European Design Awards 2026: Submissions Open

Submissions for the European Design Awards are currently open. The competition continues to be an important reference point for European communication design, bringing together work from across disciplines, countries and cultural contexts. As media partners, Slanted is pleased to draw attention to this year’s call for entries.

Over the past two decades, the European Design Awards have established themselves as one of the most relevant design competitions in an international context—deeply rooted in the European design culture, yet always open to change. The 2026 edition marks a particularly significant step forward: following the most extensive consultation process in the competition’s history, the category structure has been comprehensively revised and expanded to better reflect contemporary design practice.

New categories now address areas such as motion, emerging technologies, verbal identity, and complete branding systems, while existing categories have been refined to reduce overlap and ambiguity. At the same time, the competition’s legacy categories remain intact, ensuring continuity while offering greater flexibility for hybrid and multidisciplinary work. The result is a clearer, more precise framework—one that genuinely supports designers in presenting their work in the most appropriate context.

Submissions are open until 13 February 2026, inviting designers, studios, agencies and creative teams from across Europe to take part. The awards will be presented in Sofia, Bulgaria, as part of the European Design Festival, taking place from 12–14 June 2026 in collaboration with Studio Komplet. The festival will run alongside the International Council of Design Regional Conference, making Sofia a key meeting point for the European and international design community. Dates worth noting.

More information and the full category list can be found at europeandesign.org.