Organizer Information
The Korea Institute of Design Promotion (KIDP) is a leading national organization dedicated to advancing design excellence and strengthening the global competitiveness of Korean design industries. Operating under government support, KIDP plays a central role in shaping Korea’s industrial design ecosystem through exhibitions, awards, policy initiatives, and international collaboration.
The institution is best known for organizing the Good Design (GD) Selection Program, one of Asia’s most influential design certification systems. Through its annual award structure, KIDP identifies outstanding achievements in Industrial Design, product innovation, spatial environments, and digital media, while also connecting designers with industry stakeholders, exhibitions, and commercial opportunities.
Title & Description
Korea International Design Award 2026 (KIDP GD Award)
The Korea International Design Award 2026 is a large-scale global competition that recognizes excellence in contemporary Industrial Design and applied creative industries. The program aims to evaluate innovative design solutions across product development, spatial systems, and digital media through a rigorous multi-stage selection process.
Applicants must submit their work through an online application system, where projects undergo document-based evaluation, physical inspection (where applicable), public participation review, and live presentation screening.
The competition emphasizes both professional evaluation and public engagement. A unique feature of the award is the public participation screening, where citizens directly vote on shortlisted works via an official online platform operated by KIDP and government partners. This public input contributes 10% to the final evaluation score.
Selected works progress through a structured evaluation system that includes:
- Document screening and in-kind evaluation
- Public verification stage
- Presentation (PT) judging session
- Final jury selection and award confirmation
Award-winning works are later showcased in a major exhibition held at COEX, Seoul, during Design Korea 2026, one of the country’s largest design industry events.
Categories
- Industrial Design
- Product Design
- Digital Media
- Spatial / Environmental Design
- CI / BI Design Systems
- Interactive and Applied Design
- Visual Communication Design
Eligibility
- Open to international and domestic applicants
- Companies, design studios, institutions, and corporate entities
- Applicants must register using a corporate account (not individual accounts)
- Suitable for large enterprises, SMEs, foreign companies, and public institutions
- Works must comply with technical submission requirements
Program Benefits & Awards
- Official GD Design Certification (Good Design Mark)
- Exhibition of winning works at Design Korea 2026 (COEX, Seoul)
- Inclusion in official catalogues and media coverage
- Public exposure through online and offline exhibitions
- Opportunity to participate in industry networking events
- National-level recognition, including:
- Presidential Award (Grand Prize)
- Prime Minister’s Award (Gold)
- Ministerial Awards (Silver and others)
Total award selection includes approximately 28 major prize recipients.
Application Fee
- Approx. KRW 770,000 – 1,320,000 (depending on submission type and timing)
- Additional fees may apply for physical evaluation categories
- Payment methods include:
- Corporate card payment
- Virtual account transfer
- Direct deposit to KIDP account
Application Requirements
- Product images (max 5 files: JPG / PNG / GIF)
- Optional video (MP4, max 5 minutes)
- Product description (Korean + English required)
- Design intent and concept explanation
- Company and applicant information
- Technical specifications and product data
Additional requirements:
- File size: max 3MB per image
- Image resolution: 1000px standard format
- Video file: max 50MB
- Catalogue images: CMYK, 300dpi format (300x300mm)
- Corporate registration is required for submission
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Period: May 1 – June 30, 2026
- Early Bird Deadline: 31 May 2026
- Regular Deadline: 30 June 2026
- 1st Screening: July – August 2026
- Public Participation Review: August 20 – September 3, 2026
- Presentation Screening: September 15 – September 17, 2026
- Awards Ceremony: 27 November 2026
- Exhibition Period: November 25 – November 29, 2026
Location
Seoul, South Korea
Additional Details
- Public participation accounts for 10% of the final evaluation
- Presentation screenings are open to the public
- Physical submission required for selected categories
- Overseas applicants must ship their work to Korea for evaluation
- Non-submitted physical works are excluded from judging
- Insurance responsibility for exhibited works lies with participants
- The schedule may change depending on administrative conditions
- GD selection status allows use of the official “GD Mark.”