Program guide

How to apply to iF DESIGN AWARD 2027

Global design competition spanning disciplines such as product, packaging, communication, interior and architecture; winners receive the iF label and are celebrated at an awards night in Berlin.

Official page Listing details

Step by step

Check that you are eligibleThe published rules: Open to creators and freelancers, founders, working professionals; Open to designers, agencies and companies worldwide.
Gather the materialsYou will need: Product images, Project proposal.
Write the answersQuantify impact where you can verify it (users, revenue, publications, people served) and say how you know.
Submit on the official pageApply through the official page (Own portal) before 4 November 2026, and keep the confirmation.
Follow upNote when results are due. If the organiser invites questions, ask once, briefly, after the date has passed.

Timeline

42 days before the deadlineAsk referees and order documentsAsk your referees, and order transcripts or score reports; these depend on other people's timelines.
28 days before the deadlineDraft the statementDraft the statement around one clear plan, with evidence from your record.
10 days before the deadlineReview and remindReview against the selection criteria; gently remind referees of the date.
2 days before the deadlineSubmit and keep the confirmationSubmit early and check that every reference shows as received.

At a glance

Organizer: iF International Forum Design
Timing: Closing soon: 4 November 2026
Cycle: Annual: early bird June, regular September, last chance Nov 4, 2026
Where: Hamburg, Berlin · open to applicants worldwide
What you get: iF label · iF DESIGN AWARD NIGHT in Berlin
Cost: Application fee: €500
Cost: €500 per entry at last-chance stage; €300 jury fee for finalists; €2,900–3,300 winner fee
Applied through: Own portal
Account: You need an account on the application system

Who can apply

Open to creators and freelancers, founders, working professionals
Open to designers, agencies and companies worldwide.

Materials checklist

Product imagesOnly you can supply it: upload it once and it is attached wherever it is asked for.
Project proposalOnward Scout drafts it from your sourced profile; you approve every line.

Questions you will meet, answered honestly

What has the nominee achieved recently?

Three concrete achievements with dates and evidence links. Leave out anything you cannot document.

Why does it matter for the field?

One or two sentences on who benefited and how, in plain words.

What reviewers of awards and lists look for

Quantify impact where you can verify it (users, revenue, publications, people served) and say how you know.
Line up a nominator or endorser early if the award requires one.
Choose the category carefully; strong entries lose when they are filed under the wrong one.

The full playbook for awards and lists

How Onward Scout helps

This one is submitted on the organiser's own site, behind your login. Onward Scout prepares every answer and file in the form's order with one-tap copy, so submitting takes minutes; you mark it submitted when you're done. There is a fee to pay to the organiser; payment always stays with you.

Let Onward Scout apply for me

Let Onward Scout prepare your iF DESIGN AWARD 2027 application

Get your nomination packet for this programme, drafted from your own documents in about two minutes. Free to start, no account needed. Every answer is drafted from your own documents with sources, and nothing is submitted without your tap.

Let Onward Scout apply for me Open it in your Scout board

Nothing is submitted without your tap. Logins, CAPTCHAs, payments and interviews stay with you.