iF DESIGN AWARD 2021: The finalists are in!

Following four days of intensive jury work with the new iF digital jury tool©, the 91 design experts from 21 different countries have now selected the finalists in the iF DESIGN AWARD 2021! A total of 2,118 companies, designers, agencies, builders, architects and interior designers have made it into the iF Final Jury 2021 with their innovative design achievements.

This best 50 percent of all the submissions will be re-evaluated by the iF Final Jury from 29 to 31 March 2021, also in digital form because of the pandemic. This round will then decide on the awarding of the iF DESIGN AWARD 2021 and, of course, the iF gold awards 2021.

With some 10,000 entries registered, the iF Online Preselection is without doubt the largest design jury event ever held. In the previous year, a total of 7,300 works were submitted for the iF DESIGN AWARD.

“This is a great confirmation and a real vote of confidence from our participants in the iF brand as a leading and reliable leader in design competitions. And we would like to sincerely thank all those who have placed their trust in us in these challenging times!” says iF Managing Director Ralph Wiegmann. “This means that our intensive commitment to the consistent further development of our competition – of structural adjustments as well as further developments in terms of content – has paid off in full. Of course, this great result also reflects the outstanding competence of our international iF team and our globally operating design network also plays a key role"

In order to address the needs of the participants even more specifically, the jury process was supplemented by an Online Preselection, whereby only the best 50 percent of all the entries are admitted to the Final Jury in the first place. This not only makes the competition more environmentally friendly, it also significantly reduces the participants’ logistics costs. In addition, the evaluation criteria have been revised, and a new iF scorecard and feedback chart have been developed to make the jury results transparent. The User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) disciplines have been added to reflect the current demand for holistic design solutions.

Entries for the iF DESIGN AWARD 2021 were accepted in the following disciplines:

• Product Design                                      
• Communication Design                                     
• Packaging Design
• Architecture
• Interior Architecture
• Professional Concept
• Service Design
• User Experience (UX) - NEW
• User Interface (UI) - NEW

Since 1953, the iF DESIGN AWARD has identified outstanding design, its particular relevance to business and everyday life, and awarded one of the world’s most important seals of quality. The iF brand is internationally established as a symbol of design excellence. The iF DESIGN AWARD is one of the most important design prizes in the world. It honors design achievements in all design disciplines: Product, Packaging, Communication and Service Design, User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI), Architecture and Interior Design, as well Professional Concept. All award-winning entries are presented on the iF WORLD DESIGN GUIDE, published in der iF design app and presented on digital media at selected international design events.