The 2025 Better Design Award Successfully Concludes Its Final Evaluation

From October 31 to November 1, the final evaluation of the 2025 Better Design Award successfully concluded at 3nod Smart Building in Shenzhen. A total of 21 authoritative experts from China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, South Korea, and Singapore conducted a professional review and selected the final winners in the categories of Product Design (Main Competition), AI & Robotics Special Competition, and Design for Industry. The evaluation process strictly adhered to the principles of fairness, impartiality, objectivity, and professionalism, with notary supervision throughout the entire process to ensure that all procedures were standardized and results were just and transparent.

Since the global call for entries was launched on May 23, the Organizing Committee has received 15,691 design submissions from 69 countries and regions around the world. The entries covered a wide range of fields, including equipment manufacturing, aerospace and marine instruments, new-generation electronic information products, modern light industry and textiles, home and lifestyle design, CMF, digital creativity and information services, smart cities, urban public design, green ecology, future industries, and social innovation. After a rigorous preliminary evaluation, 50 works from the Product Design (Main Competition), 32 works from the AI & Robotics Special Competition, and 23 works from the Design for Industry category advanced to the final evaluation stage, competing for the ultimate honors.

▲ Final Evaluation Meeting

▲ Final Evaluation Meeting

On the morning of October 31, the Organizing Committee held a briefing session for the final evaluation. During the meeting, Mr. Xiao Zhensheng, Chairman of the Better Design Award Organizing Committee and a State Council Special Allowance Expert, and Ms. Shirley Feng, Secretary-General of the Better Design Award Organizing Committee and President of Shenzhen Industrial Design Profession Association, each delivered speeches. Professor Lu Xiaobo, Senior Professor of Liberal Arts at Tsinghua University, Dean of the Tsinghua University-Tsingshang Joint Institute for Smart Scene Innovation Design, who served as the Chinese Jury President, gave a detailed introduction of the evaluation rules and procedures to the panel of judges.

▲ Speech by Mr. Xiao Zhensheng, Chairman of the Better Design Award Organizing Committee and Expert Awarded the State Council Special Allowance

▲ Speech by Ms. Shirley Feng, Secretary-General of the Better Design Award Organizing Committee and President of the Shenzhen Industrial Design Profession Association

▲ Professor Lu Xiaobo, Chinese Jury President of Better Design Award, Senior Professor of Liberal Arts at Tsinghua University, explains the evaluation rules.

▲ Certificate Presentation Ceremony for Jury Members

The final evaluation of the competition was conducted in strict accordance with the principles of fairness, impartiality, objectivity, and professionalism. Centered on the competition’s overall evaluation system, it was guided by foresight, grounded in industrialization, and oriented toward people-centered values. The process fully reflected mainstream social values and strongly promoted the high-quality development of the design industry. The jury panel, composed of internationally recognized experts, approached the evaluation from a professional perspective, global vision, and impartial standpoint. Through comprehensive visual-material assessments, on-site presentations, and quantitative scoring, each shortlisted work was thoroughly examined and discussed.

▲ Visual and Physical Evaluation Session

The evaluation took place across three parallel venues for Product Design (Main Competition), AI & Robotics Special Competition, and Design for Industry.
During the visual and physical review stage, the judges carefully examined the submitted design materials and evaluated the physical prototypes and functional demonstrations on site. In the on-site defense sessions, representatives of participating enterprises presented their design concepts to the jury. The judges then scored each work based on prior evaluations and the participants’ performance during the defense.
After the presentations concluded, the expert panel conducted a comprehensive discussion based on the ranking results to determine the final list of winners.

▲ Product Design (Main Competition) Defense

▲ AI & Robotics Special Competition Defense

▲ Design for Industry Defense

The 2025 Better Design Award ultimately selected 12 BDA Grand Awards, 10 BDA AI & Robotics Awards, and 10 BDA Design for Industry Awards. The list of winners will be officially announced at this year’s award ceremony and published simultaneously across official media platforms including the Better Design Award website and channels—stay tuned for updates.

For this year’s final evaluation, the Organizing Committee invited distinguished experts from diverse fields, including industry, academia, media, and investment, to form the Final Jury Panel. The Organizing Committee extends its heartfelt gratitude to the 21 final jury members for their dedication and professionalism: Product Design (Main Competition) Jury: Lu Xiaobo, Pier Paolo Peruccio, Ren He, Thomas Garvey, Wang Min, Xiao Zhensheng, Simon Collins; AI & Robotics Special Competition Jury:
Guan Zhen, He Renke, Jia Qingwei, Kun-Pyo Lee, Mui Kinoshita, Wang Fenghong, Wen Pin; Design for Industry Jury: Huo Yuda, Liu Chuankai, Liu Guanzhong, Lin Qiang, Li Yueen, Sun Shouqian, Xing Lei (Names listed in no particular order.)