“The exhibition, as well as the presentation of an award or the support of an ambassador means recognition and motivation in equal measure. In addition, the exhibition is an opportunity for a professional audience to interact with the public and the media.”
Angelika Nollert, Director Neue Sammlung München
Online and offline presence in the Graduates Archive
Presentation of selected
Works at the exhibition
Networking through matchmaking
On the graduates platform, graduates of a given year can upload their work from the participating universities and thus receive an online presence.
All submitted works remain visible and over the years will reflect the design developments and thoughts of young graduates.
The entire archive will be presented in the exhibition and at events throughout the year and in various formats.
From all submissions, at least three theses per university will be selected for an exhibition by a renowned expert jury.
The exhibition shows topics that can be seen as current for the world we live in and also for what is important to young graduates.
The projects are thus made accessible to a broad public and discussed in the media.
Before the exhibition opening, we bring GDG graduates together with ambassadors from culture, industry and research with a matchmaking event. Based on intensive discussions, outstanding young designers are selected for Awards & Supports.
For the graduates, the matchmaking event is an ideal opportunity to come into intensive and direct contact with well-known personalities in an environment that focuses on their own projects.
Funding by
Awards & Supports
Recognition at the ceremonial opening and award ceremony
Discussion of the own
Attitude in Design Talks
Projects and graduates with an outstanding attitude can also be promoted through Awards & Supports. Ambassadors from five groups of ambassadors select projects individually.
Awards are given in the form of cash prizes in various categories. These include the Culture Prize and the Social Design Prize.
Institutions from the field of design presentation, such as imm or Ambiente, offer selected projects and graduates space for presentation to a specialist audience in the form of Green Cards.
Personalities and companies award supports to give young graduates and their projects a chance to get into production. They offer workshops, coaching and mentoring programmes.
The selected graduates will be honoured by the ambassadors at the festive awards ceremony.
The projects and graduates will be celebrated and discussed with invited guests from culture, industry, research and universities during the opening ceremony.
The event is an ideal meeting place for first professional networking, it opens up opportunities for cooperation and collaboration.
The opening weekend of the exhibition is flanked by Design Talks, in which personalities from various fields discuss design-related topics.
Graduates will also be given the opportunity to actively contribute their points of view and attitudes. This is an ideal opportunity to discuss their own standpoint in public.
Media presence through press work
Independence through non-commercial orientation
In the run-up to and during the exhibition opening and award ceremony, renowned media partners from regional, national, international and design press support the German Design Graduates initiative and report on exhibited and prize-winning works.
After the awards ceremony, German Design Graduates will publish a press release portraying the award-winning projects. Journalists and magazines from a wide range of fields are contacted via the museum’s own mailing list and mailing lists.
GDG is a non-commercial initiative. Every university that wants to enable its graduates to participate pays a participation fee.
These funds are supplemented by generous support from institutions and companies and are used entirely for the annual call for entries and exhibition.
For the graduates this means – no participation fee.
“The greatest value for me is the contact to the sponsors and ambassadors. In addition, the public attention made possible by the exhibition is of great importance. I think that alludes to the two biggest challenges that you face as a graduate or young designer – being seen and being well networked”.
Verena Hutter, exhibited in 2019 was supported by imm cologen