Your participation in the

German Innovation Awards

Be part of it!

Find out now and participate in the German Innovation Awards 2024. Register on our portal My Design Council and submit your project.

REGISTER NOW IN ADVANCE!

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Your advantages of an award

Your path

to a German Innovation Award

The German Innovation Awards are open to companies from all industries and sectors of the economy as well as non-commercial and governmental organisations from all over the world. The expert committees of the German Design Council decide on admission to the contest. This procedure ensures the independence and excellence of the awards.

  • 1 Award registration
    • The German Design Councilnominates companies, on a rolling basis, that are notable for their innovative capabilities. If your project is nominated, you will receive a written notification including login data and can register your nominated project via our registration portal »My Design Council«. You can then proceed to register your project at our registration portal »My Design Council«. The registration is binding. The project you are submitting needs to have been released or launched within the last five years. You can register your project in one of the categories for which your project was nominated.
      More about the categories

      In addition, companies have the opportunity to submit projects for the awards directly and on their own initiative. After a review by our expert committees, you will receive a written notification from the German Design Council whether your project meets the required criteria and has thus been admitted to participate in the German Innovation Awards. If your project is not accepted, you will of course also be notified, and you will not incur a service charge.

      You’ll find information here about the main categories and the relevant fees and services.
  • 2 Digital presentation for the jury session
  • 3 Participation and evaluation criteria
    • All submissions that are received by the deadline and meet all of the mandated formal requirements will be submitted to the jury. Criteria for the evaluation include:

      » User benefits
      » Innovation strategy
      » Social, ecological and economic sustainability
      » Functionality and ease of use
      » Synergy effects
      » Economic efficiency
      » The extent to which energy and resource use are taken into account
      » Location and employment potential
      » Longevity and quality
      » Overall concept
      » Market maturity, technical quality and functionality
      » Technological progress
      » Sustainability

      Please note that the list above is not a hierarchical list pertaining to criteria and vetting, i.e. the jury is free to weight the various criteria as it sees fit. The jury also reserves the right to switch a project from one category to another. You will receive written notification of the jury’s decision. Any litigation in connection with this contest is excluded.

  • 4 Awards ceremony
    • The German Innovation Awards will be presented in 14 May 2024 as part of a festive awards ceremony at Berlin. Impressions of the German Innovation Awards 2023 can be found here.

The award

categories

In the categories »Excellence in Business to Consumer« and »Excellence in Business to Business«, the jury honours particularly outstanding innovations with one »Gold« award per category. Innovations that advance the industry through originality, implementation and effectiveness receive the »Winner« award. For well thought-out partial aspects and original approaches, the jury awards »Special Mention« awards.

 

  • Excellence in Business to Consumer
    • Beauty & Care f.ex. Body care, cosmetics, wellness
      Drugstore Products f.ex. Drugstore articles, hygiene
      E-Business f.ex. E-Commerce Systems
      E-Mobility f.ex. Electric mobility
      Entertainment Electronics f.ex. Consumer electronics, TV, audio, video, photo, accessories
      Fashion f.ex. Clothing, shoes, accessories
      Food & Beverages f.ex. Food, beverages
      Gardening & Tools f.ex. Garden equipment, garden maintenance, tools, tool equipment
      Heating & Bathroom f.ex. Bathroom and sanitary, heating, air-conditioning and energy technology
      Household Appliances f.ex. Household appliances, large electrical appliances, household goods
      Interior & Living f.ex.Furniture, wall and ceiling cladding, floor coverings
      Kids & Toys f.ex. Games, toys, children's products
      Kitchen f.ex. Kitchens, electrical appliances, kitchen accessories, cooking utensils
      Leisure & Crafts f.ex. Leisure articles, hobby and craft supplies, musical instruments
      Lighting f.ex. Luminaries, illuminant
      Luxury f.ex. exclusive products, luxury articles
      Medical & Health f.ex. Pharmaceuticals, rehabilitation and care
      Office & Stationery f.ex. Paper, office supplies, stationery
      Public Space f.ex.Street appurtenances, advertising technology, security systems, sanitary equipment for public facilities
      Smart Living f.ex. Smart Metering, Smart Home
      Transportation f.ex. Automobility, bicycles, motorcycles, vehicle accessories and mobility service providers
      Travel, Sports & Outdoor Goods f.ex. Sports equipment and products, sportswear, bags, suitcases, travel utensils
  • Excellence in Business to Business
    • Automotive Technologies f.ex. Mobility technologies, vehicle and component development, vehicle safety
      Aviation, Maritime & Railway Technologies f.ex.Aviation and space travel technology, shipbuilding and maritime technology, rail vehicles, vehicles for public transportation
      Building & Elements f.ex. Building materials, building elements, paints, insulation, windows, building automation
      Chemical Industry f.ex. Fine Chemistry, Specialty Chemistry
      Connectivity f.ex. IoT, Industry 4.0
      E-Mobility Technologies f.ex. Systems, products and components for electromobility
      Electronic Technologies f.ex. Automation, measurement technology, sensor technology
      Energy Solutions f.ex. Renewable energy systems, energy generation, heating and cooling technology
      Information Technologies | Functional Software f.ex.Cloud solutions, data analytics, process management and production software, cyber security, virtual reality, sales and CRM solutions, education technologies
      Information Technologies | Industry Specific and Service Software f.ex.Financial technologies, smart facility, geospatial and touristic related technologies, gaming and media, product- and service software
      Lighting Solutions f.ex. Light sources, lighting technology, projection, light management
      Logistics & Infrastructure f.ex. Passenger and freight traffic, storage, packaging
      Machines & Engineering f.ex. Capital goods, mechanics, processes and manufacturing techniques, robotics
      Materials & Surfaces f.ex. High performance materials and coatings
      Medical Technologies f.ex. Medical technology, medical supplies, medical devices
      Office Solutions f.ex.Office supplies, business process and office technologies
      Pharmaceuticals f.ex. Pharmaceutical products, laboratory equipment
      Retail & Trade Solutions f.ex. Business equipment, display systems, gastronomy, hotel industry
  • Innovation Methods
    • Apart from the opportunity to register projects under the categories listed above, all projects can also be registered under the overarching category called Design Thinking.
      Eligible projects are those that strive for innovation through more agile innovation methods such as design thinking, scrum, lean start-up or sprinting. That said, what we are primarily looking for are innovative achievements whose primary aim is to incorporate the relevant stakeholders into the development process and whose results prominently feature user-centricity. Projects that document the decisive difference between agile and participatory development processes have a shot at winning this very special prize.

*Registration is possible in one main category and the additional category.

Registration and Service fees

for award winners

  • Registration fees
    • Registration for the awards by 25 January 2024 per project

      € 495.00

      Early Bird registration by 17 November 2023

      € 449.00

    • All information is valid per submitted project plus the legally valid value added tax. For submissions registered after 25 January 2024, an additional late fee of € 140.00 will be charged.
    •  
    • >> more about this in the factsheet
  • Nominee Package (optional bookable)*
    • The nominee package includes: 
    •        
    • - »Nominee« label:  Nominees are entitled to unlimited use of the official »Nominee« label for communication and promotion of the nominated project.      
    • - Documents: Nominees will receive two personalized »Nominee« documents by mail (without frame)
    • - Communications-tools: Use the texts of the German Design Council for your own press releases, which nominees receive at their free disposal.    
    • - Social media tag: we will present you in a social media post during the call for entries, naming and tagging you and the other nominees.
    • - Marketing Services: Access to further fee-based marketing products
    •    
    • Costs for optional Nominee Package: € 1,950.00
    •  
    • >> more about this in the factsheet
  • Special Mention
    • The award includes:

    • - "Special Mention" label: Unlimited use of the label for your communication measures (from communication cut-off period / award ceremony).
      - Certificates: Receipt of two personalised certificates in a high-quality frame
      - Communication tools: White papers and templates for your own press activities
      - Online gallery: presentation of your project in our online gallery with links
      - Marketing Services: Access to further fee-based marketing products
      - Press work: Press work around the German Innovation Award
      - Award ceremony: Invitation to attend the award ceremony and personal receipt of your certificate
      - Press photos: Professional photos in front of the photo wall

    • Service fee for »Special Mention«: € 3.150,00**
    •  
    • >> more about this in the factsheet
  • Winner
    • - "Winner" label: Unlimited use of the label for your communication measures (from communication cut-off period / award ceremony).
      - Certificates: Receipt of two personalised certificates in a high-quality frame
      - Communication tools: White papers and templates for your own press activities
      - Online gallery: presentation of your project in our online gallery with links
      - Marketing Services: Access to further fee-based marketing products
      - Press work: Press work around the German Innovation Award
      - Award ceremony: Invitation to attend the award ceremony and personal receipt of your certificate
      - Press photos: Professional photos in front of the photo wall
      - Individual video clips: You receive short clips of your project for your communication on social media and website (in portrait and landscape format)

    • Costs for »Winner«: € 3,450.00**

    • >> more about this in the factsheet
  • Gold
    • The award includes:
    • - "Gold Winner" label: Unlimited use of the label for your communication measures (from communication cut-off period / award ceremony).
      - Certificates: Receipt of two personalised certificates in a high-quality frame
      - Communication tools: White papers and templates for your own press activities
      - Online gallery: presentation of your project in our online gallery with links
      - Marketing Services: Access to further fee-based marketing products
      - Press work: Press work around the German Innovation Award
      - Award ceremony: Invitation to attend the award ceremony and personal receipt of your certificate
      - Press photos: Professional photos in front of the photo wall
      - Individual video clips: You receive short clips of your project for your communication on social media and website (in portrait and landscape format)
      - Social media ad: Target group-specific ad on Facebook/Instagram (meta) with linking
      - Prize sculpture: You will receive a high-quality prize sculpture with label
      - Jury statement: "Gold Winner" will receive a statement from the jury in German and English for their own use, which will also be displayed on the gallery page.
      - Exhibition: "Gold Winners" will receive a digital presentation at the award ceremony in the Futurium, Berlin.
      - Presentation on stage: The award presentation will take place on stage during the award show.

    • Costs for »Gold«: € 4,450.00**

    • >> more about this in the factsheet
  • Our grant programme
    • The German Design Council offers all SMEs, freelancers and business startups the opportunity to apply for a waiver of the service charges for winners. These waivers will be granted on the basis of financial need. In order to qualify, your annual revenue for the past two years (2021 and 2022) must be €50,000 or less. Your application must be received by the German Design Council by 19 January 2024. >> to the application form
    •  
    • >> more about this in the factsheet

* optionally bookable and plus valid value-added tax 
**All data are valid per award and plus the legally valid value-added tax.

Download Factsheet

How to

register

1. Registration: Click on the registration button to access our online database My Design Council. There you register as a new participant and create your profile. Or you can log in with your existing access data.

2. Your profile: Complete your profile and enter the following details about your innovation: project name, short description (German and English, max. 650 characters incl. spaces), one image (JPG, max. 10 MB), as well as details about customer/manufacturer/developer and category selection. Registration is possible in one categorie of a main category and the additional category.

3. Complete registration: As soon as you have completed all the details, you can complete your registration as a binding participant. Please note that participation in the competition and a possible award will entail fees and costs. More information about fees and services can be found here and in our Factsheet 2024.

4. Presentation of your project: Use an upload link to upload a digital presentation of your innovation for the jury session by 2 February 2024 at the latest. Further information on the permitted file formats and the scope of your submission can be found in our Factsheet.

5. Jury decision: You will be informed of the results of the jury by e-mail. All award winners will be invited to the awards ceremony of the German Innovation Awards in Berlin in May 2024.

We wish you much success!

REGISTER NOW IN ADVANCE!

Download FactSheet

Nominee Package

Dates

Oktober
04.10.2023 Call for applications German Innovation Awards 2024
January
February
May