THE WORLD’S FIRST JOINT AWARD FOR STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS
The DBEW Award 2026 officially opens its global call for entries, inviting students and educators to participate in an educational movement that redefines design as a manifestation of collective intelligence. By mandating a co-creation model, the award introduces a fundamental shift in traditional competition: you cannot enter alone. This framework targets the friction of intergenerational learning as the primary source of innovation, requiring joint submissions between an educator and a student, including undergraduates, graduates, or those within two years of graduation. The educator participates strictly in a mentoring role, whereas there is no limit on the number of team members. All entries must be works created within the last two years (after January 2024). It spans three comprehensive categories — space and objects, visual design, and service design — offering a prize fund and the opportunity to showcase the work at the ADI Design Museum during Milan Design Week and the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul.
The submission window is open until March 15, 2026. Submit your project here.
The DBEW Award ceremony will be held at the ADI Design Museum | image by Roberto de Riccardis, courtesy of ADI Design Museum
DESIGN BEYOND EAST AND WEST envisions harmony
Co-hosted by the ADI Design Museum — the institution that awards the world-renowned Compasso d’Oro — and Kookmin University — a premier Asian design education institution, — the award pursues a harmonious coexistence of Eastern and Western values under the vision of ‘Design Beyond East and West (DBEW).’ Its mission is to guide design education, enabling sustainable growth in preparation, and to discover creative and convergent talents for the future design society in the era of AI.
Kyung Ran Choi, chair of the steering committee, emphasizes, ‘By defining teaching and learning as a form of design teamwork, the DBEW Award is the first international design award to identify and honor talents who embody creative experimentation, sustainability, cultural balance, and diversity. Furthermore, it serves to recognize the excellent leadership of educators officially demonstrated throughout this collaborative educational process.’
jury chair of the award, Paola Antonelli
A POWERFUL JURY LINEUP LED BY PAOLA ANTONELLI
This award is adjudicated by an illustrious panel of world-renowned figures, led by jury chair Paola Antonelli. As the senior curator of architecture and design and the director of R&D at MoMA, she was recognized by TIME magazine as one of the 25 most incisive design visionaries in the world and has received the Compasso d’Oro, among other accolades. Through her curation and research at MoMA, she has elevated design into a profound cultural and social discourse. Her commitment to exploring design as a tool for systemic change aligns with the award’s mission to foster experimental, intergenerational collaboration for a sustainable future.
architect Byoung Soo Cho, jury member of the DBEW Award 2026, delivering a special lecture at Kookmin University (left), and during the DBEW Award roundtable (right), courtesy of DBEW
Joining her is a distinguished jury of eight experts, including John Thackara, renowned British scholar and director of the Doors of Perception conference, who reinterprets social communities and natural systems through design to build a resilient future; Angela Rui, head of MA programs at Istituto Europeo di Design and a Milan-based researcher; Italian design icon Stefano Giovannoni; Korean architect Byoung Soo Cho; president of Shanghai University of Engineering Science, Yongqi Lou; professor at Tsinghua University, Yan-yang Zhou; and Japanese industrial designer Jin Kuramoto.
the DBEW exhibition 2025 at the ADI Design Museum, courtesy of DBEW
EVALUATION ALIGNED WITH EDUCATIONAL VALUES
The evaluation is based on six established criteria: Originality, Convergence & Interdisciplinary Innovation, AI Era Relevance, Aesthetic & Formal Excellence, Sustainability & Social Responsibility, and Communication Clarity.
Regarding these multifaceted standards, Byoung Soo Cho elaborates: ‘I place particular weight on ‘sustainable value and social responsibility,’ to which I would extend the concept of ‘environmental.’ This definition encompasses both the physical and socio-cultural realms, integrating the humanistic context with the natural world.’ He further notes that the award’s unique structure empowers this vision:‘The elevation of the ‘creative educational process’ as a key evaluation criterion is most commendable. Evaluating the entire narrative — from intentions to context — is what lays the foundation for a truly sustainable framework in design.’
Yongqi Lou also shares his perspective: ‘The true value of design emerges from a holistic interaction — the intertwining of a creator’s individuality, humanistic depth, and cultural context. This belongs to the realm of ‘tacit knowledge,’ a dimension that cannot be reduced to quantitative metrics. Ultimately, I see my role as evaluating the deepest essence of thought that only human wisdom can reach.’ Lou concludes that this approach is vital in the contemporary era: ‘Most importantly, in an age of rapid AI advancement, prioritizing human values and communal synergy — elements that technology cannot replicate — is a profound and timely mandate.’
Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) will host a special exhibition of award-winning works in October 2026 | image by Seoul Design Foundation
The award trajectory links two major design hubs, beginning with an official ceremony on April 21, 2026, at the ADI Design Museum during Milan Design Week. This dialogue then moves to Seoul in October, where a large-scale exhibition at the DDP, coinciding with Seoul Design Week, will showcase the winning outcomes. With a $25,000 prize fund at stake, the award establishes the collaborative design process as the ultimate benchmark for sustainable impact.
official poster of the DBEW Award
project info:
name: DBEW Award 2026
submission period: January 1 – March 15, 2026
submission deadline: March 15, 2026
total prize fund: $25,000
jurors: Paola Antonelli, John Thackara, Angela Rui, Stefano Giovannoni, Byoung Soo Cho, Yongqi Lou, Yan-yang Zhou, and Jin Kuramoto
award ceremony: April 21, 2026, during Milan Design Week, at the ADI Design Museum
exhibition: October 2026 at DDP, Seoul
submission link: dbewaward.com
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