7,000 submissions from 84 countries underscore the power of design to drive positive change
FRANKFURT (ODER), DE / ACCESS Newswire / July 1, 2026 / iF Design has announced the winners of the iF DESIGN STUDENT AWARD 2026, celebrating a record year for one of the world's most important competitions for emerging designers. Presented on June 11 in Frankfurt as part of the World Design Capital Frankfurt RheinMain 2026 program, this year's award attracted nearly 7,000 submissions from 84 countries, the highest participation in the competition's history.
Selected by an international jury of 72 design experts from 20 countries, 90 concepts were recognized. All used to design to address urgent global issues, from climate and resource protection to social justice, health, education and inclusive communities. The competition categories are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), one to fifteen, reinforcing iF Design's longstanding commitment to socially responsible, future-oriented innovation.
Seven projects were selected as the competition's highest honors, receiving a total of EUR 50,000 in prize money. Winning concepts included:
WWW (Women Work Wear) by Lena Bernasconi of ECAL, Switzerland, which reimagines technical workwear for women in manual trades
GAIA, an inclusive and sustainable pregnancy test by Coco Cosima Pauli of the Umeå Institute of Design
ÓRTESIS URBANA, neighborhood-scale urban infrastructure by Paula Garrote González of IED Spain
Pathable, an AI-powered accessible travel service developed by Hyunggeun Oh of Hongik University in Seoul
"The extraordinary response to this year's iF DESIGN STUDENT AWARD demonstrates that young designers around the world are deeply engaged with creating solutions for a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient future," said Uwe Cremering, CEO of iF Design. "Their ideas remind us that design is not only about aesthetics - it is a powerful force for positive change."
In addition to the main competition, iF Design presented three special prizes celebrating excellence and reinforcing industry support for emerging talent:
The GROHE Design Prize 2026 by iF Design recognized five concepts from Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the Republic of Korea, reflecting GROHE's ongoing commitment to sustainable water solutions and responsible design. Among the recipients was LiliPur - Living Water Infrastructure, a regenerative system designed to combat eutrophication and restore water quality and biodiversity in lagoon ecosystems. Also honored was OnCue, an adaptive keyboard system intended to alleviate symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease, enabling users to maintain communication and digital interaction with greater ease.
The Haier Design Prize 2026 by iF Design honored four projects exploring health, wellbeing and sustainable consumption, including Schwa, a wearable device designed to alleviate anxiety through somatic interaction; Larum, a concept encouraging mindful eating; Cymatics Cup, which uses low-frequency vibrations to enhance flavor perception; and Thingo, a platform extending the lifecycle of consumer electronics.
As the record participation of this year's competition demonstrates, the future of design is increasingly global, collaborative, and purpose-driven - led by a new generation of creatives using design not simply to imagine a better world, but to actively build one.
All concepts honored with the iF DESIGN STUDENT AWARD 2026: https://ifdesign.com/en/social-engagement/student-award/winner-overview/?awardId=1&sort=desc&yearId=0
NOTES TO EDITORS
ABOUT iF DESIGN
iF Design is one of the world's leading design institutions. Since 1954, iF has organized the prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD that receives more than 10,000 submissions from more than 70 countries across 93 design categories. iF International Forum Design GmbH (iF Design) is headquartered in Hannover, Germany, with offices in Japan, China, Taiwan, Republic of South Korea, Brazil, Turkey, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United States. iF Design is committed to excellence and impact in design. The iF DESIGN STUDENT AWARD and iF SOCIAL IMPACT PRIZE reward responsible design across the globe, while the iF DESIGN ACADEMY prepares design leaders for the future. With multiple research and editorial publications, iF's shares an independent take on design as it's happening now. The sole shareholder of iF Design is the nonprofit iF Design Foundation, also headquartered in Germany.
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SOURCE: iF Design
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/education/if-design-student-award-2026-celebrates-record-participation-and-honors-emerging-talent-a-1182631
