Competitions · Business and economics · IDEA
IDEA, the International Design Excellence Awards.
One of the oldest and most respected design awards there is - and a professional one. The student category is for university students, and a school entry would have to go in as a professional, at professional rates.
Read this first
This is not a school competition.
IDEA is open to designers worldwide, which is not the same as being open to school students in any practical sense. Three published rules decide it.
The student category is university only
Only work by university students - undergraduate or graduate - may be submitted in the student category. A secondary school student has no student category to enter.
Which leaves the professional route
A student may choose to be judged as a professional, and the organisers say so explicitly - but they will then be charged the professional fee. For a non-member that is $725 in round one and $815 in round two, per design, per category.
And round two needs a manufactured product
Finalists must ship a physical production sample to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Prototypes, concepts and appearance models are not accepted.
The products must already be on sale
IDEA recognises real and tangible products and services, available in final form through normal sales channels to the intended end user. Social impact design and university student projects are the only exceptions.
At a glance
What the award is.
IDEA was established around 1979 - the source gives 1979 in one place and a 44th anniversary in 2024 in another - organised by BusinessWeek and judged by the Industrial Designers Society of America. It began as a recognition of industrial design and has grown to cover design strategy, branding, digital interaction and much else.
- Who may enter
- Designers and design worldwide
- Student category
- University students only - undergraduate or graduate
- Judged by
- The Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA)
- Categories
- 21 in the current season, including a new Impact Award
- What qualifies
- Real products and services already purchasable in final form. Concept work by professionals goes in the New Concepts and Speculative Design category
- Multiple categories
- A design may enter several, but each entry is submitted and paid for separately
- Winning twice
- A design will not win in two product categories, but may win in a product category and a design category such as design strategy
- Resubmission
- Work that has not previously won IDEA gold, silver or bronze may be resubmitted if it still meets every criterion including the two-year release window
- Round one
- Early January to mid-February, with a late window to mid-March
- Round two
- Mid-April to early May. Notifications in June
- Editing
- Entries may be saved and edited until submitted. After that they lock
The entry fees
What it actually costs.
These are the organiser’s published rates, per design and per category. A non-member reaching round two pays both.
| When | IDSA member, professional | IDSA member, student | Non-member |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round one regular window | $435 | $150 | $725 |
| Round one late window | $660 | $305 | $985 |
| Round two | $575 | $150 | $815 |
The non-member rate is the same for professionals and students. A school student entering as a professional in the regular window and reaching round two would pay $1,540 for one design in one category, before shipping a production sample to Michigan. Note also that round two entry must be completed and paid before a finalist is considered eligible for the trophy.
The judging criteria
Five criteria, unchanged for forty years.
The organisers treat the stability of these criteria as a distinguishing feature of the award. They are worth reading whatever a student ends up entering, because they describe what industrial design judges actually value.
| Criterion | The question it asks |
|---|---|
| Design innovation | How new is the product or service? What key problem does it solve? How clever is the solution? Does it advance the category? |
| Benefit to user | How is the user’s life improved by this design? Can they do something that was not possible before? |
| Benefit to client and brand | What effect does the design have on the business? How is design used as a key market differentiator? |
| Benefit to society | Does the solution account for social and cultural factors? Are sustainable methods and materials used in design and manufacture? |
| Appropriate aesthetics | Does the form relate properly to the use and function? Are the colours, materials and finishes right for the purpose? |
The trophy itself is a puzzle - the letters I, D, E and A held to a central core by magnets, representing the physical, visual, digital and experiential disciplines. The organisers’ point is that good design is the combination, not any single piece.
Two rules that catch entrants
Things worth knowing before paying.
Both are published, both are unusual, and both have caught entrants out.
The organisers may move your category
The organisers and judges reserve the right to move a design into the category where it is most likely to win, without consulting the entrant. That is generous in intent and surprising in practice.
Submission is final
Entries can be saved and edited freely right up to submission. The moment you submit, the system locks everything and no further editing is possible.
The two-year release window
A product must have been released within the window to qualify. Work that did not previously win may be resubmitted, provided it still meets that condition.
And membership changes the price sharply
An IDSA member professional pays $435 where a non-member pays $725 in the same window. If a serious entry is planned, price the membership first.
What to do instead
Design competitions a school student can actually enter.
If the student is a designer, the useful question is what is open now and what IDEA becomes later.
BPA’s design and technology subjects
Graphic design promotion, video production and computer animation are full competition subjects at high school level, entered through a school chapter.
The Conrad Challenge
A STEM innovation with a business case around it, for ages 13 to 18 in teams of two to five. Closer to product design than most school competitions get.
The Diamond Challenge
Free to enter, blind judged, and built around whether a product idea survives contact with real customers.
And IDEA at university
The student category opens at undergraduate level. A student planning an industrial design degree will have a proper route into it in two or three years.
Talk to an advisor
Hanlin does not coach IDEA. Ask what it does coach.
The services below are real, but not for this competition. An advisor will say plainly whether there is a route here and what is worth entering instead.
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IDEA, briefly answered.
What students and families ask about this award.
Can a high school student enter IDEA?
Not in the student category, which is restricted to university students at undergraduate or graduate level. A school student may choose to be judged as a professional, but will pay the professional entry fee.
What does entering cost?
In the regular round one window: $435 for an IDSA member professional, $150 for an IDSA member student, and $725 for a non-member. Late round one entry is $660, $305 and $985. Round two is $575, $150 and $815. Fees are per design and per category.
What kind of work qualifies?
Real, tangible products and services already available in final form through normal sales channels to the intended end user. Social impact design projects and university student projects are the exceptions. Professional concept work goes in the New Concepts and Speculative Design category.
What happens in round two?
Finalists are invited to ship a physical production sample to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, where the judges assess it. Prototypes, concepts and appearance models are not accepted. Round two entry must be completed and paid before a finalist is eligible for the trophy.
Can one design enter several categories?
Yes, but each entry is submitted and paid for separately. A design will not win in two product categories, though it may win in a product category and a design category such as design strategy.
Can the organisers change my category?
Yes. The organisers and judges may move a design to the category where it is most likely to win, without consulting the entrant.
Can I edit an entry after submitting?
No. Entries may be saved and edited freely until submission, at which point the system locks all content.
How is it judged?
On five criteria that have not changed in forty years: design innovation, benefit to user, benefit to client and brand, benefit to society, and appropriate aesthetics.
Who runs it?
Organised by BusinessWeek and judged by the Industrial Designers Society of America. It was established around 1979 - the published material gives both 1979 and a date implying 1980.
What should a school-age designer enter instead?
BPA’s graphic design, video production and computer animation subjects, the Conrad Challenge, or the Diamond Challenge. IDEA’s student category becomes available at undergraduate level.
Related
Design and innovation competitions open to school students.
What to enter now.
About this page
This page explains the entry rules, not a route in.
IDEA reserves its student category for university students, charges professional rates for anyone else, and asks finalists to ship a manufactured product to Michigan. For a school-age designer the useful conversation is about what is open now. Tell us what the student makes and an advisor will point at the competitions that will take it.