FAQ

Since 2017, the German Innovation Awards have shone a light on pioneering ideas. And the people behind them. The awards celebrate innovations that truly make a difference: through smart technologies, meaningful impact and forward-looking thinking.

The award is presented by the German Design Council – the world’s leading centre of excellence for communication and knowledge transfer in the fields of design, brand, and innovation since 1953. Only those entries that convince the interdisciplinary, international jury are honoured. 

The German Design Council. As a foundation, it has been bringing together leading figures from business and design since 1953. Guided by its core principle 'Moving Business by Design', it promotes the power of design as a key driver of transformation and economic success. The German Design Award is its most internationally visible expression of this mission.

An independent, interdisciplinary panel of experts decides who receives the award. It brings together perspectives from technology, digitalisation and science. Members and their number may change annually – but their high-level expertise remains constant.

The jury is appointed by the German Design Council. We ensure a balance of professional excellence, international experience and interdisciplinary vision to assess innovation holistically and recognise trailblazing work.

The jury evaluates independently and across disciplines. Submissions are assessed based on the degree of innovation, user benefit, and economic viability. The innovation strategy should take into account aspects such as social, ecological, and economic sustainability, as well as the use of energy and resources. Additional factors such as potential for local employment and economic development, longevity, market readiness, technical quality and functionality, material characteristics, and synergies also play a decisive role in the evaluation process.

All decisions are made without commercial influence. Jury members are seasoned experts from technology, digitalisation and science – appointed by the German Design Council. Their judgement is based on knowledge, discussion and a shared commitment to highlighting innovation.

The German Design Council offers all small businesses, freelancers and start-ups the opportunity to be exempted from the service fees for winners by applying for funding. The exemption is granted after an examination of the economic circumstances. The prerequisite is that the annual sales in each of the last two years (2023 and 2024) did not exceed € 100,000. 

The application must be submitted on time via the online form (receipt by the German Design Council).

Each year, around 600 entries from over 30 countries are submitted. This demonstrates: those who take part are part of an international community.

Only projects launched or published within the last five years are eligible to participate in the German Innovation Awards.

Have you previously taken part in an award by the German Design Council or started a submission for the German Innovation Awards? Then log in to your account via My Design Council. New participants can also create an account there.

If you’re having account or password issues, just email: mydesigncouncil(at)gdc.de.

You’ll need to provide the following details. On average, the online registration takes around 25 minutes:

• Discipline
• Project name
• Project title (DE/EN)
• Project description (DE/EN, max. 650 characters)
• Website / Project URL
• Market launch date
• Information on designer / architect / agency
• Information on manufacturer / client / developer
• Selection of discipline and category
• Submission format for the jury (original or digital)
• Delivery method (postal or upload)
• Billing address
• Optional: Booking of the Nominee Package
• Image material (max. 5 images, JPG, min. 1000px
     (shortest side), RGB, file size: max. 10 MB)

  Duration: Allow approx. 35 minutes for your registration.

Yes, you may submit as many projects as you wish, including across different categories.

Yes, it’s possible to enter product series or families. 

You can enter your project in one of two disciplines: : Excellence in Business to Consumer and Excellence in Business to Business. Once you are registered or logged in, you can submit your project in one discipline and the corresponding category.

In addition, projects can also be submitted in one of the overarching additional categories: AI Methods, Circular Impacts, and Transformative Solutions.

You can enter your project in one category. If you want to enter it in several categories, you’ll need to submit it separately for each one. 

You can also add a suitable additional category – for example, Circular Impacts. This boosts your visibility and allows your project to be seen from multiple angles. 

No – you must select a discipline and category before submitting to an additional category.

That’s absolutely fine , even if it’s already been awarded elsewhere.

Yes, of course! The German Innovation Awards are international. You can enter – find your contact for your country.

Just send an email to the German Innovation Awards team: gia(at)gdc.de – they’re happy to help. 

Once your submission is confirmed, you won’t be able to edit it yourself. But if you need to make changes, just get in touch at gia@gdc.de – we’ll support you.

A nomination must first be confirmed by you. In some cases, this may require registration.

Yes. If you believe another project is a better fit for the German Design Awards, you may submit that one instead.

Yes, this is possible. You can submit series or related products as a single entry.

The nomination itself is free of charge. By accepting the nomination, an entry fee applies; in the event of an award, a service fee is added.

Not at all. A nomination is an invitation, but you can submit your project independently at any time – with no disadvantage. Nominated projects are exempt from the approval process, having already been recognised as qualified by our scouting team.

You can find it in your personal account (My Design Council) under “My Nominations”. As soon as you start working on it, it will automatically move to “My Submissions.”

Yes, that’s possible. Please contact us at gia@gdc.de so we can assign the nomination accordingly.

You may communicate your nomination, but without using the official logo. If you book the Nominee Package, you’ll gain access to the label, certificate, and more.

Regarding your submission you’ll find all the key information here under Point 5. It includes everything you need to know – from required formats to technical specifications.

After registering, you’ll receive a personal upload link via email. You can use this link to upload your files securely and directly. Accepted: a maximum of one PDF file and/or one MPEG4 video (max. 50 MB, max. 120 seconds).

Yes, absolutely. Your documents will only be used for jury evaluation and will not be made public.

Presentations must be prepared in either German or English. For general guidance, we provide best practice cases from the previous year for reference. In addition, we offer templates/blueprints that can be filled with your own content. You are also welcome to complete the questionnaire "Your Innovation at a Glance", including selected market figures relating to your innovation.

In our experience, this information enables the jury to make a quicker and more accurate assessment of your submission. Please include the completed questionnaire in your presentation PDF and upload it via the provided link.

Your project will only be published in the gallery if it receives a Winner or Gold award.

Awarded projects are published at the time of the official winners’ announcement – alongside communication via the website, press, and social media.

Once your submission is final, you can’t make changes yourself. But if you spot something that needs to be corrected, just email us at gia@gdc.de – we’ll be happy to help.

The gallery includes your submitted short description, images, and information about the developer, manufacturer or commissioning company – depending on your entry. Important: the content is published exactly as submitted, so please make sure everything is well-formulated before uploading.

Registration in our My Design Council system is completely free of charge. Only in the next step – when you officially submit your project for the German Innovation Award – will a participation fee apply.

The nomination is non-binding and free of charge. If you go ahead with submission, a participation fee applies. If your project is awarded, a service fee is added. In return, you receive a powerful package: an invitation to the Awards Ceremony, the award label, a certificate, online presence and access to the international community. An investment that truly makes an impact.

Yes, only once your project has received an award. If your project is also recognised in an additional category, this will be charged separately. In return, you benefit from greater visibility and an additional presence in our award communications. You can find full details of the fees in the fee overview within the participation section.

Absolutely! You can additionally enter categories like “Circular Design” at no extra cost during registration. If your project is awarded in this category, a separate service fee will apply – in return, you’ll benefit from extra visibility and another appearance in our award communications.

The billing address entered in “My Design Council” is automatically assigned to the person or organisation submitting the entry – meaning: whoever registers, pays. If you'd like your client or another company to be billed, just let us know at gia@gdc.de – we’ll take care of it.

The German Innovation Awards are a platform to showcase design excellence. Entry fees help finance this platform. To ensure that award-winning projects and brands gain the visibility they deserve, we invest – together with our winners – in the quality, reach, and impact of the awards.

Your fees enable us to…

• …deliver professional organisation and execution: Our experienced team works year-round on the call for entries, communication, and delivery. For project management, technology, and production, we also engage specialised partners.
• …secure judging at the highest level: The independent work of our international jury requires reliable infrastructure, coordination, and logistics.
• …stage a memorable award ceremony: The annual Award Show in Berlin offers a premium setting with venue, technology, catering, staff, and programme, realised together with experienced event partners.
• …provide tailored communication and services: Depending on the award category, this may include customised social media clips, presentation in the online gallery, an official certificate, or media visibility. For this, we work with leading creative and communications agencies. 

This ensures that every distinction comes with the right stage, visibility, and professional communication. The fees are not profit-driven; they support our shared goal of advancing the quality and relevance of design and innovations for the long term.

No fixed deadline, but some products are only available while supplies last. So it’s best not to wait too long.

You’ll receive it by email and it’s also available in the download section of the website. Need it again? Just let us know – we’re happy to resend it.

Yes. Just include the project name on the order form – we’ll match it up on our end.

It will be emailed to the address you provided on the order form. Be sure to check your spam folder too.

The invoice includes a payment link for credit card. You can also pay by bank transfer or PayPal.

Usually not. We use the data you’ve already approved. Proofs are only available in exceptional cases and by arrangement.

For organisational reasons this is not possible at the moment. We will send you your order by post.

Shipping costs depend on the weight and destination country. Since they’re calculated individually, we can’t give a flat rate.

Yes – unless you’ve requested changes.

Please get in touch with the award team so we can correct the error across all systems (including the gallery, if applicable). You can request an updated certificate via the order form – just note the correction in your email. Additional fees may apply.

The standard option includes a HALBE frame, but you can request one without. Please mention this in your email along with the order form!

That depends on your award. Gold winners can order the sculpture. Winner recipients receive the Kuboid with the relevant label.

The sculpture features the award label (e.g. Gold) and the year. A custom-made version with personalisation is possible but more costly due to single-item production.

The Kuboid shows the award label and year. A personalised version can be made on request, but will also incur higher costs.

Both are made from 80% recycled acrylic.

They are made from 80% recycled acrylic.

A sticker is a printed image with a background. A vinyl cut is made from solid-colour film – the design or logo is cut out, with no background.

You can find your short clip in your account at My Design Council under “My Downloads”. We will send you an email before the award ceremony once everything is ready for download.