Submit your design to 2021 IDA DESIGN AWARDS

Frequently Asked Questions

SUBMISSIONS:
Q: What are the main requirements for submitting an entry?

A: The main things we will need you to provide are: 1) An image or images of your design; 2) A brief description of the design; 3) Names of those who should be credited for the design (i.e. company, designer, etc.)

Q: What are the steps for submitting an entry?
A: 1) Sign up for a free membership profile; 2) Once you’re a member, log in with your username and password, and you will be directed to the submissions page; 3) fill in the required information and upload your submission; 4) proceed to payment.

Q: Do I need to pay the submissions fee before I can submit my work?
A: No, you can submit your work before paying the fee. However, the submission will not be eligible for consideration by the jury until the payment of the submission fee has been finalized.

Q: How many images can I enter for each design?
A: You can submit up to 10 images for each design.

Q: What are the specifications for images that I submit?
A: For best results, make sure your images are a JPG or PNG file cropped to a 4:3 format, are at least 1000px wide, and no larger than 4MB. Please only use letters and numbers in the title of the image.

Q: What shall I do if I have trouble uploading my images?
A: First, check that the image does not exceed the maximum size of 4MB, that it is the right format (JPG or RGB) and that the file name contains only letters or numbers. Once you’ve checked that these things are in order, try to upload your images again. If you’re still having trouble after this, contact our support staff at: support@idesignawards.com

Q: How will I know if my submission is complete, and what do I do if it’s not?
A: You may check on your entry status at any time by logging into the Member Section with your user name and password, and clicking on “Entry History”. NOTE: If a submission is incomplete when the window for submissions has closed (i.e. the submission fee has not been paid, or the images have not been uploaded correctly), the submission will not be eligible for juried consideration. Though we make every effort to make contact and to ensure completion of submissions, we are not responsible for incomplete entries and are unable to offer a refund should an entry be incomplete once the submissions window is closed.

Q: Can I enter one design into multiple categories?
A: Yes, you may enter the same design into as many categories as you see fit. In fact, doing so may increase your chances of winning. However, there is an additional fee for each additional category you enter.

Q: Is there a limit to the number of entries I can submit?
A: No, you may submit as many entries as you wish, and if you submit multiple entries at the same time, you will receive a special reduction in the submissions fee for the additional entries.

Q: Can a collection of designs be submitted together, or should I submit each design separately?
A: The jury will select the winners in each category based on individual designs and projects, not on an entire body of work, so each design or project should be submitted as a separate entry.

Q: Is there an “age-limit” on projects or designs that I submit, or a limit on how long ago a design or project was completed?
A: Projects or designs must have been completed no more than 5 years from the time of submission in order to be eligible.

Q: Do I need to be studying design in order to qualify for the “student” category and entry fees?
A: Anyone who is a student of any kind can enter work under the student category and get the reduced submissions fee—regardless of whether you are a full-time or part-time student, or what you are studying.

Q: Can I submit a design that has won an award or has been entered in a previous IDA competition?
A: Yes, you may submit work that has been submitted or that has won an award in a previous competition. However, in an effort to promote the creation of new work and the fresh flow of ideas, we encourage you to submit new work as much as possible.

Q: Can I make changes to my entry after I have paid?
A: You will not be able to edit your submission after payment has been made. For this reason, please review your work carefully and make sure that the entries are submitted correctly before finalizing payment.

Q: What is the “Entry History” feature of the Member Section and how do I use it?
A: The Entry History feature allows you to view the status of your submissions, to verify that images have been uploaded correctly, to print receipts, and to make payments.

Q: How will I know if you have received my entry?
A: You should receive a confirmation email from us shortly after you submit and pay for your work. If you do not receive an email, please verify that your email is correct in our records by logging into the Member Section and selecting “Edit Profile.” In addition, if you are using spam-blocking software, please add “idesignawards.com” to your list of approved recipients. If, after doing both of these things, you do not receive an email, please log into the Member Section, and click on “Entry History” to view your submission status and make sure that all your entries have been paid for.

Q: Can I send a sample of my product to the competition? If so, will it be returned to me and do I need to send a return-handling fee?
A: It is not required that you send actual sample of your product to the competition. Images and a description of the product are sufficient.

PAYMENT:

Q: What are the payment options for the submissions fee?
A: We accept payment for submissions either by Credit Card, or by PayPal. ** Once a submission fee has been paid, there are no refunds provided. If you have been wrongly charged for any reason, we will be happy to credit the amount that is due.

Q: Are all the fees on your website in USD?
A: Yes, at this time we only accept US currency.

JURY PROCESS
Q: What is the selection process for the winners?
A: After all submission has been finalized IDA staff jury and a member of IDA jury will start the process of selecting the IDA OFFICIAL SELECTION, the first round is to narrow the entries forthe main jury.

ScoringThis process is to select the qualified entries and prepare them for the jury voting. Each year, based on the points (1-100) that the jury has assigned to each entry the participants can receive a Gold, Silver or Bronze certificate. Each category can have multiple gold, silver and bronze or none at all, depending on the juries rating.

Q: How are the entries juried?
A: One entry in each discipline, architectural, interior, product, graphic and fashion will receive the sought-after IDA trophy at the biannual awards ceremony. The jury votes on realized or conceptual entries, based on its originality, function, innovation and statics. All successful entrants will receive the IDA Winner’s logo, and are entitled to use it for commercial purposes to promote their winnings. Receiving an IDA award not only is a significant achievement in design, but also ensures that the award winners will receive promotional material to publicize their winning.

USE OF IMAGES:
Q: How will my images be used?
A: Your images will only be used for purposes of promotion of the International Design Awards. One of the great things about IDA is it’s global reach. Through this platform, your image will be viewed with your credit all around the world. All participating designers thus far have been extremely happy with the manner in which their images have been used and promoted globally.

Q: Will I be compensated for the use of my images?
A: There is no monetary remuneration for the use of your image.

WINNERS:
Q: Will I be notified if I’ve won an award?
A: We do notify award winners by email, but it does sometimes happen that notifications get caught in server filters so it’s possible that you may not receive the email notification. Fortunately, you can always check to see if you’ve won any awards by logging into the Member Section and clicking on Winner Services.

Q: Do the category winners receive an award or certificate at the Design Awards Ceremony?
A: The IDA Trophy will be given to the winners of the International Designer of the Year™ in each of the 5 Professional Design disciplines, and Discovery of the Year Award (non-professional/student), at the Bi-Annual International Awards Ceremony in Los Angeles. All other Winners will receive two complimentary tickets to attend the Design Awards Ceremony, a certificate that you can print by going to your Members Page/Winner’s Services, as well as a downloadable logo and press release. All the gold/silver/bronze winning designs will also be featured in the annual IDA Book of Design.

Q: If I win an award, will I be eligible to receive a free copy of the IDA Book?
A: The IDA Book is made available for purchase online. The cost of the book is primarily to cover the cost of printing and shipping and is not a profit-making endeavor. Also, there are hundreds of designers and companies featured in the book each year, so it would not be feasible to make it available free of charge.