You ask, we answer!
What are the competition categories?
The competition focuses on 4 categories, which are:
1. Product & Industrial Design – products, interior, furniture, tools, equipment
2. Fashion Design – clothing, textile design, footwear, haberdashery design, jewellery
3. Communication Design – graphics, illustration, new media, visual communication, intermedia, web animation
4. Service Design – complex designs of processes, technologies and interactions that drive provision of services
When is the deadline for entering the competition?
Applications for the competition were open until February 4, 2026.
Missed it this time? The next chance to apply will open again in December 2026.
Who is in the expert jury?
The pros themselves! You can take a look at this year’s jury here.
How does the jury select the winning projects?
Simply put – according to the overall quality and idea of your design. You need to be able to convey the right information to the jury in the most effective way to sell your design.
Of course, your creativity and the originality of your project also play a big role. It’s good to have an innovative and original approach to the solution, but it’s also about the functionality of the design and using the right materials. The eco-friendliness of the design, or the promotion of sustainable development, can also be assessed.
What documents do I need to provide for my application to be accepted?
There are four required outputs. Specifically, you will complete an online form where you upload a project description, a poster, and at least one image of your design.
What is a poster?
Poster is a graphic output that visually summarizes the main concept, details and aesthetics of the design through photos, illustrations or short captions and serves to clearly present the design to the jury. Usually competitors send us a poster in A2 or A4 format, digitally of course.
What is an annotation?
An annotation is a textual description of the proposal that introduces the main idea, goal or contribution and serves to quickly orient the jury to the project concept. We’ve now standardised the annotation slightly across categories – first you will answer 3 basic questions about the project, and then you’re free to write whatever else you need to about your project.
What can I send within the photos?
Their form often depends on the nature of the category – for example, in Service Design and Communication Design we do not always expect tangible outputs (but for example screenshots or graphic outputs), while in Product & Industrial Design or Fashion Design we usually see photographs of real designs or renderings.
The maximum number of photos you can send us is 5
Is it necessary for my project to be completed at the time of registration for the competition?
Your project doesn’t have to be 100% complete, but it should definitely be a work in progress.
In the case of your placement in the finals, we would agree on the details. Your project should be completed at least by April 2026, as we always exhibit all winning projects as part of Zlin Design Week in May at the Best in Design exhibition.
