Organizer Information
The Global Design iT Award is organized by the Korean Federation of Design Industry Associations (KODIA), an international non-profit association of design-specialized companies founded in 1994 in Korea. KODIA brings together a total of 7 design organizations, 30,000 designers, and 17,000 specialized design companies across fields such as product design, visual design, multimedia design, space and environment design, service experience design, and package design.
KODIA states that its mission spans three areas: contributing to society through design-based solutions and international exchange between design companies and designers worldwide; protecting the rights and interests of designers and design companies through seminars and international forums; and supporting and nurturing the next generation of designers, including through the Global Design iT Award itself, alongside career management programs for design-specialized companies. The award is held under the patronage of South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources and the Korea Institute of Design Promotion (KIDP), and is affiliated with the UX Design Awards.
Title & Description
Global Design iT Award 2026
The Global Design iT Award is an annual international design competition that selects and recognizes the best designs and projects across the design industry. It is open to designers, studios, companies, and institutions submitting completed projects across product, visual communication, environment, AI and new media, service, ESG, and safety design fields. Entrants submit a PDF presentation (and optionally a video) of their project for jury evaluation, with winners recognized through Grand Prizes, Gold/Silver/Bronze prizes, and Special Prizes presented by government and institutional partners.
Categories
- Product Design
- Visual Communication Design
- Environment Design
- AI
- Service Design
- Sustainable (ESG-related)
- Safety Design
- Industrial Design
- Graphic
- Interior Design
- Typography
- Package Design
- Animation
- Video/Film
- Digital
- AR
- Design
Eligibility
- Open to companies, design studios, institutions, and individual designers
- No stated nationality restriction; entrants register as either "Local" (applying from Korea) or "Foreigner" (applying from a country other than Korea)
- Projects must have been released, disclosed, or produced within the last two years, or completed/released in the year of the award
- There is no limit on the number of team members per entry
- There is no limit to the number of entries an applicant may submit, though only one work may be submitted across the seven main categories using the same design
Program Benefits & Awards
- Grand Prize: awarded to the best single work in each design category
- Gold, Silver, and Bronze Prizes: awarded across all categories based on jury evaluation scores
- Special Prizes for work addressing major international issues or social problems, presented as the Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources Prize, the Minister of the Interior and Safety Prize, the President of Korea Institute of Design Promotion Prize, and the President of Korean Federation of Design Industry Associations Prize
- Award packages available for purchase by winners: Certificate Package ($1,000, certificate plus souvenir), Trophy Package ($2,000, trophy plus certificate plus souvenir), or additional single items (certificate $500, trophy $1,000)
Application Fee
- Jury fee during the early-bird registration period (June 15 – August 16, 2026): free
- Jury fee during the regular registration period (August 17 – October 16, 2026): $50 for individuals, $100 for companies
- Payment is made by credit card (Amex, Visa/Master/JCB), UnionPay, or PayPal; in Korea, payment can also be made by bank transfer with a cash receipt
- All payments are final; modifications, cancellations, and refunds are not possible once payment is completed
Application Requirements
- Online sign-up and registration on designitaward.com
- Applicant/company details completed in English, including contact information and "Local" or "Foreigner" status
- Entry type selected (Company/Design Studio/Institution or Individual Designer)
- Project name, category, art director, participating designer(s) (if any), client presence, and production date or year
- Project description, within 650 characters
- A single PDF (maximum 10MB, 2,560 x 1,440 ppi resolution) containing 5–7 key project images plus a brief description
- For video submissions, a publicly accessible link (webpage, Google Drive, YouTube, Vimeo, or similar) that remains active through the judging period, ending October 2026, with a password if required
- Environment Design entries: drawing submissions showing overall layout/scale and context, basic plan/elevation/section drawings, and completed space/environment images
- AI & New Media Design entries: video material of the finished work in use is recommended
- Service Design entries: material organized to show the Discover/Define/Develop/Deliver process stages, rather than only the result
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Early-bird registration: June 15 – August 16, 2026 (no jury fee)
- Regular registration: August 17 – October 16, 2026 (jury fee applies)
- Evaluation period (1st and 2nd rounds): October 2026
- Nominee announcement: November 2026
- Winners with prize announced: 11 December 2026
- Award Ceremony: 11 December 2026, at Some Chavit, Seoul
Location
Some Chavit, Seoul, South Korea
Additional Details
- There is no limit to the number of entries an applicant can submit, though only one work may be entered per category using the same design.
- If payment is not completed or the application form is cancelled before submission, it will not be saved and must be filled out again from the beginning.
- A confirmation email is sent to the registered address once an application is submitted and paid.
- To cancel an application, entrants must send a cancellation request by email to the Global Design iT Award Secretariat (itaward@hanmail.net).