Global call for entries: Better Design Award nears deadline

The 2024 Better Design Award (BDA) is now in its final countdown, with only 20 days remaining until the submission deadline on August 31. By now the BDA website has garnered over 100,000 visits. Enterprises, public institutions, design institutions, academic institutions, design teams, research organizations, and individuals from around the world are welcome to submit their entries via the official BDA website (www.bdaward.com).
Launched on May 21, 2024, the BDA is a worldwide competition in the comprehensive design field aiming to discover and promote products (works) and brands that demonstrate exceptional design skills and innovative spirit on a global scale.
The competition is established under the guidance of China Media Group (CMG), the People's Government of Guangdong Province, the People's Government of Guangzhou Municipality, and the People's Government of Shenzhen Municipality, and is organized by CMG's Guangdong Station and the Shenzhen Industrial Design Profession Association.

Authoritative Judging with International Vision
The competition adopts a "2+2" co-president system, where each of the two main awards is overseen by two presidents—one from China and one international. These presidents are responsible for the selection of products (works) and the preliminary, intermediate, and final evaluations of brands. Meanwhile, each award category invites experts from various fields to form panels for the preliminary, intermediate, and final rounds of judging, ensuring a fair and professional selection process to identify the final winners worldwide.

Generous Awards to Inspire Design Innovation
The competition is divided into two major branches: Work Selection and Brand Selection. Work Selection includes the product group and concept group with three categories, namely The Pillars of a Great Power, Good Life, and Future Design, covering equipment manufacturing, the latest electronic information products, smart city services, etc. Brand Selection emphasizes design-driven brands, referring to enterprises with significant achievements in business models, design innovation, and design management, or design-driven brands with growth potential.
The competition offers six types of awards, including the Grand Award, Gold Award, Design Pioneer Award, Good Design Award, and the Top 10 Brands Driven by Design. The total prize money amounts to 4.25 million RMB, with the Grand Award for the product group offering 1.5 million RMB and the Grand Award for the concept group offering 500,000 RMB.

Expert Endorsements to Champion Design Excellence
The BDA has invited over 100 distinguished professors, academic leaders, and industry elites, including Wu Zhiqiang, Meng Jianmin, Thomas Garvey, Simon Collins, Srini Srinivasn, Sertac Ersayin, and Thomas Kvan, to serve as endorsers, nominating outstanding brands and products (works).

Media Partnership to Amplify Design Influence
In collaboration with China Media Group, the BDA aims to create a widely influential competition platform that brings together leading technology, finance, and mainstream media outlets from both domestic and international sources, as well as key opinion leaders (KOLs) and communities. This strong media alliance provides continuous promotion opportunities for the participating products (works) and brands, with the goal of establishing them as the most influential, forward-thinking, and practically valuable brand IPs, design icons, and renowned enterprises in the industry.
Post-Competition Benefits: Comprehensive Support for Winners
The BDA has garnered extensive support and attention from various sectors of society. Award winners in the competition will be directly recommended for honors such as Guangdong Province Technical Expert, May 1 Labor Medal, and March 8th Red-banner Holders. Eligible design institutions may receive favorable policies on venue rent and taxes, while high-level design talents can benefit from talent introduction policies in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, including personal income tax incentives and free compulsory education for their children. Enterprises (or individuals) that win the Grand Award of the product group may also be eligible for priority access to industrial space or talent introduction policies of Guangdong, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.
The BDA is not only focused on evaluating and rewarding design achievements but is also committed to building a platform for designers, enterprises, investment institutions, and media to participate. Through influence promotion, investment and financing, industrialization, and channel linkage, the BDA aims to facilitate the large-scale commercialization of design achievements.
Editor | Monica, James, Zhang Yuan

Photo | People's Daily