Seoul Design Award 2026 grand prize winner to be revealed live Oct. 14
Summary
The Seoul Design Award 2026 winners will be revealed live at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul on Oct. 14. The award received 1,204 entries from 91 countries, and the grand prize will be decided through combined jury and public-vote scores. Ten finalists will present projects addressing social problems through sustainable design. The event is part of the Seoul Design Conference 2026.
Key Facts
- The award was launched in 2019 and has attracted entries from a cumulative total of 119 countries.
- The grand prize jury has nine members, including Samsung Electronics Chief Design Officer Mauro Porcini and Andrea Cancellato, director of the ADI Design Museum in Italy.
- Finalist projects include Design that Matters’ Otter Newborn Warmer, Denmark’s ReefCircular artificial reefs, Japan’s WheeLog! accessible-route platform and Indonesia’s Kampung Mrican Phase 1 community project.
- The ESG Design Impact Award for corporate sustainability projects went to seven companies, including Hyundai Motor, OpenAI Korea and Patagonia Korea.
- The Seoul Design Conference 2026 will include a circular-design session with the U.N. Environment Program and a preview of the World Design Congress 2027, which Seoul will host next September.
A promotional poster for the Seoul Design Award 2026 / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government
The winners of the Seoul Design Award 2026 will be revealed live on Oct. 14 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul, event organizers said Wednesday.
The award, launched in 2019, recognizes design projects that address social problems in sustainable ways. This year, it drew 1,204 entries from 91 countries, bringing the cumulative number of participating countries to 119.
Designers of the 10 finalist projects will present their work on stage, and the grand prize winner will be decided by combining scores from a nine-member jury and a public vote. Judges include Samsung Electronics Chief Design Officer Mauro Porcini and Andrea Cancellato, director of the ADI Design Museum in Italy.
The finalists include the Otter Newborn Warmer from U.S. nonprofit Design that Matters, a portable device that keeps infants warm where electricity and medical resources are scarce.
Denmark's ReefCircular makes 3D-printed clay artificial reefs that divers can install without heavy equipment. Japan's WheeLog! lets wheelchair users record and share accessible routes and facilities, while Indonesia's Kampung Mrican Phase 1 built a library, playground and walkways with residents of a flood-prone riverside village.
The new ESG Design Impact Award, for corporate sustainability projects, went to seven companies, including Hyundai Motor, OpenAI Korea and Patagonia Korea.
The event is part of the Seoul Design Conference 2026, which also features a session on circular design with the U.N. Environment Program and a preview of the World Design Congress 2027, which Seoul will host next September.
"Solving social problems through design starts with noticing the inconveniences and risks of everyday life," said Cha Kang-heui, CEO of the Seoul Design Foundation.
"I hope people will see at the Seoul Design Award how designers around the world are turning global problems into new solutions."
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.
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