International Design Awards

What International Design Awards does

International Design Awards (IDA) is a private, for-profit design competition founded in 2007 and operated under The Farmani Group as the design-focused sibling program to the Annual Lucie Awards for Photography. The company runs an annual global competition recognizing exceptional design visionaries and emerging talent across five disciplines: Architecture, Interior Design, Product Design, Graphic Design, and Fashion Design. Its core offering is a submission-based awards program where professional and student designers pay per-entry fees (ranging from €30 for Graphic entries up to €250 for Architecture professional first entries, with 50% discounts on additional categories) to have their work evaluated by an international jury panel. The underlying technology consists of an online submission portal (idesignawards.com/submit/login.php) supporting image and PDF uploads, a Winner Gallery and Online Design Directory for public discoverability, and administrative judging workflows; no proprietary AI/ML capabilities are disclosed.

IDA serves two primary customer segments: established Professional Designers and Design Firms seeking global recognition and competitive differentiation, and Design Students/Emerging Designers seeking career-building credentials and industry exposure. The business model is a one-time per-entry license/entry fee structure, supplemented by ancillary revenue from physical trophy sales (via Excellencetrophies.com), annual publication sales (IDA Book of Designs distributed through Art Publishers and Dubb Publications to international museum bookstores), and event-based revenue from annual galas held at rotating international venues (Los Angeles 2019, Foshan China 2023, Oslo Norway 2024-2025, Bangkok Thailand 2026).

Go-to-market is primarily digital: organic social media across Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest, a 100,000+ subscriber email newsletter, media partnerships with Dexigner, Archisearch, Cool Hunting, British Institute of Interior Design, and APDC (the latter hosting events in China), and a self-serve online submission flow accessible globally. The organization operates from a headquarters in Los Angeles (1318 E. 7th St., Suite 140) and a European office at the House of Lucie Gallery in Budapest, Hungary. Currently in its 19th annual edition with IDA 2026 submissions open and a Regular Deadline of August 15, 2026, IDA remains an actively operating private awards platform with no disclosed funding rounds, acquisitions, or public financial reporting.

Name

International Design Awards

Legal name

International Design Awards

Website

https://idesignawards.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

International Design Awards (IDA) is a private, for-profit design competition founded in 2007 that recognizes professional and emerging designers across Architecture, Interior, Product, Graphic, and Fashion disciplines globally, monetizing primarily through per-entry submission fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Design Awards & Recognition Services

akta.pro primary industry

Event Tablescapes & Centerpiece Styling (HSACAOAF)

Keywords

• Design awards competition
• Design recognition program
• Multidisciplinary design awards
• International design competition
• Annual design jury

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Design Competition Entry Fees: Fees charged to designers and companies submitting entries for award consideration across multiple disciplines. Entry fees vary by discipline (Architecture, Interior, Product, Fashion, Graphic) and expertise level (Professional vs Student).

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

International Design Awards (IDA) operates an annual global design competition that evaluates and recognizes exceptional work across five disciplines: Architecture, Interior, Product, Graphic, and Fashion Design. Professional designers, firms, and students submit entries online for jury evaluation, paying tiered entry fees that vary by discipline and applicant level. Winners receive trophies, certificates, year-long publicity, and inclusion in the IDA Book of Design and online Directory.

Product overview

The International Design Awards (IDA) is a platform for an annual design competition that recognizes, celebrates and promotes exceptional design visionaries and emerging talent worldwide. The program covers five design disciplines: Architecture, Interior, Product, Graphic, and Fashion Design. IDA operates as a submission-based awards program where professional and student designers submit entries for evaluation by an international jury panel. Winners receive various benefits including trophy and certificate, publication in the Annual Book of Design, website promotion, social media coverage, and inclusion in the online Design Directory. The organization also hosts annual gala ceremonies and design symposiums at various international venues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• International Design Awards Program
• Annual IDA Gala & Ceremony
• Winner Promotion Services
• IDA Annual Book of Design
• Online Design Directory
• IDA Design Talks & Symposium

Quantifiable outcome

• 100,000+ design professionals and potential clients reached through IDA newsletter promotions
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered featured partner, media partner and event venue partner.

• Guggenheim Museum Bilbaofeatured partnerOthers · 18 October 1997The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao was the result of an extraordinary partnership between the Basque Institutions and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. More than a decade after its grand opening in October 1997, the Museum is a reality that has exceeded the most ambitious artistic and cultural expectations, and has contributed in an extraordinary way to the urban, economic, and social regeneration of the city of Bilbao and its surroundings.
• Dexignermedia partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerDesign industry media partner providing coverage and visibility for International Design Awards activities and winners.
• Archisearchmedia partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerDesign industry media partner providing coverage and visibility for International Design Awards activities and winners.
• Cool Huntingmedia partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerDesign industry media partner providing coverage and visibility for International Design Awards activities and winners.
• British Institute of Interior Designmedia partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry association partnership providing coverage and visibility for International Design Awards activities and winners.
• APDC (Agora Platform Design Competition)media partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerChinese design industry partner that has organized spectacular IDA events, presenting IDA winners with their certificates and trophies alongside leading design industry celebrities.
• ICONSIAMevent venue partnerOthersHost venue for the 19th Annual IDA Gala held February 8, 2026 at ICONSIAM's River Park in Bangkok, Thailand.
• National Museum of Art, Architecture & Design (Oslo)event venue partnerOthersHost venue for the 18th Annual IDA Gala held May 12, 2025 in Oslo, Norway.
• House of Lucie Budapest Galleryevent venue partnerOthersGallery location in Budapest (Falk Miksa u. 30., 1055) serving as the European office for International Design Awards and hosting photography exhibitions of IDA winners.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• IDEA (International Design Excellence Awards): Premier US-based industrial design competition run by IDSA, recognizing product design, design strategy, and student work. Comparable to IDA as a discipline-specific design recognition program targeting professional and emerging designers.
• iF Design Award: Long-established German-based international design competition spanning product, packaging, communication, architecture, and service design. Directly comparable to IDA across disciplines, pricing tiers, and global gala model.
• Good Design Awards: Chicago Athenaeum's internationally recognized awards program spanning product, graphic, packaging, and architectural design. Comparable to IDA in discipline breadth and global entrant base.
• D&AD Awards: International awards program celebrating creative excellence in design and advertising, with annual pencil-level recognition across multiple disciplines. Comparable to IDA as a multi-discipline creative design recognition platform with global jury and prestige positioning.
• DNA Paris Design Awards: International design recognition program covering architecture, interior, product, and graphic design with annual Paris-based ceremony. Comparable to IDA as a multi-discipline global awards platform with a signature annual event.
• Core77 Design Awards: Annual online design awards program recognizing professional and student work across multiple design categories, run by Core77. Comparable to IDA in serving emerging designers and offering tiered entry fees.
• A' Design Award: Italy-headquartered international design competition covering a broad range of design disciplines with tiered entry fees and global jury. Closely comparable to IDA in scope, fee structure, and entrant target audience.
• Red Dot Design Award: One of the world's largest and most prestigious international design competitions, recognizing product, communication, and design concept work annually. Directly comparable to IDA as a global, multi-discipline design awards program monetized through entry fees.

Broad incumbents

• The One Show: The One Club for Creativity's flagship global awards program for advertising, design, and creative excellence. Comparable to IDA as a multi-discipline creative awards platform serving professional designers and agencies with global prestige.
• ADC Awards (Art Directors Club): Long-running global creative awards program administered by The One Club, recognizing craft in design, advertising, and visual communication. Comparable to IDA in serving professional designers seeking third-party creative endorsement.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/idesignawards
• Facebookfacebook.com/idesignawards
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-design-awards-ida
• Instagraminstagram.com/idesignawards
• Pinterestpinterest.com/internationaldesignawards

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 International Design Awards