Prize Coverage Significantly Expanded: 2025 Better Design Award Now Open for Global Entries

On May 23, the 2025 Better Design Award (BDA) officially launched its global call for entries. From May 23 to August 15, 2025, organizations, design institutions, universities, research teams, and individuals worldwide are invited to submit their works via the official website: www.bdaward.com.

The Better Design Award is an international comprehensive design competition guided by China Media Group (CMG), Guangdong Provincial People's Government, Guangzhou Municipal People's Government, Shenzhen Municipal People's Government. Founded in 2024 and held annually, BDA’s inaugural edition attracted 7,183 entries from 52 countries and regions, creating a significant impact in the global design community. Award-winning entries like the "large-scale roadway full section mining machine (TBM)" and the "2030 manned lunar rover" exemplify China’s high-quality industrial innovations, becoming models of design-driven technological advancement.

The award ceremony, presented as a unique blend of “ideas + art + technology,” was broadcast across authoritative platforms including CMG’s digital channels and CCTV Finance, reaching over 300 million views and elevating the global visibility of Chinese design.

△Inaugural Better Design Award Ceremony

Upgraded Categories Focused on Innovation Frontiers

In 2025, the competition expands its structure by introducing two main categories: Product Design and Design for Industry, along with a newly established Special Competition focused on AI and Robotics.

The Product Design category includes one Main Competition and one Special Competition. The Main Competition features three divisions: Industrial Cornerstone, Better Life, and Future Design, covering B2B, B2G, B2C products, public facilities, and conceptual works. The Special Competition invites cutting-edge designs in AI and robotics, promoting applications in smart manufacturing, medical tech, and broader industrial development.

The Design for Industry category focuses on driving innovation across industries, seeking systemic solutions that embody “design-led planning, collaborative innovation, shared capacity, and supply chain resilience.” Submissions may include industrial models, service innovations, and basic design research projects.

△BDA Competition Categories

Robust Incentive Mechanism to Support Design Realization

The 2025 Better Design Award features a total prize pool of RMB 4.2 million, with awards expanded from 50 in the previous edition to 332 this year. The Main Competition includes the Better Design Grand Award, Better Design Award, and BDA Design for Industry Award, while the Special Competition will present the BDA AI and Robotics Design Award. The prestigious Grand Award will recognize 12 top entries—winners of the Better Design Grand Award and Better Design Grand Concept Award will receive RMB 300,000 and RMB 200,000 respectively.
Beyond cash prizes and recognition, winners will benefit from a full-cycle “award and post-award service” system, including incubation, policy support, financing, market access, and branding. The BDA also explores a “foundation + industrial investment” model to ensure sustainable operations and enhance design commercialization.

△BDA Prize Structure

Expert Jury Panel Ensures Professional and Fair Judging

The 2025 BDA assembles a world-class jury, composed of top designers, scholars, industry leaders, and policy experts, to establish high-standard evaluation criteria. The judging system is led jointly by Thomas Garvey, President of the World Design Organization (WDO), as the Foreign Jury President, and Lu Xiaobo, former Dean of Tsinghua University’s Academy of Arts & Design, as the Chinese Jury President.
Entries must be submitted via the official website under the appropriate category. The judging process includes Preliminary Evaluation, Second Evaluation, and Final Evaluation. Physical models or prototypes are required for the Final Evaluation, while Finalists must present a physical sample and conduct a live pitch with supporting visuals such as ppt and video to ensure transparency and professionalism.

BDA Chinese Jury President & Foreign Jury President

Global Vision Attracts Top Talent and Builds a Creative Ecosystem

The 2025 BDA leverages the global communication strength of China Media Group to attract exceptional entries through public submissions, invitations, institutional nominations, and expert referrals. It collaborates with top international design organizations, museums, associations, design festivals, universities, and media outlets to engage the world’s most innovative products and designers.
The competition is dedicated to discovering outstanding design works and supporting industrial development in the Greater Bay Area. It aims to accelerate the integration of design into key national projects and strategic industries, establish a design evaluation system with a distinct Chinese discourse, and provide strong support for the high-quality development of China as a manufacturing powerhouse—contributing Chinese wisdom to the advancement of global manufacturing.