Press release —
Red Dot Gala 2026 live on YouTube
On 7 July 2026, the Red Dot Design Award will honour the year’s best product designs at the Aalto Theater in Essen. During the Red Dot Gala, the Red Dot: Best of the Best winners of the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2026 will receive their trophies on stage.
The award ceremony will be broadcast live on Red Dot’s YouTube channel. The livestream will begin on 7 July at 5:45 p.m. CEST: to the livestream
Jova Zec, Vice President of Red Dot, and Freddie Schürheck, journalist and presenter, will guide viewers through the livestream with commentary and background information. The award ceremony at the Aalto Theater will be hosted by Professor Dr. Peter Zec, Founder and CEO of Red Dot.
At the heart of the gala are the ceremonial trophy presentations honouring designers whose products set new standards in their respective categories. The programme will also include a performance by Aalto Ballet Essen, featuring an excerpt from Johan Inger’s Walking Mad. Inspired by Ravel’s Boléro, the choreography explores emotion, intimacy and transformation.
Ahead of the gala, Freddie Schürheck will host a pre-show, interviewing guests from the world of design as they arrive at the venue.
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The Red Dot Design Award is one of the most prestigious design competitions worldwide. Participants can submit entries in three disciplines: products, brands and communication projects, as well as prototypes and design concepts. Each year, a jury convenes for each award category to individually assess the submissions and subsequently decide on the awarding of distinctions.
The Red Dot Design Award has an over 70-year history: in 1955, a jury convened for the first time to evaluate the best designs of that era. In the 1990s, Red Dot CEO Professor Dr. Peter Zec developed the name and brand of the award.
