A' Design Award opens 2026 nominations for immersive installations

A' Design Award & Competition has opened entries for its 2026 Interactive, Experiential and Immersive Design Installations Awards, with a September 30 deadline and results due May 1, 2027. The competition targets designers, studios and artists worldwide working on interactive and immersive projects completed in the last 10 years.

Why it matters: - The awards give immersive designers, studios and artists a global platform for work that blends technology, spatial storytelling and audience participation. - Winners can receive publicity tools, exhibition exposure in Italy and placement in A' Design rankings that may help with visibility and client reach. - The competition also spotlights interactive installation design as a distinct creative field with its own jury, categories and professional recognition.

What happened: - A' Design Award & Competition announced the 2026 call for entries for the A' International Interactive, Experiential and Immersive Design Installations Awards. - The competition is open worldwide to installation designers, experiential design studios, interactive design agencies, immersive technology experts, VR and AR designers, multimedia and digital artists, game designers, motion graphics designers, sound designers, light artists, performance artists, event planners, architects, interior designers, landscape architects, cultural institutions and other related professionals. - Eligible work includes interactive installations, immersive environments and experiential design projects completed within the last 10 years. - The entry deadline is September 30, 2026. - Results will be announced on May 1, 2027.

The details: - The competition uses a two-phase process that starts with a complimentary preliminary evaluation. - Projects that pass the preliminary stage can move on to nomination, which carries a nominal fee. - Entries are judged anonymously by an international jury of more than 300 academics, designers, architects, digital artists, curators, immersive technology specialists and experience design professionals. - Evaluation focuses on creativity, interaction quality, innovation, audience engagement and design excellence. - Eligible categories include sculptural installations, light installations, sound installations, digital installations, kinetic installations, site-specific installations, interactive installations and performance installations. - The sub-categories and descriptions are available here. - Professional-edition laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes a Design Excellence Certificate, lifetime use of the winner logo, a yearbook of best designs, exhibitions of awarded works in Italy, an award trophy, invitation to the gala-night La Notte Premio A', translation of awarded works into foreign languages, entry to Prime Clubs and inclusion in World Design Rankings, Designer Rankings, Installation Design Classifications and Design Legends platforms. - Winners also receive an exclusive interview for Designer Interviews and a press release prepared to announce the victory. - The press kit for winners includes the interview, award announcement release, design images, photographs of the designer, logos, high-resolution images and a portfolio preview of other projects. - Press kits will be distributed to thousands of accredited press members, and dozens of press partners have already agreed to publish a selection of winning projects. - The press kit preparation and distribution service, along with the A' Design Prize, are provided free of charge to laureates. - Past winners are available here. - Participants can register here.

Between the lines: - A' Design Award is positioning immersive installations alongside more established design disciplines by attaching structured judging, publicity support and ranking visibility to the category. - The prize package is built to turn an award into downstream media exposure, not just a trophy. - The broad eligibility list suggests the competition is trying to capture work across art, architecture, entertainment and emerging technology.

What's next: - Designers and studios can submit entries before the September 30, 2026 deadline. - Successful projects will advance through nomination and then into the jury process. - Winners will be announced on May 1, 2027, followed by prize fulfillment, press-kit distribution and related publicity activity. - More information is available at A' Design Awards.