Design has a role in our broader cultural and social discourse. iF Design is on a mission to foster that discourse across the globe. The main engine for that conversation is the German nonprofit’s award program, the iF DESIGN AWARD.
The iF DESIGN AWARD has been recognized as one of the world’s most prestigious award initiatives in global design for over 70 years. Increasingly, US designers appreciate the influence of international exposure and the invaluable feedback gained from participation in rigorous awards programs like iF. Out of more than 11,000 submissions from over 70 countries considered in the 2025 program, the largest-ever contingent of entries from the United States, including Gold-winning projects from Apple, IBM, and Harvard University, sat at the top.
Gold Award Winner 2025 in UI and Product Interfaces: ABB A400 All-in-One EV Charger by ABB E-Mobility and Above Sweden (NL)
The iF DESIGN AWARD 2025 award means so much to us because of the caliber of the competition and the excellence it represents.
Christian Schluender, HARMAN
Design Award 2025 Winner in Communication and Branding: Guild identity by COLLINS (US)
With a jury of 130+ renowned international design experts, the award program’s two-stage jury process endorses criteria from idea to form and function to differentiation. The final standard, sustainability, evaluates work holistically, considering each design’s environmental and social impact, reinforcing iF’s commitment to responsible, future-focused design. Criteria like this reflect a broader cultural shift. Sustainability made up one-fifth of the judging criteria in all the represented categories in 2025, ranging from digital, print, and motion design to product and packaging design to architecture and interior space planning.
Gold Award Winner 2025 in Communication and Branding: Brand system for Mercado Novo by Greco Design (BR)
In April, the iF DESIGN AWARD 2025 ceremony brought together more than 2,000 guests in Berlin. Among this year’s highlights was the second installment of the iF DESIGN AWARD Metaverse. This evolving, immersive digital experience allows users worldwide to discover and interact with award-winning designs in an inspiring virtual environment. iF’s highest individual honor, the iF Design Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing a visionary whose work has shaped the global design landscape, was awarded to the celebrated architect Lord Norman Foster.
Image: Marlena Waldthausen
The two-day lineup also featured the highly anticipated second annual iF Design Trend Conference, a global gathering that coincided with the release of the fourth edition of iF Design’s Trend Report.
In this report, iF takes a comprehensive look at interdisciplinary design trends and contextualizes major technological and social movements, thus enabling designers and industry experts to transfer knowledge and gain a broad perspective on the global design landscape.
Download the iF Design Trend Report free of charge until July 7, after which it will be available for purchase.
iF DESIGN AWARD 2026
See Your Work on the Growing List of US Design Winners
The iF DESIGN AWARD accepts work in 93 categories across nine design disciplines— from product, packaging, communications/branding and services/systems design to architecture & interior architecture, UI, UX, and concepts —from corporations, in-house design teams, agencies, studios, and independent designers alike.
Register anytime before the following deadlines and still have until the final deadline on November 5 to complete your entry submission(s):
-> Early Bird: June 27, 2025
-> Regular: September 26, 2025
-> Last Chance: November 5, 2025
Explore all winning projects—from 1954 to today—at ifdesign.com.
iF Design is an active member of the international design community committed to excellence, objectivity, transparency, and impact since 1953. Owned by the iF Design Foundation, a German non-profit organization, the iF DESIGN AWARD is one of the world’s most prestigious design awards.
Header image © Marlena Waldthausen.
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