction, awards history, and logo.
2. Upload your submitted works through the Personal Center (Account).
3. Add the official WeChat account (DesignverseAwards) and email the committee at the contact address above with the subject “Confirm Registration for Designverse Awards 2026-2027 + [Institution Name] + [Submitted Work Name],” attaching a scan of your business license.
4. Pay using the details the committee sends back, then email your receipt to get your registration confirmed. Entries not paid by the deadline are canceled.

What Winners Receive

• Award basic package: Award logo rights, electronic and printed certificates, and a trophy, sold separately or bundled as Electronic, Physical, or full Award packages.
• Showcase and yearbook: Winning entries are permanently featured in the Award Winners’ Showcase and the digital Award Yearbook.
• Social and news reach: Posts across Xiaohongshu, Weibo, WeChat, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, plus publication on Sohu, Zhihu, and Baidu.
• Banner and video: A top banner on the Designverse homepage and distribution of a winner-supplied project video up to five minutes long.
• Premium interview: A custom online column interview in series such as Eyes On Me, Super Nova, or Might Have Been, available to buy for identity-verified users.

Final entitlements are confirmed in each winner’s notification email, so check what’s included and what’s paid before you budget.

If your studio is sitting on a strong built project from the past five years or a daring unbuilt scheme, the regular window is the smart target, since fees climb after November 11.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I enter an unbuilt or in-progress project?

Yes. The Space – Concept and Product – Concept categories accept past bids, unrealized designs, projects under construction, and designs not yet in production, with no time or location limit.

Can several firms enter one project together?

Yes, joint registration is allowed. One party must be named the main participant, and every other member needs a Designverse platform account.

How do I claim the entry fee waiver?

Complete identity verification on the Designverse platform, then add “Identity Verified User” to the start of your registration email subject. The waiver covers the fee for one entry.