UX DESIGN AWARDS

What UX DESIGN AWARDS does

UX Design Awards is an international competition that recognizes outstanding user experiences in products, services, environments, concepts, and visions. The competition is implemented by IDZ Designpartner Berlin GmbH on behalf of the International Design Center Berlin (IDZ), a non-profit design association with over 50 years of history. Operating twice yearly (Spring and Autumn cycles since 2021), the program accepts entries from companies, design and architectural offices, agencies, academic consortia, and students worldwide across categories including Product (market-ready), Concept (prototypes/2–5 year horizons), and New Talent (bachelor/master projects). Entries are evaluated by an independent jury of 14 rotating international UX experts in a two-stage process (preselection/nomination, then final winner selection), with audience voting for a Public Choice award.

The underlying technology stack is deliberately lean: a website-driven submission and online exhibition platform that showcases nominated projects for at least one year post-announcement, supplemented by CookieFirst for GDPR consent management, Brevo for newsletter distribution, and Google Analytics/Tag Manager for web optimization. There are no proprietary AI/ML systems; AI references in the input data pertain to the nominated projects themselves rather than the awards platform. Revenue is generated through a tiered fee structure: per-project submission and nomination fees, logo-usage licensing for award tiers (€450 Nominated, €850 Product/Concept/Public Choice, €1,250 Gold), and optional additional services. All fees exclude VAT and are non-refundable after submission.

The go-to-market motion is event-driven and community-amplified: the team runs semi-annual award cycles with virtual ceremonies, deep-dive interviews, and jury events throughout the year, while leveraging a network of international design partners (Cumulus, IxDF, KODIA, Ornamo, SZIDA, UX Bar Camp, PUSH UX) for promotion to global UX communities. Notable enterprise participants include GE Healthcare, Siemens Healthineers, and Mercedes-Benz. The organization is privately held, unfunded, and operated by a ~6-person team led by Award Director Ake Rudolf.

Name

UX DESIGN AWARDS

Legal name

IDZ Designpartner Berlin GmbH

Website

https://ux-design-awards.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

UX Design Awards is an international semi-annual competition recognizing outstanding user experiences in products, services, environments, and concepts, operated by IDZ Designpartner Berlin GmbH for companies, design studios, students, and academic consortia worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Design Awards & Recognition

NAICS

Other Specialized Design Services (54149), Graphic Design Services (541430)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Virtual Awards Ceremonies & Competitions (Judging, Voting) (MPAGAOAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Brand Experience (BX) & Service Design (BPAFAEAI), Learning Experience Design (LXD) & UX for Learning (EDAGAKAF)

Keywords

• Design competition services
• User experience awards
• Design jury evaluation
• Award recognition programs
• Ux design certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Competition Entry Fees: Submission fees charged for each project submitted to the competition, helping to maintain formal examinations and jury nomination process
2. Nomination Fees: Fees due upon nomination of submitted projects, covering the right to use the 'UX Design Award | Nominated' title and logo, basic presentation in online exhibition, participation in jury process for final titles, and participation in Public Choice voting
3. Logo Usage Licensing: Fees for winners to use the award logo in their corporate communications. Fees vary by award level (Nominated, Public Choice, Product, Concept: €850, Gold: €1,250). Also applies to third-party companies wanting to use logos for awarded projects not manufactured by them
4. Additional Services: Optional additional services available for participants as detailed in current participation information

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

UX Design Awards runs a semi-annual international competition (Spring and Autumn cycles) that recognizes outstanding user-centered products, services, environments, prototypes, and conceptual visions across all industries. Participants pay entry and nomination fees, undergo a two-stage evaluation by an independent jury of 14 international UX experts, and receive perpetual rights to use the awarded title and logo for corporate communications, plus year-round exposure via the digital exhibition.

Product overview

UX Design Awards is an international design competition operated by IDZ Designpartner Berlin GmbH on behalf of the International Design Center Berlin. The awards honor excellent user experiences across three main competition categories: Product (market-ready offerings), Concept (prototypes and future-oriented projects), and New Talent (student projects). The competition runs twice yearly (Spring and Autumn cycles) and offers multiple award tiers including Nominated, Gold, and Public Choice awards. The platform provides an online exhibition showcasing all nominated projects, along with virtual events, deep dives, and publications. The awards originated in 2008 as Usability Park at IFA Berlin, with the first formal Usability Award in 2014, rebranded as UX Design Awards in 2015.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• UX Design Awards Competition Semi-annual international competition (Spring and Autumn cycles) recognizing outstanding user-centered products, services, environments, concepts, and visions worldwide. Participants submit entries through an online portal, undergo a two-stage jury preselection and final evaluation by 14 international UX experts, and compete for nominated status, Gold, Public Choice, and Special Mention recognition.
• UX Design Award | Product Award category for market-ready and available products, services, and environments with a planned market launch in the current competition year or not more than two calendar years prior. Includes physical and digital products, services and service design projects, experiential spaces, and environments.
• UX Design Award | Concept Award category for product prototypes, service concepts, and conceptual environments in development phase or not intended for broad market launch, with realization possible within 2-5 years.
• UX Design Award | New Talent Award category open to bachelor and master projects in experience design, interaction design, industrial/product design, and service design, for students and graduates worldwide.
• UX Design Award | Gold Highest-tier recognition level awarded by the independent jury based on their expertise and published evaluation criteria. Granted to projects with exceptional UX excellence among nominated entries.
• UX Design Award | Public Choice Audience award voted by global audiences from among nominated projects through public online voting; participants' employees and parent/subsidiary companies are barred from voting.
• Online Exhibition Platform Digital exhibition showcasing all nominated and awarded projects for at least one year from announcement date, including project photos, descriptions, and company information. Provides year-round international visibility for awarded projects and the participating companies.

Quantifiable outcome

• First award round attracted over 30 entries, demonstrating early market demand

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability10 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CumuluscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational network partner. Cumulus is an international association for education and research in design, helping promote the UX Design Awards to its global academic and design community network.
• Interaction Design Foundation (IxDF)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational network partner. IxDF is one of the largest design communities worldwide, promoting the awards to its extensive membership base of UX and interaction design professionals.
• KODIAcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNetwork partner. KODIA is a design organization that helps promote the awards within its network of design professionals and organizations.
• OrnamocoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNetwork partner. Ornamo is the Finnish design and architecture association, promoting the awards to its member network in the Nordic design community.
• SZIDAcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNetwork partner. SZIDA (Hungarian Design Council) promotes the awards to its network of design professionals and organizations in Hungary.
• UX Bar Camp EuropecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNetwork partner. UX Bar Camp is a community-driven unconference for UX professionals across Europe, promoting the awards to its participant community.
• PUSH UXcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNetwork partner. PUSH is a UX conference that promotes the awards to its community of UX professionals and enthusiasts.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• iF Design Award: The iF Design Award is one of the world's most prestigious design competitions, covering product, communication, packaging, and UX design. It is the closest direct competitor to UX Design Awards, also hosted in Germany with a global submission base and international jury, targeting similar enterprise and design studio participants.
• Core77 Design Awards: Core77 Design Awards recognizes excellence in design across categories including interaction design, product design, and design strategy. It targets a similar design community audience and shares the independent jury model, competing for submissions from design studios and corporate design teams.
• IDEA Award (International Design Excellence Awards): Hosted by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), IDEA is a premier international design competition recognizing excellence across categories including product design, UX, and digital interaction. It competes for the same enterprise design teams and student portfolios that UX Design Awards targets.
• Red Dot Design Award: Red Dot is a globally recognized design competition with categories spanning product design, brands & communication, and design concept. It directly competes with UX Design Awards for enterprise submissions, jury prestige, and international visibility, particularly in product and concept categories.
• Interaction Design Association Awards: IxDA Awards recognizes excellence in interaction design across categories focused on UX, UI, and digital product experiences. It directly competes for UX-specific submissions and shares the global design community audience, with strong ties to the IxDA's large professional membership.
• A' Design Award: A' Design Award is an international juried design competition covering dozens of categories including interface design and interaction design. It competes on global submission volume and offers similar tiered prize structures, positioning itself as an accessible alternative to UX Design Awards.
• Service Design Award: Jointly organized by the Service Design Network and Touchpoint, the Service Design Award recognizes excellence in service design projects globally. It overlaps with UX Design Awards' service design category and targets similar participants including enterprises, consultancies, and academic institutions.

Broad incumbents

• Fast Company Innovation by Design Awards: Presented by Fast Company magazine, Innovation by Design Awards spans categories including UX, product design, graphic design, and architecture. As a broader media-backed competition, it offers higher visibility for winners but less UX-specialized judging than UX Design Awards.

Regional players

• German Design Award: Presented by the German Design Council (Rat für Formgebung), this award is a premier German design prize recognizing international entries across multiple design disciplines. It shares geographic proximity and German institutional backing with UX Design Awards, competing for the same European design community participants.

Others

• International Design Center Berlin (IDZ): IDZ is the parent non-profit association that operates the UX Design Awards. While not a peer, it is the institutional ecosystem within which UX Design Awards operates, providing the design community network, jury expertise pool, and organizational infrastructure that powers the competition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/idz-international-design-center-berlin
• Xx.com/uxdawards

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UX DESIGN AWARDS