Awards
The German Design Graduates Awards initiative will also be presented in 2023. The prizes are endowed with €2,500 each, sponsored by the German Design Council Foundation.
Categories
Design Culture
One project will be honoured that reacts to current, urgent societal and cultural challenges.
Social Design
The chosen project will respond to social challenges with a concrete solution and trigger processes of social change through design.
Design Research
One project will be selected that operates at the intersection of theory and practice, and which generates special results through its combination with, and integration in, the design process.
Circular Design
The project that will be distinguished is one that takes consistent circular thinking into account and examines its opportunities, challenges, and (societal) effects.
Award Winners’ Benefits
- Every award will be accompanied by prize money in the amount of 2,500 EUR, donated by the German Design Council Foundation
- Unlimited use of the “Award” label for their own communication strategies
- Photoshoot with an interview / video clip with an interview
- Press release and PR work
- Online gallery
- Presentation of their work in the GDG Exhibition
- Award ceremony at the opening of the exhibition
- Invitation to a networking opportunity with the German Design Council community
SelecTion process
A top-class jury of experts will select approximately 45 projects for the GDG Exhibition and 4 award winners for the GDG Awards from all submitted graduation projects in one GDG year. The evaluation will be based on the text and photographic material submitted with the registration form.
Jurors
The six-person, high calibre jury of experts represents a multitude of perspectives and is distinguished by a wide range of expertise. In order to enable a diverse evaluation process, we strive to have a diverse mix of qualifications, experience levels, genders, and nationalities on the jury. In addition to the jurors, further experts with specialist knowledge may be brought in.
Jury 2023
Selection criteria
The selection by the jury is based on how they individually weight both the general and specific criteria. They are free to weight and interpret the criteria as they see fit. The criteria serve as reference points and are not legally binding.
General Criteria
- Innovation & Impact
- Design & Construction
- Representation & Communication
Specific Criteria
- Society & Culture
- Sustainability & Circular Thinking
- Research & Transfer
SUPPORTS
GDG is the platform for industry experts from the fields of culture and economics to find young talents. GDG ambassadors select young design talents according to company-specific criteria. The graduates are fostered with individual supports which offer in-depth opportunities for professionalization. The GDG Supports promote essential professional and personal development potential.
The GDG Supports may change annually. The cooperating partners are each responsible for the substance and implementation of the supports. Individual agreements are made directly between the graduates and the cooperating partners.
Presentation
Renowned companies and institutions select graduates to be presented in front of an international audience of experts. That includes exhibition space, free of charge, as well as the associated partner’s public relations work, and enables in-depth and multifaceted contact to potential customers and partners from each industry. Previous presentation partners include: Ambiente, Haute Innovation, one&twenty (Milan Design Week).
Publication
Our media partners report on young talents and their graduation projects in print, online publications, and podcast productions. Previous publication partners include: ndion, Baunetz ID, DD-Cast, Affilii, form, Experimenta91, Arts Thread.
Workshops
Industry and design partners invite select design graduates to workshops in their companies, in order to implement an existing product or project in a targeted manner. Previous workshop partners include: BASF, Designfarm.
Residency
The GDG industry and culture partners make it possible for young graduates of design to prove themselves and their skills in a professional environment. The residency offers designers the opportunity to develop a specific project that is connected to the context of the company or the cultural centre. The basis for this is mutual responsibility, experimentation, communication, and dialogue. The residency comes with financial compensation for the graduates, which will include, at a minimum,the assumption of travel and production costs. Previous partners: BASF, Magazin, RSW Design, ID Berlin, Mono.
