The Grand iF DESIGN AWARD 2026 Jury
As one of the world's most prestigious and largest design competitions, the iF DESIGN AWARD requires a jury of the highest calibre to select the best international designs. Each year, we strive to build an even more prestigious and diverse jury. As the award has grown since 1954, so has the iF DESIGN AWARD Jury: The iF DESIGN AWARD 2026 will feature 129 renowned designers from 21 countries on its panel.
The jury process is divided into two stages: First, our international jury will select 50 percent of the best designs to enter the physical Final Jury. Over the course of three days in Hamburg, the jury will then decide on the next winners of the iF DESIGN AWARD and vote on who will receive one of the highly sought-after Gold awards as a special recognition. All entries are evaluated on the basis of five criteria. New since 2025: Sustainability will account for one-fifth of the evaluation criteria in all 82 categories. We are proud of our Sustainability Working Group, whose experts help to integrate key elements of environmental and social impact into the jury process.
THE CHAIRPERSONS
Our jury process is based on a redesigned jury structure in which the chairpersons will lead all jury groups. The chairpersons are highly experienced design experts and jurors who will oversee and secure the entire evaluation process. They are passionate advocates of transparency and objectivity: only the quality of a design will determine the outcome of the award.
THE JURORS
Design is changing and so should the jury: iF Design puts much effort into finding a high profile international jury. We proudly believe, that only a well balanced design excellence jury makes for more interesting discussions, more profound decisions, and helps avoid unconscious cultural biases.
The jury’s task is to provide all participants with the most in-depth feedback possible on the quality of their submission. Each juror will enter his or her detailed assessment of each entry into the iF Digital Jury Tool©. The feedback chart will then be available to the participant.