APDF
APDF
Asia-Pacific Designers Federation (APDF)
The Asia Pacific Designers Federation (full English name: ASIA PACIFIC DESIGNERS FEDERATION, abbreviated APDF) is a non-profit international academic and industry organization registered in Hong Kong, China in 2008. Its institutional standing, operating legality, and authority to conduct international activities are recognized and protected under the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The Federation was founded and chaired by Mr. Oscar Ho, founder of the IAI Global Design Award and United Nations “International Cultural Ambassador.”
Rooted in the Asia-Pacific and reaching out globally, the Federation brings together leading international design talent, breaking down the barriers between academic research, the creative industries, and the commercial market to build a globalized ecosystem for design innovation. It has long driven the international upgrading of the Asia-Pacific design industry, using design to empower social development, green and sustainable construction, and business innovation, creating long-term sustainable value.
I. Development History
Since the IAI competition system was founded in 2006, it has evolved over twenty years from a regional interior design competition into a comprehensive international design award spanning architecture, interiors, products, visual communication, digital imaging, and art installations.
Setting Sail (2006)
In 2006, the first Asia-Pacific Interior Design Biennial Award was launched in Shanghai, with the awards ceremony held at Guangzhou Design Week, marking the official birth of the IAI brand.
Deepening Roots in the Asia-Pacific (2008–2010)
In 2008, the competition returned to Shanghai, focusing on discovering local Asia-Pacific design talent.
In 2010, the competition was again held in Shanghai, further consolidating its position as a professional benchmark in Asia-Pacific interior design.
Strategic Breakthrough (2013–2017)
In 2013, the competition moved to Beijing and launched the IAI Global Spatial Design Award – Bamboo & Beauty Award, incorporating green and environmentally friendly concepts to move beyond interior design alone and expand its scope to all-domain spatial design.
In 2014–2015, the 8th IAI Design Award was held at Beijing’s Bird’s Nest, completing a brand upgrade and formally elevating the competition from a single interior-design event to the comprehensive, all-domain IAI Design Award.
In 2016, the 9th IAI Design Award again took place at Beijing’s Bird’s Nest, as the competition’s international and professional systems continued to mature.
In 2017, the 10th IAI Design Award returned to Shanghai, unveiling an entirely new brand visual identity and a dedicated trophy, completing the reshaping of its international brand image.
Global Expansion (2016–2019)
In 2016, the Federation appeared at the Cologne International Furniture Fair in Germany, setting up a dedicated brand booth to systematically present Asia-Pacific design achievements and academic ideas to the European design community.
In 2019, the Federation was invited to take part in the 68th United Nations DPI/NGO Conference in Salt Lake City, USA, presenting a special exhibition of IAI design achievements — marking the Federation’s formal entry into the global dialogue on social innovation and public governance.
All-Domain Leap (2020–2024)
In 2020, the 12th IAI Design Award was held in Tianjin, expanding the competition’s influence from the Yangtze River Delta to the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
In 2021, the 13th IAI Global Design Award was held in Xiamen for the first time, establishing a long-term strategic partnership with the city.
In 2022–2023, the 14th and 15th IAI Design Awards were held consecutively in Xiamen, continuing to build up regional industry resources and academic reputation. In 2023, the Asia Pacific Designers Federation formally launched the IAI Global Design University Alliance, establishing an ongoing platform for international design education collaboration.
In 2024, the 17th IAI Design Award was successfully held in Xiamen, further refining the international judging system and the global network of participants.
20th-Anniversary Upgrade (2025–2026)
Building on the IAI 20th Anniversary brand celebration, the Federation has comprehensively upgraded its competition rules, judging system, international cooperation network, and industry implementation projects. New initiatives include free-entry support policies for institutions in multiple countries and an international young designer development program, continuing to expand the global network of university partners. In parallel, the Federation has launched key national-level cultural tourism partnerships, green and sustainable development initiatives, and cross-disciplinary digital art innovation projects, completing its transformation from a single competition IP into an internationalized design ecosystem operating platform.
II. Purpose and Core Mission
The Federation’s fundamental purpose is to “advance design progress and contribute to a better life,” with a core mission spanning four dimensions:
1. Building a global collaborative network: connecting designers, design organizations, and universities worldwide to conduct ongoing academic exchange, joint research, and industry cooperation.
2. Leading cutting-edge design thinking: promoting green design, low-carbon design, and sustainable design concepts, and advancing the industry’s social responsibility in practice.
3. Establishing standards of industry excellence: discovering and honoring outstanding design work and emerging design talent worldwide through a standardized, international competition and judging system.
4. Driving the creative industry forward: connecting the full chain from creative R&D and academic incubation to commercial conversion and international expansion, unlocking the commercial, social, and cultural value of design.
III. Core Endeavors
APDF has built five core business pillars — competitions and awards, international events, the university alliance, academic publishing, and frontier innovation — forming a complete, closed-loop ecosystem for the design industry.
1. IAI Global Design Award
Founded in 2006 and developed over twenty years, the IAI Global Design Award has grown into a comprehensive, all-domain international design competition covering architecture, interior design, product design, visual communication, digital imaging, and cultural-creative design. The competition uses a three-tier judging system and a multinational joint jury, with a judging process that is open, fair, and standardized. During its 20th-anniversary period, the Federation has introduced a dedicated support policy for international institutions, offering free entry places to partner universities overseas to help young design talent grow worldwide.
2. Global Network and Flagship International Events
The Federation has established branches in leading global creative hubs including Milan, New York, Xiamen, and Sabah. It regularly hosts a series of high-level academic events, including the IAI International Design Festival, the Global Creative Wisdom Forum, international exhibitions of design achievements, cross-border academic study tours, and international master workshops, continually building platforms for global design exchange and cooperation.
3. IAI Global Design University Alliance
Launched by APDF in 2023, this alliance is the Federation’s core platform for talent development and international academic collaboration. It now brings together more than twenty leading Chinese and international art and design institutions, including the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Communication University of China, Nanjing University of the Arts, Shandong University of Art & Design, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, the University of Rome (Italy), and the IE School of Architecture and Design (Spain). In 2026, the Nanhai College of Fine Arts at Haikou University of Economics joined as a core partner institution for the South China region, and the alliance continues to advance curriculum innovation, joint research projects, faculty and student competition mentoring, and international exchange study programs.
4. Academic Publishing and Industry Empowerment
The Federation has long served as editor and publisher of the “IAI Global Design Award Yearbook” series, systematically documenting award-winning and shortlisted works from each year and recording the industry’s annual design achievements. The yearbook has been recognized with the Outstanding Academic Work Award from the China University Press Book Award and the gold prize of the China Printing Award, making it an authoritative academic publication in the design industry. Through the IAI Silk Road International Creative Design Center and its design-export resource pool, the Federation provides one-stop empowerment services to designers and institutions, including work packaging, brand promotion, international matchmaking, and commercial implementation.
5. Frontier Tracks and National-Level Project Layout
The Federation is expanding into the frontier of digital art, establishing the IAI International Imaging Creative Center to focus on motion graphics, experimental film, digital art, and AI-driven creative design, driving innovation at the intersection of art, technology, and business.
Core strategic projects for 2025–2026 include the China–Solomon Islands bilateral “Sister Towns” project, a green and sustainable development partnership with Singapore, the establishment of the IAI New Art Academy, and an AI Trends Art Exhibition, among other flagship initiatives.
IV. Organizational Governance Structure
The Federation operates under an internationalized council governance system. Its council members and final-round jury are made up of design academicians, leading scholars, internationally renowned design masters, university professors, and industry authorities from China, Italy, the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Brazil, the Czech Republic, South Korea, Israel, Chile, Switzerland, Australia, Belgium, and other countries. This internationalized, diverse governance structure ensures that the Federation maintains a global perspective and neutral professional credibility in competition judging, academic decision-making, international cooperation, and industry standard-setting.
V. Core Judges and Academic Advisors
Chinese Experts
Oscar Ho (Founding Chairman of APDF, Founder of IAI, United Nations International Cultural Ambassador), Liu Guanzhong (“Father of Chinese Industrial Design”), Wang Shouzhi (design critic), Zhang Qiman (founder of the environmental design discipline in China), Wang Zhong (sculptor and public art expert), Alan Chan (master of visual design), Xing Tonghe (architectural design expert), Wang Min (master of graphic design), Zhu Pei (architectural design expert).
International Experts
Kees Spanjers of the Netherlands (leading design scholar), Soonin Lee of South Korea (leading Asia-Pacific design scholar), Eva Jiricna of the Czech Republic (master of architecture and interior design), Fernando Brandao of Brazil (master of architecture and interior design), Vicente Guallart Furió of Spain, Martha Thorne (architecture scholar and design critic), Thom Palmen of Sweden (film and video artist and director), Massimo Iosa Ghini of Italy (master of architecture and all-domain product design), Dalia Gallico, Susanna Mirza, Giancarlo Mazzanti of Colombia (architect), Haim Dotan of Israel (master of architectural design), Kurt Mehnert of Germany (professor of design), Antonio Giannone of Australia, Florin Pierre Baeriswyl of Switzerland, Laurent Troost of Belgium (architect), and Abel Erazo of Chile (expert in architecture and interior design).
VI. Honors and Achievements
1. The “IAI Global Design Award Yearbook” has been recognized with the Outstanding Academic Work Award from the China University Press Book Award and the gold prize of the China Printing Award.
2. The IAI Global Design Award is a mature, well-established international design competition in the Asia-Pacific region, widely recognized by industry and media both in China and abroad.
3. The Federation’s achievements have been presented at the United Nations DPI/NGO Conference, incorporating its design and academic influence into the global dialogue on public governance.
4. Following its 20th-anniversary upgrade, the competition system now forms a comprehensive, all-domain judging framework of six professional categories and two cross-disciplinary awards.
Left: Mr. Oskar Ho accompanied the fifth Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to visit the HK Design Exhibition.
Right: Mr. Oskar Ho took a group photo with Hong Kong's first Chief Executive, Mr. Dong Jianhua.
APDF American branch ceremony was held at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, USA, attended by some delegates from the 68th non-governmental organization.
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