Design Educates Awards (DEAwards) 2026
Design Educates Awards (DEAwards) 2026 is now open for entries!
Design Educates Awards 2026, international competition that investigate the educational potential of architecture and design has been recently announced by Laka Foundation, inviting everyone to promote globally the best ideas and implementations of architecture and design that educate.
Short description
Laka Foundation is accepting entries for its Design Educates Awards (DEAwards) 2026, an international call for ideas that recognizes the best ideas and implementations of architecture and design with social impact.
The Awards invite architects, designers, studios, students, and creative practitioners from around the world to submit projects that go beyond aesthetic excellence.
Design Educates Awards (DEAwards) celebrate architecture and design that go beyond form and function. Laka Foundation recognises and promote projects that contribute meaningfully to society by embedding knowledge, values, and reflection into the built environment and designed objects. Beyond strong aesthetics, the organizers seek projects that demonstrate added value: educational potential, compelling narratives, critical reflection, emotional or behavioural impact, and a conscious engagement with users and their environment.
The Awards are open for creative, innovative projects or concepts (developed from the last 5 years) of any scale, in addition to excellent aesthetics, incorporate added value - such as educational potential, storytelling elements, the stimulation of critical thinking, the ability to influence users’ emotions or behavior, and an impact on perception or encompass other similar values.
The 8th edition of the Design Educates Awards (DEAwards) honor outstanding works in the categories:
(1) Architecture
(2) Design for Impact
Participants can submit multiple designs in the same category, multiple designs in different categories, or a single design in more than one category, and in teams or individually.
Projects must be submitted in English.
outstanding ideas and implementations in the categories of architectural design, product design, universal design, and responsive design.
The awards ceremony will take place during the Architecture in Foyer 2026 in Warsaw in October 2026. The event will be hosted by the Warsaw University of Technology and will form part of a two-day international conference featuring lectures and discussions led by renowned architects, designers, and innovators from around the world.
Submission requirements
The submission consists of:
1. Images of your design saved as JPG files in RGB mode with 200 dpi (up to 5 files)
2. A single “featured image” saved as JPG files in RGB mode with 200 dpi, in horizontal format, 2000 x 1000 px (this image will be used as a header image while presenting the design to the judges and media)
3. Description of the design (max. 1500 characters) and the team (max. 250 characters).
Eligibility
This Awards invite architects, designers, studios, students, and creative practitioners from around the world to partecipate.
Prize
Laureates of the main prizes and honorable mentions will receive: certificates and winning labels, inclusion in the book „Design Educates”, invitation to participate in the Awards Ceremony and Exhibition in Warsaw (Poland).
Entry fees
➜ Students: 50 Euro
➜ Individual professional or Company < 10 employees: 175 Euro
➜ Company 11 – 100 employees: 350 Euro
➜ Company 100+ employees: 600 Euro
If a project is submitted to both categories, the fee for the second category is reduced by 25%.
