Call for Entries: 2026 IODA International Original Design Award
The IODA International Original Design Award (http://www.ioda.com.cn/) , as a globally authoritative platform driving design innovation, is jointly and strategically incubated by the International Young Designers Consortium (IYDC) in collaboration with domestic and international design organizations such as the China-Europe International Design and Culture Association (CEIDA), the China-Korea Creative Design Association (CKIDA), and the China Indigenous Brand Research Institute. With the mission of "safeguarding the original value of design and building a global innovation community," this award conducts an international call for entries from designers and institutions worldwide, committed to promoting the deep integration of design industrialization and intellectual property protection systems. As a significant promoter of China's design internationalization process, IODA continuously establishes an internationally credible design evaluation system, providing intellectual support and industrial empowerment for global original design forces, thereby contributing to the enhancement of China's design discourse power and the implementation of its innovation-driven development strategy.
I. Competition Theme
Rural Beauty
II. Competition Content
This competition is divided into three categories: "Themed Competition," "Open Competition," and "Special Competitions."
(I) Themed Competition
Entries should focus on the theme of "Rural Beauty," drawing inspiration from various aspects such as natural landscapes (e.g., green mountains and clear waters, pastoral scenery), cultural customs (e.g., folk activities, traditional crafts), and distinctive architecture (e.g., ancient villages, old residences). The design scope encompasses multiple fields including architecture, product design, visual communication, fashion, and more. Entries must be original and have not participated in this competition before, combining both innovation and practicality, and skillfully integrating rural elements with modern design concepts. We look forward to everyone using creativity to empower rural areas and letting the beauty of the countryside shine on the global stage!
(II) Open Competition
Participants are encouraged to break free from traditional thematic constraints and create with a completely open perspective, exploring dimensions such as personal interests, social issues, technological fantasies, cultural exploration, or emotional expression. Entries can involve any art form or design field, must not have participated in this competition before, and should demonstrate originality, intellectual depth, and artistic value, showcasing a diverse understanding and unique interpretation of "freedom."
(III) Special Competitions
1. 2026 "Green Waters & Lush Mountains" International Ecological Poster Exhibition
Currently, the world faces numerous ecological challenges such as climate warming, resource shortages, environmental pollution, and biodiversity loss, intensifying people's longing for harmonious nature. As an important medium for cultural dissemination, posters can transcend language barriers and convey messages intuitively. This exhibition, centered around the concept of "Green Waters & Lush Mountains," brings together creative works from outstanding designers and artists worldwide. It aims to showcase ecological beauty, convey environmental protection concepts, inspire public responsibility for ecological conservation, promote international ecological cultural exchanges, and rally efforts towards building a green and sustainable global homeland. (See Special Competition Announcement for details)
Submission Deadline: From now until 24:00 on May 1, 2026.
2. 2026 Huzhou Wulingshan Village Agricultural-Cultural-Tourism Creative Design Competition
Starting from the concept of "Agritourism + Design," this competition, themed "Harmonious Colors of Grain," focuses on the "Harmonious Colors of Grain Farm," a thousand-mu basic farmland agritourism project in Wulingshan Village, Yangjiabu, South Taihu New Area, Huzhou, Zhejiang. It involves cultural and creative design that integrates local scenic spots and agricultural culture. Entries should closely revolve around the themes of agriculture, rural areas, and farmers, embodying the integration of theory and practice, concept and application, creativity and rural charm. They should highlight "agricultural" elements to create distinctive cultural and creative brands, promote local culture, facilitate the integration of creativity, trends, and nostalgia, enhance the value of traditional industries, tell rural stories well, and shape the rural brand image. (See Special Competition Announcement for details)
Submission Deadline: From now until 24:00 on May 1, 2026.
3. Other themed special competitions will be updated (continuously). Please refer to the competition announcement section on the homepage of the website for details.
III. Participation Categories
(1) Visual Communication Design: Brand and identity system design; packaging and printing design; advertising and poster design; book and publication design; mascot IP design; typography design; illustration design; interactive interface design, etc.
(2) Digital Media Art Design: Motion poster design; virtual reality (VR)/augmented reality (AR) design; game art design; interactive installation art; 2D/3D animation; short films and micro-movies, etc.
(3) Environmental Art and Landscape Design: Space design; interior design; ecological landscape design; landscape architecture design; exhibition and stage design, etc.
(4) Fashion and Apparel Design: Ready-to-wear and haute couture design; modernization of traditional costumes; functional apparel design; theatrical and conceptual costumes; apparel patterns, etc.
(5) Product Art Design: Consumer electronics design; furniture and home product design; transportation design; social innovation product design, etc.
(6) Cultural and Creative Product Design: Cultural and creative product development; digital cultural creativity; cultural event planning; traditional craft innovation; intangible cultural heritage element design, etc.
(7) Craft and Art Design: Ceramic and glass art; metal craft design; fiber and textile art; woodworking and lacquer art, etc.
(8) Fine Art and Painting: Oil painting and mural creation; watercolor and pastel drawing; sketch and quick sketch expression; printmaking and illustration design, etc.
(9) AIGC Design: Innovative application works focusing on artificial intelligence-generated content (AIGC) in the field of creative design, such as posters, videos, cultural and creative products, and architectural spaces.
(10) Other Categories: Inclusive of innovative practices not covered by the above categories, such as biological design (e.g., mycelium materials), sound art, cross-media performances, and other experimental designs.
IV. Work Specifications
(1) Static Works: Submit 1-3 exhibition boards in the form of flat physical or model photographs, design renderings, etc. Each board should be in a vertical A3 format (297mm × 420mm), with a size within 10M and a resolution of no less than 300dpi; upload in JPG/PNG/JPEG format.
(2) Dynamic Works: Submit in video format, with a size not exceeding 100M, normally within 5 minutes, with an aspect ratio of 16:9 or 2.35:1, and in mp4 format (video encoding: H.264).
(3) Text Works: Submit one exhibition board in a flat format, requiring a vertical A3 layout (297mm × 420mm), within 10M in size, with a resolution of no less than 300dpi, and upload the work in JPG/PNG/JPEG format; additionally, submit the text as an attachment in PDF format, requiring a vertical A4 layout (210mm × 297mm), with no size limit and the main content within 20 pages.
※ Note: For special competitions, the required registration form should be submitted as an attachment in PDF format, requiring a vertical A4 layout.
V. Participants
(1) Undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students from domestic and foreign higher education institutions; vocational college students; each team is limited to 1-3 members, with 1-2 advisors.
(2) Practitioners in the design and art industry domestically and internationally, including professional design and art institutions, design and art groups, university teachers, designers, artists, freelance media professionals, and those related to the art and media industry.
VI. Organizing Institutions
(1) Organizers: IODA International Original Design Award Organizing Committee, International Young Designers Consortium (IYDC), China-Europe International Design and Culture Association (CEIDA), China-Korea Creative Design Association (CKIDA), China Indigenous Brand Design Institute (CLBD)
(2) Co-organizers: Asia Design College Consortium (ADCC), Public Art Committee of the China Popular Literature and Art Research Association, Busan Gyeongnam Region Chinese Doctor Association, Henan Professional Photographers Association, Zhejiang Meilian Cultural Creativity Co., Ltd., Heilongjiang Traditional Culture Digital Protection Exhibition Organizing Committee, Harbin Boji Youth Public Welfare Development Service Center, Youth Designer Volunteer Service Team of the Research and Promotion Society, etc.
(3) Supporting Media: Design Discourse ONLINE, Xiang Sai, ART DESIGN RADIO, Research and Promotion Society, etc.
VII. Competition Schedule
Online Collection: From now until October 1, 2026
Judging Period: Early November 2026
Award Announcement Date: To be announced separately
VIII. Award Settings
Each competition category will have gold, silver, and bronze awards with proportions of 5%, 10%, and 15%, respectively. Additionally, several awards such as Excellence Award, Newcomer Award, Outstanding Advisor Award, and Outstanding Organizing Unit Award will be set up.
IX. Entry Fees
The organizing committee of the competition does not charge any entry fees; participation is free.
X. Submission Method
Log in to the official website of the IODA International Original Design Award (http://www.ioda.com.cn/), register as a "Participant" account, and submit your entries following the prompts. For details, refer to the "Appendix: Work Submission Guide" at the bottom.
XI. Copyright Statement
(1) All works must be original creations by the participants and must not infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others. If any work is found to have issues such as falsification or plagiarism, upon verification, the participant's qualification will be immediately canceled or the award will be revoked, and the participating institution/unit will be notified, with the right to further pursue legal responsibility reserved.
(2) The content of the work should have a positive theme, healthy thoughts, comply with the propaganda work guidelines, and abide by national laws and regulations.
(3) If the participating work involves any legal disputes related to copyright, portrait rights, reputation rights, privacy rights, etc., the legal responsibility will be borne by the participant themselves; if materials are used in the creation, the source must be detailed in the work description and authorization obtained; if AIGC tools are used to assist in creation, it must be indicated in the work description.
(4) Information such as the participating institution (unit), team members, and advisors must not appear in the participating work or work description documents; once discovered, it will be treated as a violation.
(5) Unless otherwise specified, the organizing committee of the competition has non-profit usage rights over the participating works.
(6) Before submitting works, participants should carefully read the above terms, fully understand and agree to them. The final interpretation rights for unmentioned matters belong to the organizers.
XII. Competition Inquiries
(1) Participants are requested to join the IODA inquiry QQ group: 1035329662 (verification: IODA).
(2) Competition supervision: mailto:3694170776@qq.com.
XIII. Appendix
IODA International Original Design Award | Work Submission Guide