To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the IAI Design Award and further refine the global design evaluation system, the IAI Organizing Committee officially announces the new competition framework for the 2026 Special Season—"One Core, Two Wings." This framework aims to showcase a more professional, systematic, and open approach to soliciting outstanding design works worldwide.

I. Competition Framework: One Core, Two Wings

This special season is built around the "One Core" of design essence and professional value, with the "Two Wings" of professional and cross-disciplinary dimensions, creating a comprehensive competition system that covers all design fields with both depth and breadth.

One Core: Upholding the original intent of design, emphasizing the unity of creativity, aesthetics, functionality, and social value.

Two Wings: The professional dimension elevates industry standards, while the cross-disciplinary dimension expands the future of design.

II. Professional Dimension | Six Award Categories

1.Spatial Design Award

Recognizes spatial design works in architecture, interior design, landscape, urban renewal, public spaces, exhibitions, and rural development that embody humanistic care, innovative concepts, and sustainable development principles.

Includes: Architectural design, interior design, landscape planning, urban renewal, exhibition space design, etc.

2.Product & Smart Manufacturing Award

Focuses on industrial design, smart equipment, home and lifestyle products, consumer goods, cultural and creative products, and transportation, promoting the deep integration of design with manufacturing, technology, and industry.

Includes: Industrial and equipment products, smart home and lifestyle goods, consumer electronics, cultural and creative products, transportation design, etc.

3.Material Innovation Award

Highlights innovative, eco-friendly, sustainable, and new decorative materials and their applications, fostering the integration of material technology with aesthetics, functionality, and green principles.

Includes: R&D of innovative eco-materials, new decorative finishes, sustainable material applications, and material process innovations, etc.

4.IAI Carbon Neutral Design Awards

The awards are based on China's "Dual Carbon" strategy and global sustainable development goals, focusing on core issues such as green and low-carbon initiatives, energy conservation and emission reduction, circular economy, ecological friendliness, and environmental symbiosis. They honor exemplary works that promote carbon neutrality through design and safeguard the ecological future with innovation, highlighting the social responsibility and contemporary value of design.

Includes: low-carbon architecture and ecological spaces, energy-saving products and green intelligent manufacturing, eco-friendly materials and circular applications, sustainable visuals and brand design, innovative designs for low-carbon lifestyles, carbon neutrality concepts and future solutions, rural ecology and green renewal design, etc.

5.IAI Social Value Design Award

Exploring design practices driven by social needs, addressing public issues through design, and creating social value.

6.IAI Communication Design Award

Focusing on brand strategy, visual communication, cross-media storytelling, and content dissemination. It aims to discover design forces with strategic thinking, penetrating expression, and multi-media innovation.

Scope includes: comprehensive brand projects, LOGO/VI, packaging and book design, poster advertisements, digital interaction, IP cultural creativity, public promotion, and social advocacy.

III. Cross-Disciplinary Dimension | Two Innovative Awards

IAI Art & Identity Award

Targets artists, designers, creators, and teams, encouraging personal style, cultural symbols, contemporary spirit, public art, and identity expression to showcase artistic originality and era-defining value.

IAI Design+ Award

Promotes cross-disciplinary integration, encouraging innovative practices that combine design with technology, culture and tourism, education, business, rural revitalization, urban development, and sustainability.

Ceramic Innovation Award

This award aims to reshape the contemporary value of ceramic culture, focusing on innovative, forward-looking, and market-potential ceramic design and creative achievements worldwide.

IV. Significance of the Competition

The IAI 20th Anniversary Special Season marks both a reflection on two decades of progress and a new beginning for the future. Through the "One Core, Two Wings" framework, IAI will continue to build an international, professional, and diverse platform for creative exchange, driving high-quality development in the design industry and contributing to a global creative ecosystem.

V. Participation Guidelines

This competition is open to designers, design firms, enterprises, artists, academic institutions, and creators worldwide.

Details regarding submission timelines, application procedures, requirements, and judging criteria will be announced on the IAI official website and social media platforms.