Press release —
Save the Date – Red Dot Award: Product Design 2027 starts soon
On 14 September, the international competition for product design, the Red Dot Award: Product Design, enters its next round. Products ranging from forks to forklift trucks can be entered across 52 categories. The international Red Dot Jury, comprising around 40 experts from a wide range of design disciplines, will then deliberate on which products are to receive the distinctions “Red Dot” and “Red Dot: Best of the Best”. Only products whose quality convinces the jury members are awarded one of these distinctions. Winners can communicate their success using the internationally renowned Red Dot Label.
Key competition dates at a glance
Registration period:
Early Bird
14 September 2026 – 9 October 2026
Regular
10 October 2026 – 11 December 2026
Latecomer
12 December 2026 – 15 January 2027
Further dates:
Jury Session
March 2027
Notification of results
Early April 2027
Award Ceremony
Tuesday, 13 July 2027
FAQ: Everything you need to know about the Red Dot Design Award
What is the Red Dot Award: Product Design?
The Red Dot Award: Product Design is an international design competition whose origins date back to 1955. Manufacturers and designers from around the world can enter their best products in 52 categories. In keeping with the motto “In Search of Good Design and Innovation”, a jury evaluates all entries and awards the distinctions “Red Dot” and “Red Dot: Best of the Best” only to products that demonstrate outstanding design quality.
Which products are eligible for the competition?
Industrially manufactured products may be entered in the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2027 if they are available on the open market and were or will be launched between 1 January 2025 and 1 July 2027. One-off handcrafted pieces are excluded from participation. Entrants can submit their products in 52 categories and additionally in one of the two metacategories “Sustainable Design” or “Innovative Design”.
How does the Red Dot Jury evaluate the entries?
Over the course of a multi-day evaluation process, the Red Dot Jury tests, discusses and assesses every single entry. The products do not compete directly against one another. Instead, each product is evaluated on its own merits.
What makes receiving a distinction in the Red Dot Design Award special?
The Red Dot is the distinction for good design quality. When a product receives an award, winners have the opportunity to promote it using the Red Dot Label. Thanks to its worldwide recognition, the label is an ideal communication tool that makes award-winning design stand out clearly in the marketplace.
In addition, all award-winning products are featured in the Red Dot Design Yearbook and presented at the Red Dot Design Museum Essen as well as in the Winners Section.
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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 a 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.
