A' Design Award opens early entries for 2026 car design competition

A' Design Award & Competition has opened early submissions for the 2026 A' Car and Land Based Motor Vehicles Design Awards, with a free preliminary phase available now and an early deadline of June 30, 2026. Winners will be announced May 1, 2027, and top laureates will receive a prize package that includes publicity tools, exhibitions and international promotion.

Why it matters: - The competition gives automotive designers, brands and manufacturers a global platform to showcase vehicles and mobility concepts. - Winning projects can gain publicity, exhibitions and international recognition through the A' Design Prize. - The awards focus on design that improves safety, sustainability, efficiency and user experience.

What happened: - A' Design Award & Competition opened early entries for the 2026 A' Car and Land Based Motor Vehicles Design Awards. - The call for entries covers car designers, automobile designers, industrial designers, motor vehicle companies, car brands, car manufacturers, automotive engineers and related specialists worldwide. - Designs created within the last 10 years are eligible. - The early deadline is June 30, 2026. - Results will be announced on May 1, 2027.

The details: - The competition has two phases. - The first phase is free to enter and gives entrants a preliminary score. - Projects that pass preliminaries can move on to nomination, which carries a nominal fee. - Entries are evaluated anonymously by a peer-review jury of more than 300 academics, journalists, design professionals, museum curators, investors and industry experts. - Eligible categories include sedans, hatchbacks, SUVs, convertibles, coupes, minivans, sports cars and electric vehicles. - Sub-category details are available here. - Winners of the professional edition receive the A' Design Prize. - The prize package includes a Design Excellence Certificate, lifetime use of the winner logo, a yearbook of best designs, exhibitions in Italy, an award trophy, gala-night invitation, translations of awarded works, entry to Prime Clubs and placement in World Design Rankings, Designer Rankings, Car Design Classifications and Design Legends. - Laureates also receive an exclusive interview for the Designer Interviews website and inclusion in press kits. - Winners get a press release prepared for the award announcement. - Press kits include design images, photographs, logos, high-resolution visuals and a portfolio preview of other work. - The press kits will be distributed to thousands of accredited press members. - Dozens of press partners have already confirmed they will publish a selection of winning projects. - The press-kit service and the A' Design Prize are provided free of charge to laureates. - Past winners are available here. - Registrations can be made here.

Between the lines: - The structure is designed to lower the barrier to entry at first, then filter for finalists through nomination. - The emphasis on press distribution suggests the competition is as much a marketing and visibility platform as a design award. - The broad eligibility list signals an effort to attract not only designers but also manufacturers and engineering teams.

What's next: - Designers and companies can submit entries before the June 30 deadline. - Finalists will advance to nomination and later compete for the 2026 award cycle. - Winners will be announced in May 2027 and then receive the prize package and publicity support.

The bottom line: - A' Design Award is using an early, free entry phase to attract global automotive talent ahead of the 2026 competition cycle.