Better Design Award 2026 launches global call for entries

The global call for entries for the 2026 Better Design Award (BDA) is now underway. With 326 awards across various levels and a total prize pool of ¥ 4.1 million, enterprises, design agencies, universities, design teams, research institutions, and individuals worldwide can submit their work online before 12 December 2026.

The Better Design Award is an international design competition established under the guidance of China Media Group, the People’s Government of Guangdong Province, and the municipal governments of Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Launched in 2024, the competition is held annually and brings together an international panel of judges.

Since its launch, the competition has continued to expand its global reach and impact, attracting more than 22,000 entries from 69 countries and regions. Through China Media Group’s extensive media network, the awards ceremony was broadcast on CCTV Finance Channel and CCTV-4, reaching an online audience of more than 1.2 billion. The competition was also promoted through large-scale advertising displays at prominent landmarks in cities including New York, London and Milan, reaching more than 90 million people in China and internationally.

With a focus on driving industrial development through design, the competition identifies promising innovative projects and connects them with more than 20 key industrial clusters in Guangdong Province. In doing so, it supports regional development initiatives, including the High-Quality Development Project of Hundreds of Counties, Thousands of Towns and Villages and the Guangdong Goods Go Global initiative. To date, the competition has also engaged more than 500 leading industry experts worldwide and established a comprehensive support framework that extends beyond the awards themselves. Through services such as business incubation, financing and market expansion, the competition helps winning projects bring their ideas to market while contributing to regional industrial development.

Building on the success of its first two editions, the competition has introduced a series of improvements for 2026, including refinements to its competition categories, evaluation criteria, commercialization pathways and communications strategy. These developments reflect its evolution from a design awards programme into a broader platform for industrial innovation, integrating project selection, incubation, commercialization and promotion.

Design as a Driver of Industrial Growth
Supporting industrial development and strengthening the economy through design are central objectives of the competition. This year’s edition is closely aligned with the “Guangdong Goods Go Global, Design Lights Up the World” initiative, building on the post-award support services introduced over the previous two editions.

The competition has expanded its support framework to help promising design projects move from concept to commercialization. Through a comprehensive approach encompassing project promotion, business incubation, international market expansion and regional development, it aims to connect design innovation with industry needs and market opportunities. At the centre of this approach are the Design Commercialization Incubation and Accelerator Programmes, which provide structured support to high-potential projects selected from the competition’s winning entries. Drawing on the expertise of the competition’s international network of industry specialists, these programmes assess each project’s commercial potential and identify pathways for further development. They also connect participants with research and development partners, investors, manufacturers, supply chain networks and distribution channels.

Participating projects receive tailored support across the product development and commercialization process, including design refinement, manufacturing guidance, brand development, investment opportunities and market access. To address the specific needs of different industry sectors, the programmes also offer strategic guidance, project showcases and opportunities to engage directly with investors, e-commerce platforms and retail partners. Together, these services aim to bridge the gap between innovative design concepts and market-ready products, helping promising ideas achieve commercial success while contributing to broader industrial development.

To promote competition outcomes, the Better Design Award showcase is held at major national exhibition platforms, including the Canton Fair and the China International Small and Medium Enterprises Fair. The event highlights award-winning projects, providing a platform to showcase design innovation and connect with domestic and international markets.

To support international expansion, the “Guangdong Goods Go Global × BDA Design Experience Center” continues to expand its global presence. Through a comprehensive support system encompassing a database of high-quality design products, coordinated brand promotion and regular exhibitions, the initiative helps Guangdong-based businesses bring innovative products to international markets.

At the regional level, the competition supports the “High-Quality Development Project for Hundreds of Counties, Thousands of Towns, and Tens of Thousands of Villages” through an action plan focused on design-driven industrial development. Targeting key and specialized industrial clusters, the initiative adopts an “industry identifies challenges, design delivers solutions” approach, providing tailored services in industrial planning, product innovation, regional brand development and intellectual property creation. These efforts aim to strengthen connections between design expertise and local businesses, supporting industrial innovation and regional economic growth.

Recognizing Design Excellence

The competition offers a total prize pool of ¥4.1 million, with 326 awards across multiple categories. These include 16 Supreme Awards, comprising 10 Product Supreme Awards (¥200,000 each) and six Concept Supreme Awards (¥100,000 each); 300 Design Awards, recognizing 200 product designs and 100 concept designs; and 10 Industrial Design Awards, each carrying a prize of ¥150,000.

Beyond financial awards, winning designers may also be nominated for prestigious honours, including the May Day Labor Medal, March 8th Red Banner Pacesetter and Guangdong Provincial Technical Expert distinctions. These additional opportunities aim to recognize outstanding design talent and support continued professional development.

The 2026 competition introduces a refined evaluation framework, featuring two main categories: Product Design and Industrial Design, aimed at strengthening the connection between design innovation and industrial applications. The Product Design category is further divided into three groups, reflecting different areas of industrial development.

Industrial Foundation Group: focuses on business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-government (B2G) products, including urban public facilities and infrastructure.

Better Life Group: covers a broad range of business-to-consumer (B2C) products designed to improve everyday life.

Future Design Group: recognizes innovative concepts that have not yet entered mass production or been commercially launched at the time of submission. This group includes three subcategories: Professional Concept Design (for designers and companies), Student Concept Design (for current students and graduates within two years of graduation), and Startup Team Design (for companies and studios established within the past two years). These distinctions aim to support emerging design talent and innovation at different stages of development.

Guided by Expertise

The competition has established a comprehensive judging framework built around three key elements: an international panel of experts, a structured evaluation process and oversight throughout the judging process. Operating under a dual-chair system, the 2026 competition is jointly led by Pradyumna Vyas, President of World Design Organization (WDO), as International Jury Chair, and Professor Wang Min of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, as Chinese Jury Chair. Together, they provide strategic direction and professional oversight, ensuring that the evaluation process reflects both international perspectives and local industry expertise.

The judging panel brings together a diverse range of expertise across disciplines and industries, including experienced jurors from internationally recognized design awards such as the Red Dot Award, iF Design Award, IDEA and Good Design Award. Their collective expertise spans design innovation, industrial transformation, investment and financing, brand communications and media. The panel also includes professionals from related sectors, including technology leaders, venture capital partners, business incubation specialists and marketing experts, bringing a broader industry perspective to the evaluation process.

The evaluation process is guided by four key criteria: forward-thinking innovation, industrial applicability, human-centred design and alignment with broader societal values. Judging takes place in three stages: an initial online evaluation, a physical prototype review and a final presentation and assessment. Consistent criteria and standardized procedures are applied throughout each stage, ensuring that winning entries reflect both international standards of design excellence and their potential for real-world industrial application.

A Global Platform for Chinese Design
Building on the multimedia communications strategy of its previous two editions, the competition has expanded its promotional approach, shifting from event-focused coverage to more in-depth storytelling about design and its impact on industry. By bringing together television, radio, digital platforms and partnerships with leading domestic and international media outlets, the competition aims to strengthen its visibility and highlight the broader industrial and societal value of design.

The competition’s communications strategy is structured around four key milestones: Launch, Engagement, Awards and Commercialization. Through collaborations with national and regional media, industry publications and international social media platforms, it will deliver a range of activities, including expert commentary, collaborative content development and targeted campaigns. Combining industry insights with accessible storytelling, these efforts aim to engage broader audiences and expand the competition’s global reach.

Following the awards, a series of designer interviews, short documentaries and in-depth features will highlight the people, technological innovations and industry developments behind the winning projects. By sharing these stories, the competition aims to strengthen its international profile and showcase the evolving role and impact of Chinese design on the global stage.

Rooted in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and open to the world, the 2026 Better Design Award serves as both a platform for international design excellence and a catalyst for industrial innovation and economic development. By connecting creative talent with industry opportunities, the competition aims to translate design innovation into meaningful economic and societal impact. Design institutions, businesses, universities, innovation teams and individual designers worldwide are invited to participate, contributing their ideas and expertise to advance design-led innovation and industrial development.

To learn more about award guidelines, visit the Better Design Award 2026 website. The submission deadline is 12 December 2026.