In a world where there are millions of products and designs launching every year, this award was born out of the desire to underline the best designs and well-designed products. The award-winning products and designs are highlighted to the international public via the A’ Design Award Gala-Night and Exhibition in Italy and they are communicated to all relevant press across the world.
A’ DESIGN MISSION AND VISION
The A’ Design Award & Competition was developed after a scientific research study based on prior analysis of 1,000 other design competitions as well as ethnographic research and survey of over 500 designers and brands who take part in design competitions. The award is organized by OMC Design Studios SRL and its spinoffs and has earned the patronage of the following institutions: Como Cultural Department, The Bureau of European Design Associations. The competition aims to highlight, advertise advocate good design, designers and design oriented companies. As well as to channel the attention of press, interactive media, design critics, distributors and buyers to the award winner.
The mission of the A’ Design Award and Competition is to provide a fair, ethical and competitive platform for companies, designers and innovators from all design fields with different experience levels, diverse disciplines, and market focus to compete on while providing them a global audience to showcase their success and talents to. The A’ Design Award and Competition aims to act as blender; incessantly processing and progressing to bring together designers, companies, and the press.
Learn all about it right here: A’ (A-Prime) Design Award.
pluto by heitor lobo campos
image credit gantri inc
name: pluto
designer: heitor lobo campos
award: gold
category: lighting products and lighting projects design
inspired by telescopes, the pluto by heitor lobo campos is a task lamp that focuses light on the earth instead of the stars. perched on top of an angled tripod base, its cylindrical form is orbited by a handle that directs its light. it emits a soft but focused light – from a dimmable LED – that is suitable for offices, studies and bedrooms.
image credit potiropoulos and partners, 2019
name: panorama villa
architect: potiropoulos and partners
award: silver
category: architecture, building and structure design
inspired by the historic architecture of its location – mani, greece – the panorama villa by potiropoulos and partners is a residence that richly connects its guests with the natural environment. locally-inspired simplicity and roughness of material are paired with clean cut geometry. this forms several stone-like volumes organized around an atrium and main living space. its relationship with nature, especially with natural light, continues as the design ensures maximum privacy whilst also offering panoramic views.
image credit avsar gulener, sama collection, 2019
name: sama
designer: fulden topaloglu
award: silver
category: furniture, decorative items and homeware design
created by fulden topaloglu, the sama furniture series references the outfits worn during the ceremonies of its namesake culture. they form minimal, conic-shaped sculptures that offer high functionality through its simple form. the collection includes a coat stand, stool and tables each made through natural woodwork and metal bending processes.
COUNTING CATEGORIES
A’ Design Award and Competitions are organized and awarded annually in a wide range of categories. The are categorized into several subcategories:
Industrial Design Competitions; Furniture Design Competition, Packaging Design Competition, Lightning Design Competition, Toy Design Competition, Digital Devices Competition, Vehicle Design Competition, Home Appliances Design Competition, Medical, and Scientific Design Competition. Architectural Design Competitions; Architectural Design Competition, Interior Design Competition. Graphic Design Competitions: Interface Design Competition, Graphic Design Competition, Computer Graphics, and 3D Model Design Competition. Meta Competitions: Social Design Competition, Idea Design Competition, and Meta Design Competition Technical and R&D Based Competitions: Engineering and Technical Design Competition, Material and Texture Design Competition. Photography and Cinema Competitions: Photography and Photo Manipulation Design Competition, Movie and Animation Design Competition, Other Important Competition Categories: Fashion Design Competition Food and Culinary Design Competition, Arts, Crafts and Ready-Made Design Competition and the Unexpected Design Competition.
From Good Industrial Design Award, Good Architecture Design Award, Good Product Design Award, Good Communication Design Award, Good Service Design Award to Good Fashion Design Award, you can scout all further categories right here to take your most bespoke pick!

Pone Transparent Shell (Exhibition Space) by Golden Ho
2015 – 2016, Platinum A’ Interior Space and Exhibition Design Award Winner

Biologic (Self-Transforming Biological Skin) by Helene Steiner
2015 – 2016, Platinum A’ Textile, Fabric, Textures, Patterns, and Cloth Design Award Winner

Opx2 (Optic Installation) by Jonathon Anderson 2013 – 2014, Platinum A’ Arts, Crafts and Ready-Made Design Award Winner
THE GRAND JURY PANEL
For the 2018-2019 A’ Design Award and Competition, there are 211 Jury Members forming the International Design Academy – The Grand A’ Design Award Jury Panel, composed of design professionals, press members and academics.
The foundation of any good design award, in addition to fair evaluation and judging by an extensive methodology, is to have a strong and expert design competition jury which provides their invaluable knowledge base and insight to evaluate the submitted entries, creating benefit and value for participants by transferring their insights and ideas in form of votes, feedbacks and suggestions. Good design award jury panels shall be multidisciplinary and comprised of recognized but most importantly experienced international designers, professors, entrepreneurs, journalists, and publishers who can truly validate and evaluate design using their wisdom, experience, specialization, and technical knowledge.
As it behooves any good design award, every design award jury member should follow a code of conduct or, as we require, to sign a jury agreement and shall be excluded from taking part in the competition. In addition, to avoid conflicts of interest, the jurors may not be employees of the participating companies.
Furthermore, to create more value on the participants’ behalf, the A’ Design Award and Competition has introduced, for the first time in all of its design award and competition history, a prejudging procedure called the “preliminary evaluation” and checking which helps participants to get insights about their work before they participate in the design competition finals.
image credit wu qingshan
name: shenzhen longyuan school
designer: kevin hu and zhong qiao
award: silver
category: interior space and exhibition design
designed by kevin hu and zhong qiao, the shenzhen longyuan school is inspired by the countless alleyways in traditional chinese architecture. accommodating 3,360 students in 72 classes, the rooms are all connected to one social corridor that runs through the whole campus. five different colors are connected through the channel to create an inspiring place of openness and flexibility.
image credit natalia komarova
name: capsule
designer: natalia komarova
award: silver
category: lighting products and lighting projects design
mirroring its namesake, the rounded and curved shape of the capsule light by natalia komarova provides a universally comforting form. its upper half contains the light source and mount whilst the lower section is screwed to the upper using a thread. the whole capsule is then suspended with nylon ropes that wrap around its waist. the design is available in several colors and varying degrees of transparency.
image credit josefotoinmo, 2019
name: montecarmelo townhouses
architect: joaquin millan villamuelas
award: bronze
category: architecture, building and structure design
intersecting white blocks with brick, the montecarmelo townhouses by joaquin millan villamuelas in madrid, spain feature sun-protecting façades. the idea for the terraces were born from traditional sun protection systems like esparto blinds found in southern spain. large in sized and placed vertically, the rough brick cloths cover and shield the walls from the heat.
image credit xu le and chen xin, 2019
name: pure
designer: xu le and chen xin
award: bronze
category: furniture, decorative items and homeware design
the pure chair by xu le and chen xin is exactly as its name describes: its beauty of simplicity aims to stand the test of time. the structure was inspired by ming-style ring chairs with the gentle curves of its back rest and seat, which creates a comfortable cushioning form. the rest of the design comprises concise, clear lines connected through traditional tenon joints.
image credit jian zhang, 2019
name: hidden
designer: jian zhang
award: bronze
category: interior space and exhibition design
hidden by jian zhang is a home, which as its name suggests, learns from nature. it is located within the mountains in taishan, china to combine the environment, building and human residence into one. the structure was made by blending modern techniques with local traditions, such as using local stone for the walls. this helps retain heat in the winter but ensures good ventilation in the summer.
image credit mario mazzer, 2019
name: wave
designer: mario mazzer
award: bronze
category: lighting products and lighting projects design
held together by steel rods, the wave by mario mazzer resembles a rising tower made from undulating plastic rings. when lit, it creates a swaying action that gives the impression of a secretive, living light form inside. when switched off, the design appears much more dense. this visual duality transitions the light from a sculptural piece to a life-like furnishing in your home.
image credit xia zhi
name: lamborghini exhibition center
architect: PolyMorphArchitects
award: iron
category: architecture, building and structure design
located in zhengzhou, china, the lamborghini exhibition center by PolyMorphArchitects is directly inspired by the brand’s eccentric car designs. the building features strong, dynamic and twisting volumes with abrupt angles. there are four main functional spaces inside: new car exhibition area, automobile sales services, VIP lounge, and management office. when walking through, the visitor’s spatial experience is aimed to replicate the wonder and excitement when in a lamborghini.
image credit 陳明源/2019/taipei
name: poufs with 1000 ways to arranged
designer: marco guariglia and jui ju lin
award: iron
category: furniture, decorative items and homeware design
poufs with 1000 ways to arranged by marco guariglia and jui ju lin is a soft seating option that can be configured into endless shapes and combinations. inspired by children toys, the pouf has an eye-catching pattern that swirls and adapts as it is transformed. it can be used to create circles, doughnuts and rows – either individually or in combinations – to meet varied working and/or living needs.
image credit studio millspace, 2019
name: vibes
designer: daisuke nagatomo and minnie jan
award: iron
category: interior space and exhibition design
located in hsinchu, taiwan, vibes by daisuke nagatomo and minnie jan is much more than an office renovation; it helps the brand achieve a new corporate image to inspire its employees and clients. with clean, fluid and strong vibes, the new aesthetic is emboldened with an accent color of syntec blue. this adorns the light, open double-story lobby, which welcomes in workers and guests, and the cafeteria that looks out over the courtyard.
image credit bruce tao / designer
name: double face
designer: guorong wu and xuhui chen
award: iron
category: lighting products and lighting projects design
designed for blackouts, the double face by guorong wu and xuhui chen is a lamp that transforms into a flashlight when needed. when used as a lamp, the design can recharge. during times when electricity cuts out, the upper part of the lamp can be removed, unplugged and used as a handheld flashlight.
THE BENEFITS OF GOING INTO BATTLE
The competition provides extensive and intense publicity to award-winning designs, it is considered as a quality and high-return alternative to any advertising you might be running provided that you have a good design that could win the accolade. For more benefits click here. For the Winners’ pack contents, click here. We are talking about extensive PR campaigns, Marketing&Consultancy, press communication in 20+ different languages… The Works!
REGISTRATION, RESULTS, AND REFERENCES
The results are always published first to the designers, there will be a period given to both companies and designers to obtain production rights and patents globally, as well as a four-month period to file for protection. Designers also receive help and support from the A’ Design Award for filing an application to protect their designs.
The winning designs will be exhibited in our Gallery and Museum in Italy. The winners can use the A’ Design Award can use badges and stickers free of charge to further underline that their products and designs have been evaluated by a respectful organization and that their products have been marked as great designs. To see the competition timeline, click here.
- View A’ Design Award Winners here and full Photo Gallery here;
- Take a look at the Testimonials
2,089 winners from 107 countries have been recognized by the A’ Design Award and Competition 2020 edition, the world’s largest international design competition. every year, the platform aims to raise awareness – and promote – the very best design practices and projects in order to encourage creatives to design better products, services, and systems for the world. with winners spread across 105 different disciplines, 2020 continued this trend.
See the full set of 2020 winners, here.
The winners were carefully selected by a panel of renowned jury members, which was composed of established scholars, press members, and design professionals. each one is rewarded with the A’ design award – a symbol of excellence in the international design industry.
These are divided into five different distinctions: platinum, gold, silver, bronze, and iron. laureates also receive a highly sought after winners kit, which includes a trophy, certificate, and book, as well as both PR and marketing services.
Finally, winners are invited to attend a gala-night and award ceremony in Italy that offers a perfect opportunity for networking.
With the 2020 edition concluded, entries into the A’ Design Award and Competition 2021 are now open. Interested designers, artists, architects, companies, and entrepreneurs alike can register and submit their work, right
here.
The deadline for early submission is June 30, 2020. Results will be announced to the public on April 15, 2021.
Selected winners and results will be posted on The China Temper on April 15, 2021.
Featured Image: Pone Transparent Shell (Exhibition Space) by Golden Ho
2015 – 2016, Platinum A’ Interior Space and Exhibition Design Award Winner. Courtesy of A’Design Award And Competition
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