IDEAS4WOOD 2026/2027 - 9th Edition
IDEAS4WOOD 2026/2027 - 9th Edition is now open for entries!
Competition Details
Brief Overview
IDEAS4WOOD 2026/2027 invites designers and students worldwide to explore innovative wood surfaces and contemporary furniture through original projects that combine creativity, craftsmanship and a thoughtful use of wood.
Competition Details
TABU presents the 9th edition of IDEAS4WOOD 2026/2027, an international competition dedicated to innovative uses of wood in furniture and interior design.
Participants are invited to design original geometric, organic or combined decorations in four areas: multilaminar wood veneers (650 x 3100 mm), inlays on dyed natural or multilaminar veneers (1250 x 3050 mm panels), three-dimensional surfaces using embossed relief or bas-relief (1250 x 2500/3000 mm panels), and wooden floors in slats or other geometric shapes.
The jury, chaired by architect Silvia Piardi, will consider presentation quality and technical feasibility, with attention to certified wood, reuse and efficient material use; AI is permitted if its use and the systems employed are declared.
The parallel Carpanelli Award - A New Touch of Elegance seeks original, unpublished furniture concepts for a modern home, featuring an icon table for the living area or a desk/writing desk for the study area, with wood, craftsmanship and sustainable materials central to the proposal.
Entries may be individual or team projects, mixed student-professional teams enter the Professionals category, and submissions close on 4 June 2027 at 12:00 noon, Italian time; authors retain ownership, with winning and mentioned projects subject to a one-year production evaluation option under the official rules.
Submission requirements
Register on the official website and upload the completed Annex A for every participant; teams must appoint a leader who uploads the documents and projects.
Submit up to two wood-surface projects and, separately, up to two Carpanelli furniture projects through the respective reserved areas.
Each anonymous project must be in a ZIP folder named with the USER CODE, containing one PDF with up to four horizontal A3 boards (42 x 29.7 cm), maximum 10 MB, named "tables_title of the project".
Include the concept, inspirations, mood board, intended use, materials, technical drawings, details, renderings and a representative preview image; show decoration at suitable furniture and wall scales where relevant.
Use English or Italian; no personal names or signatures may appear on the boards, and any use of AI must identify the systems employed.
Eligibility
Open worldwide to designers and students of design, architecture, engineering and fine arts, individually or in teams.
Benefits
A total of €15,000 is allocated across IDEAS4WOOD and the Carpanelli Award:
➜ IDEAS4WOOD - Professionals: €5,000 first prize.
➜ IDEAS4WOOD - Students: €5,000 first prize.
➜ Carpanelli Award - Professionals: €3,000 first prize.
➜ Carpanelli Award - Students: €2,000 first prize.
Additional recognition includes FSC and PEFC mentions, the IQD Magazine Special Award with publication and a one-year subscription, and special awards from Roda For You and Sherwin Williams.
TABU may select projects for prototypes and potential production, with royalties governed by a separate agreement.
Entry fees
The competition is free to enter.
