Red Dot Award: Product Design 2026 – Call for Entries starts on 15 September

From 15 September 2025, registration for the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2026 is possible. Designers around the globe can submit their products until 16 January 2026. In spring 2026, the international jury of around 40 members will evaluate the quality of the entries. The winners will be honoured on 7 July 2026 at the Red Dot Gala in Essen.

New category: Gaming and Streaming

From now on, manufacturers and designers can submit products from the Gaming and Streaming sector in a dedicated category. With this step, Red Dot acknowledges the momentum of an industry that reaches millions of people worldwide and significantly shapes product development.

Young Professionals Application Day

On 19 November 2025, Red Dot will once again offer young talents whose degree is no more than five years old the chance to win one of 50 free registration places. For 24 hours, young designers can register via the online portal to take part in the draw.

Winning a Red Dot Award can help emerging designers make their creative skills visible, support product launches and expand their professional network.

Jury and evaluation

True to the motto “In search of good design and innovation”, the Red Dot Jury will award the distinctions “Red Dot” and “Red Dot: Best of the Best”. Around 40 international experts from different fields will evaluate each product individually. Their assessment is based on the four qualities of good design defined by Professor Dr. Peter Zec, Founder and CEO of Red Dot: a product must convince through its function, appeal aesthetically, be simple and intuitive to use, and demonstrate responsibility – for example in terms of sustainability and durability.

Award ceremony and presentation of the winners

The award-winning products will be presented to an international audience across a wide range of platforms – including the Red Dot Design Museum Essen, worldwide exhibitions, the Red Dot Design Yearbook, as well as online and via social media. In addition, the winners can communicate their award with the well-known Red Dot Label.

The competition’s successes will be celebrated on 7 July 2026 at the festive award ceremony. Those unable to attend the Red Dot Gala in Essen in 2026 will be able to follow the event via livestream. This year, Jova Zec, Vice President of Red Dot, and presenter and journalist Freddie Schürheck guided the international audience through the programme in an informative and entertaining way.

All dates at a glance