Seoul Design Award 2026 Names Top 10 Finalists, Opens Global Public Voting
The 2026 Seoul Design Award has chosen ten finalist teams from a pool of over 1,200 entries submitted by participants from 91 nations, emphasizing sustainable living and addressing social issues. On October 14, finalists will showcase their projects at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in front of a jury consisting of nine members, including Mauro Porcini and Sungwon Jee. For the first time, public voting will be available until October 7, 2026. This event is part of the Seoul Design Conference 2026: THINK · MAKE · CHANGE, which will also feature presentations from ESG Design Impact Award winners and a UNEP session focused on circularity policies. The finalists are Otter Newborn Warmer, WheeLog!, Kampung Mrican, Na-Eh Karen Market, Suber Design, Lavazza’s Tablì, LAKAT Sneakers, ET35, SMALLrevolution, and Reef Tiles.
Key facts
- Over 1,200 submissions from 91 countries were considered for the Seoul Design Award 2026.
- The top 10 finalists will present on stage at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul on October 14.
- A nine-member international jury includes Mauro Porcini, Sungwon Jee, Andrea Cancellato, and Martin Zelger.
- Online global public voting is open and closes on October 7, 2026.
- The Seoul Design Conference 2026: THINK · MAKE · CHANGE is a full-day event at DDP.
- The inaugural ESG Design Impact Award recipients include Hyundai Motor Company, Patagonia, athome, and RHINOSHIELD.
- A session co-hosted with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will examine circularity policies for electronics.
- Session 3 will preview the World Design Congress Seoul 2027 and unveil its official brand identity.
Entities
Artists
- Mauro Porcini
- Sungwon Jee
- Andrea Cancellato
- Martin Zelger
- Kang Heui Cha
- Martin Zegler
Institutions
- Seoul Design Award
- Samsung Electronics
- Hyundai Motor Company
- ADI Design Museum
- DAAily platforms AG
- designboom
- Seoul Design Conference
- United Nations Environment Programme
- UNEP
- Patagonia
- athome
- RHINOSHIELD
- Lavazza Group
- ReefCircular
- World Design Congress Seoul 2027
- UNESCO Creative City of Design
- Seoul Metropolitan Government
- Seoul Design Foundation
- D&AD Future Impact Fund
- Jaza Energy Hubs
- Emergency Folding Cradle
- LADIS Lamp Disinfection
- Bark-Code
- DAAily Platforms
- Dongdaemun Design Plaza
Locations
- Seoul
- South Korea
- Dongdaemun Design Plaza
- Yogyakarta
- Indonesia
- Ukraine
- Türkiye
- Syria
- Gaza
- Nigeria
- Uganda
- Timor-Leste
- UK
Sources
- Designboom —
- Designboom —
- Designboom —