Red Dot Award Ceremony | Product Design 2026

Images of the award ceremony can be found here.

A celebration of design excellence

On 7 July 2026, the winners of the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2026 came together in Essen for an evening dedicated to outstanding design achievements. The celebrations unfolded across several iconic locations, beginning at the Red Dot Design Museum on the UNESCO World Heritage Site Zollverein.

Before the official ceremony began, winners of the highest distinctions and selected members of the press were invited to an exclusive preview of the museum’s new exhibitions. Surrounded by award-winning products and industrial architecture steeped in history, guests had the opportunity to explore the latest developments in international product design ahead of the public opening.

The Red Dot Gala

The celebrations commenced at the Aalto Theater, where the Red Dot Gala brought together designers, industry leaders and media representatives from around the world.

Professor Dr. Peter Zec, founder and CEO of Red Dot, welcomed the audience, highlighting the international character of the Red Dot Gala: “It’s wonderful to see that our winners from all over the world have made their way to Essen for the Red Dot Gala. This year, we’re welcoming guests from 39 countries. It’s always a bold move to put one’s own work to the judgement of the Red Dot Jury – but only those who take part have a chance of winning.”

Thomas Kufen, Lord Mayor of the city of Essen, also greeted the guests in a welcome speech. In his remarks, he highlighted design as a universal force that connects people worldwide, noting that the Red Dot Award brings together creatives from nearly every corner of the globe.

Professor Zec presented the coveted Red Dot: Best of the Best trophies together with Red Dot Jury members Prof. Lutz Fügener (Germany), Venia Giota (Greece) and Norio Fujikawa (USA). With the award winners taking to the stage, the gala honoured not only outstanding products, but also the ideas, teams and creative processes behind them.

Accompanied by a live stream hosted by Jova Zec, Vice President of Red Dot, and presenter and journalist Freddie Schürheck, the event reached design enthusiasts far beyond Essen.

An artistic interlude

One of the evening’s emotional highlights was a performance by the Aalto Ballet. With “Walking Mad”, choreographer Johan Inger translated Maurice Ravel’s iconic Boléro into a powerful visual experience. A transforming wall shapes shifting spaces and intimate situations, taking the audience on a journey through human fears, longings and the lightness of being.

Projection technology takes centre stage as Epson Design is honoured as Red Dot: Design Team of the Year 2026

A defining moment of the evening was the presentation of the honorary title “Red Dot: Design Team of the Year 2026” to Epson Design. The distinction recognises sustained design quality and visionary innovation across an entire design team’s body of work.

In her laudatory speech, Maria Eagling, Chief Marketing Officer at Epson, highlighted Epson’s commitment to creating meaningful impact through efficient, compact and precise design – an approach reflected in products that have supported everything from major sporting events to space missions: “When Epson timers recorded exact timings at the biggest athletics event in the 1960s, the headlines spoke of split seconds and world records. When NASA astronauts needed to print in space, we designed printers suitable for microgravity, used on Atlantis, Discovery and Endeavour. And on the International Space Station, an Epson flying camera robot assists with stabilisation and automated docking, while enabling ground control to film experiments remotely. The most powerful design is sometimes the part nobody sees.”

The entire stage presentation by Epson Design was brought to life through Epson’s projection technology, resulting in a visually striking display of crisp, vibrant imagery. Denys Lapointe, Chief Design Officer at BRP and last year’s title holder, presented the travelling trophy “Radius” to Takaaki Ishikawa, Head of Product & UX Design, Visual Products, and Hideki Kato, Head of Product Design, Printing Products. At receiving the Radius travelling trophy, Hideki Kato remarked: “It’s a privilege to be recognised in this way. We believe design has the power to shape a better future, and this encourages us to keep pushing forward - with purpose and responsibility. Thank you.”

Designers’ Night at Zollverein

The celebrations continued at the after-show party “Designers’ Night”: Against the backdrop of the illuminated Zollverein site, winners, jury members, partners and international guests came together to celebrate into the night.

Attendees collected their Red Dot Certificates, captured the evening at professional photo stations and explored the museum’s special exhibitions while continuing conversations sparked throughout the ceremony.

During the Designers’ Night, guests were given an exclusive opportunity to experience a selection of vehicles distinguished in the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2026. The line-up – including models by Ferrari, Lamborghini, BRABUS and CUPRA – offered a glimpse into current developments in automotive design, from new brand identities and electric mobility to performance, aerodynamics and material innovation.

As a one-off from Ferrari’s Special Projects programme, the Ferrari SC40 stands for creative freedom in sports car design. With the Lamborghini Fenomeno, limited to 29 units, Lamborghini is presenting a vehicle that can be understood as an outlook on the brand’s future formal language. The presentation was complemented by additional automobiles and motorcycles honoured in the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2026.

Exclusive preview for guests: New exhibitions at the Red Dot Design Museum

At the Designers’ Night, guests were given a preview of the Red Dot Design Museum’s new exhibitions showcasing current developments in international product design. While “Design on Stage 2026” and “Red Dot Milestones 2026” will remain on display until 1 June 2027, the special exhibition “Epson Design – Value through Precision”, dedicated to the Red Dot: Design Team of the Year 2026, will run until 16 August 2026.

“Design on Stage 2026” and “Red Dot Milestones 2026” present current design trends

With “Design on Stage 2026” and “Red Dot Milestones 2026”, the museum offers insights into current developments in product design. Across five floors, “Design on Stage 2026” highlights international design trends and the qualities that define good design, while “Red Dot Milestones 2026” presents the best products of the year, selected from thousands of submissions worldwide. Together, the exhibitions show how designers are responding to technological, social and ecological challenges across a wide range of industries.

“Epson Design – Value through Precision” honours Red Dot: Design Team of the Year 2026

To mark the occasion of being honoured as Red Dot: Design Team of the Year, Epson Design conceived the special exhibition “Epson Design – Value through Precision”, which can be visited at the Red Dot Design Museum until 16 August 2026. Curated by Epson Design itself, the exhibition explores how the company combines technological precision, user-centred design and sustainability, guided by the principle of “Sho-Sho-Sei” – Japanese for “efficient, compact and precise”.

Discover the winners online

All award-winning products of the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2026 can be explored online in the winners section of the Red Dot website.