A' Design Award opens 2026 entries for multidisciplinary projects

A' Design Award & Competition has opened entries for its 2026 Multidisciplinary and Interdisciplinary Design Awards, with a September 30 deadline and results due May 1, 2027. The competition targets collaborative work across design fields and offers winners prize packages, publicity support and international recognition.

Why it matters: - The awards spotlight cross-disciplinary design work that blends multiple skills, from architecture and product design to research, urban interventions and interactive experiences. - Winners can gain visibility through international jury review, press distribution and promotional tools aimed at helping collaborative teams reach a wider audience. - The program could help position multidisciplinary design as a competitive category in its own right, not just a feature of broader design awards.

What happened: - A' Design Award & Competition announced the call for entries for the 2026 A' International Multidisciplinary and Interdisciplinary Design Awards. - The entry window is open worldwide for multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary projects developed within the last 10 years. - The competition is open to designers, studios, artists, architects, engineers, researchers, consultants, brands and innovation teams across related fields. - The submission deadline is September 30, 2026. - Results will be announced on May 1, 2027.

The details: - The competition uses a two-phase process that starts with a complimentary preliminary evaluation. - Projects that pass the preliminaries can move on to nomination, which carries a nominal fee. - Eligible work includes installations, exhibitions, urban interventions, collaborative projects, interactive designs, cross-disciplinary research, conceptual proposals and experimental designs. - Entries are judged anonymously by an international jury of more than 300 experts. - Jury members include designers, architects, artists, researchers, engineers, strategists and innovation professionals. - Evaluation criteria include collaboration, integration, originality, innovation, problem-solving, impact and design excellence. - Sub-category descriptions are available in the award category listing. - Participants can register through the entry portal.

Between the lines: - The structure of the competition suggests A' Design Award is trying to lower the barrier to entry with a free first review, while still preserving a paid nomination stage for finalists. - The prize package is designed to extend beyond a trophy, with yearbook inclusion, exhibitions in Italy, a winner logo license, translation support and ranking-platform placement. - Winners also receive an interview, a prepared press release and a press kit with images and supporting materials for media outreach. - The competition says press kits will be distributed to thousands of accredited press members, with dozens of press partners already lined up to feature selected winners.

What's next: - Design teams can submit eligible projects now and seek a preliminary score before the September 30, 2026 deadline. - Laureates will receive the A' Design Prize and related publicity benefits if they advance through the process. - Past winners are available at the winners archive.

The bottom line: - A' Design Award is using its 2026 multidisciplinary category to turn collaborative design work into a distinct, globally promoted competition track.