The International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) 2014 will be open for entries from December 2, 2013. Organized by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), IDEA recognizes design excellence in products, sustainability, interaction design, packaging, strategy, research and concepts.
Products must have been placed in distribution between February 2012 and February 2014. This means the product must be available for sale in its final form to its intended end users through normal sales channels during that period, except in the case of the Social Impact Design category where products are often given as part of an aid effort or donation program.
Student entries can only be submitted in the Student Category, even if the design is in research, production or corporately funded.
A jury of independent design experts will use the following criteria in selecting winning designs:
• Innovation: design, experience, manufacturing
• Benefit to the user: performance, comfort, safety, ease of use, usability, user interface, ergonomics, universal function and access, quality of life, affordability
• Responsibility: benefit to society, environment, culture and economy
• Benefit to the client: profitability, increased sales, brand reputation, employee morale
• Visual appeal and appropriate aesthetics
• Design research category insights: usability, emotional factors, unmet needs, testing rigor and reliability
• Design strategy category: internal factors and methods, strategic value and implementation
For the first round of judging, only entry form, images and video will be accepted, and all applications must be made online. Once the judges have made an initial assessment based on these materials, they will select Finalists to participate in the next round of judging. At this time, you will be invited to send your actual product (or scale model / prototype) if it meets certain weight/size restrictions. Sending a sample or mockup is not a requirement for the final round of judging, but it is highly recommended. If you are unable to send a physical sample of your design, you will be able to submit longer videos and mounted storyboards to aid in the presentation of your entry.
Regular application deadline is February 10, 2014. Late application deadline is February 24, 2014.
Eligibility
Open to designs and designers worldwide.
Entrants from Brazil must apply through IDEA/Brasil to take advantage of additional winner benefits.
Prize
• The Best in Show Award may be given to one or more Gold-winning entry deemed best in show by the jurors. This award will be determined at the conclusion of the regular jurying by clear majority vote.
• Best Student Design, Best Concept Design, Best of Category Awards and Paradigm Shifter Awards (or other ad hoc awards) may also be given at the jury’s discretion.
• Curator’s Choice Award: Voting for this award will be conducted live at The Henry Ford Museum and voted on by the public.
• People’s Choice Award: Voting for this award will be done online after the winners are announced and is open to the public. Each person may only vote once. Voting will also be open during the national conference in August 2013. Only the Gold winners will be eligible to win the Designer’s Choice Award.
• Responsibility Award: This award will be given by the jury in conjunction to Gold, Silver and Bronze awards to those designs deemed most responsible to society, economy, environment and culture.
IDEA 2014 winners will be honored at a ceremony and gala following the conclusion of the annual IDSA International Conference in Austin, TX in August, 2014.
