The prestigious international competition Best in Design 2025 has announced its overall winner. The jury selected from over 540 submitted projects across four categories: Product & Industrial, Communication, Fashion, and Service Design. The overall winner across all categories is Dalibor Itze with his project Slovak Railways Redesign. While the grand prize goes to Slovakia, Poland took home the most awards—Agnieszka Bujas won in the Product & Industrial category, received the Media Award, and the Special Award from the Martina and Martin Růžička Foundation. The award ceremony took place on May 10 at the Congress Centre in Zlín, an iconic building designed by world-renowned architect Eva Jiřičná.
The Best in Design ceremony remains a highlight of the Zlin Design Week, a week-long festival. This year’s theme, “dialogue,” was reflected in dynamic, interactive light projections that involved the audience, enhancing the festive and creative atmosphere. The evening included a dance performance and was hosted by Tomáš Kozelský from studio KOGAA, who returned to the role for the second time.
Overall Winner of Best in Design 2025
“The current design of Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko is fragmented and confusing for passengers. My motivation was to unify it with minimal changes and resolve all navigation issues,” said Slovak student Dalibor Itze from Tomas Bata University in Zlín, about his winning project.
He received the top prize for his work on redesigning Slovakia’s national railway system. The project, which began as his bachelor thesis, aims to strengthen the identity of Slovak Railways, improve passenger navigation, and enhance accessibility for people with disabilities. The full project is available online at railwaydesign.xyz.
As the new Best in Design 2025 titleholder, Dalibor was awarded media support and a total prize of €1,500 (€1,000 for the Best in Design title and €500 for winning the Communication Design category).
Product & Industrial Design Category
Jury: Marek Kuźmiński, Büro Famos (Hanna Litwin, Romin Heide), Lukáš Novák
- 1st place: Ivo Jedlička – Cooking the Craft: A project merging gastronomy and design through innovative tableware, such as porcelain layered like puff pastry and clay-coated plates. It culminated in a themed pop-up dinner with chef František Skopec.
- 2nd place: Agnieszka Bujas – Home Care for the Newborn and Mother During the Postpartum Period: A mobile midwifery station inspired by her mother’s profession. The product includes a special bag with a portable baby scale and a mobile app for health tracking.
- 3rd place:Tímea Kepová – UP AND DOWN Collection: A furniture collection promoting active sitting through intentionally unstable chairs that encourage movement.
Fashion Design Category
Jury: Dorothea Wagnerberger, Janka Csernák (MOME), Roman Sellner Novotný
- 1st place: Creative Currents – by Lucia Natalia Perez Gonzalez, Alice Chapman, Shubhangi Shubhangi, and Olivia Cederquist. A project revitalizing London’s canals by creating spaces for creative entrepreneurs on boats to sell goods, share knowledge, and develop skills.
- 2nd place: Karolína Menclerová – After Trash: A digital platform aiming to educate and connect people around waste impact and recycling, inspired by gamified community cleanups in Southeast Asia.
- 3rd place:Lars Sorger & Claudius Pudel – Frozen Research: A VR experience that reveals climate history through ice core layers, making complex science accessible and encouraging climate action.
Service Design Category
Jury: Dorothea Wagnerberger, Janka Csernák (MOME), Roman Sellner Novotný
- 1st place: Creative Currents – by Lucia Natalia Perez Gonzalez, Alice Chapman, Shubhangi Shubhangi, and Olivia Cederquist. A project revitalizing London’s canals by creating spaces for creative entrepreneurs on boats to sell goods, share knowledge, and develop skills.
- 2nd place: Karolína Menclerová – After Trash: A digital platform aiming to educate and connect people around waste impact and recycling, inspired by gamified community cleanups in Southeast Asia.
- 3rd place:Lars Sorger & Claudius Pudel – Frozen Research: A VR experience that reveals climate history through ice core layers, making complex science accessible and encouraging climate action.
Communication Design Category
Jury: Barbora Kramná, Michael Dolejš (Studio Najbrt), Dan Zucco
- 1st place & Overall Winner: Dalibor Itze – Slovak Railways Redesign
- 2nd place: Michaela Zdeňková – Fight FGM/C Together: A campaign raising awareness about female genital mutilation using bold visuals, desert flower motifs, and the typeface Quanta Grotesk.
- 3rd place:Ina Dubava – Digital Garden of Endangered Plant Species in the Czech Republic: A data-driven digital installation using life-sized screens and wire “roots” to portray endangered plants.
Media Award & Special Prize
First introduced in 2022, the Media Award is selected by editors of top design magazines. This year’s jury: Václav Bedřich (CzechCrunch), Eva Slunečková (Elle Decoration), and Veronika Pařízková (DesignNews). Both the Media Award and the Martina and Martin Růžička Foundation Special Prize were awarded to Agnieszka Bujas for her mobile midwifery station project.
Refresher Art Award
This new and final award was granted to Ina Dubava for her Digital Garden of Endangered Plant Species. Recognized for the powerful connection between digital art and endangered flora, she receives media support, a feature article, an Instagram carousel, a Refresher+ subscription, and an art piece from Klimchi.
