NPO Aoyama Design Forum (ADF) is pleased to announce the 16th edition of the ADF Design Award 2026, an international design award organized by ADF. 

Award applications will be accepted from Friday 15 August to Friday 19 December 2025 (JST). There will be a Grand Prize of US$10,000 and two Awards of Excellence of US$5,000 from all categories, for approximately US$20,000.

As a supplementary prize, the Grand and Excellence Award winners will be able to exhibit their works at the ADF venue in Fuori Salone during the Milano Salone Internazionale del Mobile, the world's largest furniture trade fair scheduled to take place in April 2026, where they will be invited to a reception party and other opportunities for exchange with interested parties. The winners also will be exhibited at COCO WARP, the Metaverse Museum operated by ADF. The ADF Design Award is a great opportunity to showcase your architectural design work to the world. 

The mission of the ADF Design Award is to discover and recognize the latest and most outstanding designs worldwide and introduce design to people who have not known it. ADF emphasizes how the design was created and what ideas were put into it, not merely how beautiful it looks. ADF is looking for entries that challenge us to break completely new design ground with innovative ideas that enrich people's lives and are environmentally friendly.

ADF Design Award 2025 (Kunstsilo) / Boris Bežan (BAX studio), Mara Partida (Mendoza Partida studio), Hector Mendoza (Mendoza Partida studio), Maria Mestres  (Mestres Wåge architects), and Magnus Wåge (Mestres Wåge architects). Image courtesy of ADF

ADF Design Award 2024 "La Carboneria (House Tarrago)" / Office for Strategic Space. Image courtesy of ADF

ADF Design Award 2023 "Tonami Public Library" / Kazuhiko Masuko & Mikami Architects & Oshida Architects. Image courtesy of ADF

Application Guidelines

Application Period

August 15, 2025 - December 19, 2025 (JST)

You can apply over this page. 

Categories

1. Hospitality: hotel, casino, theme park, pavilion

2. Commercial & Office: shopping center, department store, office building

3. Housing Complex: non-private residence, non-interior

4. Education & Sports: school, research facility, stadium

5. Cultural Buildings: theater, library, museum, art gallery, hospital

6. Public Architecture: public facilities, airport, station, port

Juries

TBA

Criteria

1. Beauty: Artistic value in shape, color, detailing, and material selection

2. Innovation: Responding to social changes, using new materials, innovative construction processes, and pioneering designs. Innovation is a challenge within limited conditions

3. Usefulness: The architecture and building is beneficial and sustainable for its users and the environment

4. Regional / Cultural / Chronological : The architecture and building blends with and differentiates itself from the region, and its superficial beauty fits with the times and cultural context

Submission

- Design Proposal: Design concept, materials, and details (A4 size, no more than 5 pages in PDF format) *Resolution of 300 dpi or higher, file size of 10M or less, font size of 11pt or higher

- Curriculum Vitae (maximum of 5 pages in A4 horizontal PDF format)

Prize

- Grand Award: US$10,000 (1 work from all categories)

- Excellence Award: US$5,000 (2 works from all categories)

There may be a case that some awards are considered as "not applicable".

Supplemental Prize

- The Grand Award and Excellence Award winners will have their works exhibited at the ADF venue in Fuori Salone during the "Milano Salone (Salone Internazionale del Mobile)"

- Aoyama Design Forum will cover up to USD 1,000 for set-up costs

- The winners will have the opportunity to be exhibited at the Metaverse Museum "COCO WARP" run by ADF

- The grand prize winner will receive PR support from the ADF Business Matching Division for one year

Entry work

Completed work within 3 years

Eligibility

- Individuals or groups (up to one work per group)

- Any nationality

- Must be a member of ADF (No fee is required to join)

Application Fee: Free

Announcement of Results:March 10, 2026

Language: English

Contact: For further questions about the Award, please reach out to [email protected].

About NPO Aoyama Design Forum (ADF)

ADF (NPO Aoyama Design Forum) is a non-profit organization established in Japan in 2009, and we aim to train and improve the status of designers worldwide. Since its establishment, we have been working closely with many design and architect associations throughout the world. As part of that, we have been showcasing at the “Milano Salone” since 2013, which is held once a year in Milan, Italy.

We are pleased to have held the Award since its first in 2013. By receiving many entries from the world through our partners every year, this Award has been growing as an international competition for design.

World Architecture Community is official Media Partner of Aoyama Design Forum.

The top image in the article is courtesy of ADF.

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