The Red Dot Award: Product Design 2026 has officially launched its call for entries, inviting designers, manufacturers, and innovators from around the globe to submit their groundbreaking creations for consideration. With a legacy spanning over seven decades, this prestigious competition has established itself as the ultimate benchmark for design excellence, recognizing products that push creative boundaries and redefine industry standards. Registration opened on September 15, 2025, and will remain active until January 16, 2026, giving participants a four-month window to prepare their submissions. This year's competition promises to be particularly dynamic, reflecting the rapidly evolving landscape of product design and technological innovation.
One of the most significant developments for 2026 is the introduction of a dedicated Gaming & Streaming category, acknowledging the explosive growth of this multi-billion dollar industry that reaches millions of consumers worldwide. This new classification will honor innovative products specifically designed for gamers and content creators, ranging from cutting-edge peripherals like controllers and keyboards to revolutionary streaming equipment and immersive VR headsets. The addition recognizes that gaming and streaming have become major drivers of product innovation in our digital age, demanding specialized design solutions that enhance performance, comfort, and user experience. By creating this distinct category, Red Dot provides a targeted platform for designers to showcase their work to an international audience of industry professionals and enthusiasts.
Participating in the Red Dot Award offers transformative career benefits that extend far beyond simple recognition. Winners gain unprecedented visibility through multiple prestigious platforms, including the Red Dot Design Museum in Essen, worldwide traveling exhibitions, the comprehensive Red Dot Design Yearbook, and extensive promotion across digital and social media channels. For emerging designers, this exposure can be career-defining, supporting product launches, opening doors to new professional opportunities, and expanding networks within the international design community. The award serves as a powerful differentiator in an increasingly competitive market, validating a designer's commitment to innovation and quality while providing a seal of excellence that resonates with consumers and industry insiders alike.
The 2025 winners exemplify the caliber of design excellence that the competition celebrates. The Cayo e-bike by Koninklijke Gazelle represents a masterful fusion of minimalist aesthetics and advanced technical innovation, seamlessly integrating all components into a clean, timeless design characterized by clearly defined lines and purposeful simplicity. This Dutch creation bridges traditional cycling culture with the future of urban mobility, proving that everyday transportation can embody both elegance and cutting-edge technology. Equally impressive is YONWOO's Paper Stick, a revolutionary sustainable packaging solution for stick-form cosmetics that eliminates plastic entirely by using moisture-resistant mineral paper made from quarry stone waste. Users peel off the packaging in a spiral motion, with precision die-cutting ensuring clean tear-off edges while offering manufacturers extensive branding opportunities.
Another standout from 2025 includes the nwm ONE open-ear headphones by NTT sonority and 83Design Inc., which abandon traditional cushions and sealing in favor of a minimal ring-shaped design that floats around the ears. Using proprietary PSZ (Personalised Sound Zone) technology with inverse phase waves to prevent sound leakage, these headphones deliver optimized audio directly into the ear canal without physical contact, creating an invisible bubble of sound that only the wearer can hear while maintaining full environmental awareness. The iA Notebook by Information Architects Inc. demonstrates meticulous craftsmanship with its lay-flat binding that allows writers to use entire double-page spreads without binding interference, packaged in a wooden box with an embossed sleeve cover. Finally, MIXED.Industries BV's VITILITY ID Walking Cane makes a conscious statement against the stigma of aging by combining clear, elegant design with functional excellence, transforming a traditionally stigmatized object into a character-defining accessory.
The evaluation process involves approximately 40 international experts from diverse fields who assess each submission based on function, aesthetics, ease of use, and responsibility, following the philosophy established by Professor Dr. Peter Zec, Red Dot's Founder and CEO. The distinguished jury awards two levels of distinction: the coveted Red Dot award and the prestigious Red Dot: Best of the Best for truly exceptional designs that set new industry standards. Important dates include the registration deadline of January 16, 2026, jury evaluation in Spring 2026, and the glamorous award ceremony on July 7, 2026, in Essen. Winners receive comprehensive platform access for showcasing their achievements, and the event will be livestreamed globally for those unable to attend in person. Designers ready to compete for one of the most respected accolades in the design world can submit their products at www.red-dot.org/pd.
