Dear IAI award winners and colleagues in the design community,

First, please accept our most sincere congratulations once again! Your work stood out from many entries worldwide and won an IAI Global Design Award — a recognition that fully demonstrates your outstanding talent and extraordinary creativity.

We are writing today to share an important decision. After careful consideration by the IAI International Jury and the Organizing Committee, the IAI Awards Ceremony originally scheduled for November 2025 will be merged with our planned 2026 IAI Global Design Awards 20th Anniversary Gala.

This decision was not made lightly. In 2026, the IAI Design Awards will reach the milestone of its twentieth anniversary. Twenty years is not only a time to reflect on the journey so far but also a starting point for a new future. We wish to invest unprecedented resources and effort to create for you — our most honored winners — a grander, richer, and more influential design celebration. We firmly believe that only a celebration of such scale is worthy of your exceptional achievements and will allow us to jointly witness the glory and growth of IAI over the past two decades.

Here we make the following solemn commitments to you,

1.Awards and benefits will be automatically deferred: All honors and benefits you have received will be automatically and fully carried over to the 20th Anniversary Gala in 2026. Your award status will not be affected by this change in ceremony date.

2.Handling of fees already paid:

•For organizations or individuals who have already paid award-related service fees, those payments will automatically be applied to the corresponding services for the 2026 20th Anniversary Gala. No action is required on your part; we will retain all your benefits.

•In light of the comprehensive upgrade to the gala’s scale and quality, you will enjoy services and experiences that far exceed the originally planned offerings.

•If, for special reasons, you are unable to attend the 2026 gala, please contact us via the official email and we will handle the matter appropriately.

3. Notice of unpaid fees: For the winners who have not paid the service fee for winning the prize, your qualification for winning the prize will also be retained. Later, we will release the detailed service and registration channel about the 20th anniversary ceremony. Please be patient.

For the 2026 20th Anniversary Gala, we will invite top design masters, authoritative media, and industry leaders from around the world. In addition to a grand awards ceremony, we will hold a summit forum, master lectures, an exhibition of global design achievements, and multiple networking activities — it will surely become a landmark carnival for the design industry.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this change of schedule may cause. At the same time, we are extremely excited and look forward to crowning you with our highest honors in 2026 — a year of great significance — and celebrating together!

More exciting previews and detailed arrangements for the 20th Anniversary Gala will be released progressively on IAI’s official platforms. Please stay tuned.

A pause — for a more resounding echo.

Thank you again for your understanding and support. We look forward to joining you in glory in 2026!

With best regards,

IAI Global Design Awards Organizing Committee

President: Oskar Ho

September 15, 2025