Seoul Design Week opens with record entries for design award
Summary
Seoul Design Week 2026 opened Wednesday at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul, showcasing designs addressing social and environmental problems. Organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Design Foundation, the festival runs through Oct. 25 under the theme “The Design Recipe.” The Seoul Design Award 2026 received a record 1,204 projects from 91 countries.
Key Facts
- A jury of 36 design experts from 20 countries evaluated the Seoul Design Award entries, including Samsung Electronics Chief Design Officer Mauro Porcini and Andrea Cancellato of the ADI Design Museum in Milan.
- The top 10 finalists presented projects including an artificial coral reef, a newborn warmer for areas with limited medical access and a wheelchair accessibility information platform.
- The DDP Design Fair features 79 lifestyle brands and work by 20 university teams that collaborated with companies including Hyundai Motor.
- The festival extends to 150 design spots in five areas, while a design market with 200 sellers will operate at the plaza on Oct. 16-18 and Oct. 23-25.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, center in front, poses with college students during the opening ceremony for Seoul Design Week 2026 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government
Seoul Design Week 2026 opened Wednesday at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), a landmark exhibition complex in central Seoul, showcasing designs that tackle social and environmental problems.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Design Foundation held the opening ceremony along with an awards ceremony for the Seoul Design Award 2026. Running under the theme “The Design Recipe,” the event continues through Oct. 25 at the plaza and across the city.
About 250 people, including Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, designers and industry officials from Korea and abroad, attended the ceremony.
Now in its seventh year, the Seoul Design Award honors designs that solve everyday social problems and bring sustainable change. This year’s award drew a record 1,204 projects from 91 countries, about 16 times the number entered in its first year.
A jury of 36 design experts from 20 countries judged the entries, including Samsung Electronics Chief Design Officer Mauro Porcini and Andrea Cancellato, director of the ADI Design Museum in Milan.
The top 10 finalists presented their projects on stage, and the grand prize winner was chosen based on jury scores and online and on-site public votes. Finalists included an artificial coral reef that restores marine ecosystems, a warmer for newborns in areas with poor access to medical care and a platform for wheelchair users to share accessibility information.
The DDP Design Fair, the event’s main exhibition, runs through Sunday with 79 lifestyle brands. It also features work by 20 teams of university students who collaborated with companies such as Hyundai Motor.
Conferences on design for social change and the global competitiveness of Korean design will be held Wednesday, Thursday and Oct. 18. Speakers include Maria Porro, president of the Salone del Mobile, Milan’s international furniture fair.
The festival extends to 150 design spots in five areas, including Seongsu and Yeonhui. A design market with 200 sellers will be held at the plaza Oct. 16-18 and 23-25.
“Over the past 20 years, Seoul has grown into a city leading global design trends by using design to boost its competitiveness,” Oh said.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.
Explore More
- Q.
- Q.
- Q.