In addition to being named World Design Capital in 2010, Seoul was also designated as a City of Design by the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. In 2018, with the goal of advancing global sustainability through shared learning, the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) invited 20 cities worldwide to facilitate the exchange success stories. This effort led to the establishment of the Seoul Design Award for Sustainable Daily Life in 2019. The award acknowledges designs promoting sustainable daily life that aim to support harmony between people, society and the environment.

 

Managed by WDO Member Seoul Design Foundation, the Seoul Design Award is a non-profit honour that has since welcome participation from over 62 countries. It is esteemed by international experts as a prestigious platform that highlights the impact of socially transformative designs and celebrates designers committed to their social responsibilities.

Now in its fifth edition, the 2024 call for submissions is currently underway. Designers from around the world are invited to submit their future-focused work exploring this year’s theme of sustainable daily life. Submissions can include product, visual, digital/multimedia, spatial/system, service/experiential/social designs realized within the last five years, as well as research on design project methods.

Submissions are encouraged to address the following questions:

  • Does the project address challenges for sustainable daily life, aiming to foster harmony among people, society, and the environment?
  • Does the design offer a creative approach to solving the problem?
  • Does the design’s solution ripple into society?
  • Does it present a forward-looking vision that can be scaled globally?
  • Does the research propose a feasible method of realization based on the expected user experience?

The submission period will run through to 28 June 2024, which will be followed by a screening period from June to September. A citizen vote will take place in October along with the award ceremony. Winning projects will receive publicity opportunities, project features and an invitation to the award ceremony in Seoul (for top 10 teams).

For more information on how to submit and award guidelines, please visit http://seouldesignaward.or.kr/en. For any additional questions, feel free to contact seouldesignaward@seouldesign.or.kr.