iF Design and BERLIN DESIGN WEEK (BNDNWK) announce long-term strategic partnership

At this year's BERLIN DESIGN WEEK, the Berlin organizers and iF Design from Hannover, the world's oldest independent design institution, made an official announcement about their long-term partnership starting in 2020. The aim of the strategic alliance is to cement Berlin as a design location in Germany and Europe and to give the design scene a stage of international importance.

When the winners of the iF DESIGN AWARD 2020 are celebrated for the first time in the Friedrichstadt Palast in Berlin on 4 May 2020, the ceremony will coincide with BERLIN DESIGN WEEK 2020, which runs from 30 April to 10 May. As a result, the design audience will be offered a uniquely diverse supporting program in the German capital, featuring exhibitions, workshops, lectures and congresses with participants from many different countries of origin.

Ralph Wiegmann, Managing Director of iF International Forum Design GmbH states: "Berlin is dynamic, creative and innovative. It is a city where cultural diversity meets a unique subculture. Design is at the heart of it all and can unfold all its many talents. A design city needs a window to the world – BERLIN DESIGN WEEK! We are thrilled with this partnership!"

The initiators of BNDNWK, Alexandra Klatt, Nadine Seidler and Matthias Leonhardt explain the new cooperation: "In partnership with iF Design we want to take Berlin's potential for innovation and design to an international level and initiate a global network that will benefit everyone involved."

All dates at a glance:

• BERLIN DESIGN WEEK 2020:  30 April to 10 May

• iF DESIGN AWARD NIGHT 2020:    4 May, Friedrichstadt Palast

• iF design exhibition 2020:        2 to 10 May, Café Moskau

About iF International Forum Design GmbH

Since 1953, iF has stood for expert and reputable services at the interface between design and business – with the aim of raising public awareness of design in the long term.

The iF DESIGN AWARD, which iF has been awarding for 66 years, now receives more than 6,400 submissions from 55 countries each year, making it one of the world's largest and most prestigious design awards. The iF logo, which is presented to the winners of the award, is a globally recognized trademark for excellence in design. iF has offices in Korea, Brazil, China, Taiwan, Japan, Portugal, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey.

About BERLIN DESIGN WEEK

BNDNWK, initiated in 2018 by Alexandra Klatt, Nadine Seidler and Matthias Leonhardt, is a platform and exhibition format for contemporary design, which promotes dialog between design, research, education, business and industry in order to create new synergies. The main focus of BNDNWK lies in raising issues around ecological and social sustainability and looking at how these can be examined and solved by a creative culture of innovation. National and international players from design, business and industry in various fields of design are invited to take part in the annual BNDNWK.