The Design Educates Awards (DEAwards) 2025 celebrate architecture and design projects that go beyond aesthetics to educate, inspire, and create meaningful social impact. Organized by the Laka Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing socially responsible design, the competition recognizes projects that incorporate an educational dimension, fostering critical thinking, awareness, and behavioral change. The awards seek to highlight innovative solutions in architecture, interior design, product design, and conceptual ideas that contribute to a deeper understanding of the world around us. By acknowledging projects that inform, engage, and enhance human experiences, the DEAwards aim to promote intelligent and purpose-driven design on a global scale.
Open to professionals, students, and organizations worldwide, the Design Educates Awards 2025 invite submissions of both realized and conceptual projects created within the last five years. Entries should demonstrate how design can influence perception, shape experiences, and communicate knowledge while serving functional and aesthetic purposes. A distinguished panel of renowned architects, designers, and industry experts will evaluate submissions based on their educational value, innovative approach, and overall design excellence. The competition welcomes interdisciplinary collaborations and forward-thinking ideas that challenge traditional norms and introduce new paradigms in sustainable, human-centric design.
Beyond recognition, the Design Educates Awards 2025 offer winners global exposure, professional networking opportunities, and media coverage, positioning them as thought leaders in the field of impactful and educational design. The selected projects will be featured in an exclusive yearbook, showcased in a dedicated exhibition in Germany, and awarded prestigious certificates and labels that enhance their professional credentials. By fostering a dialogue between design and education, the DEAwards aim to inspire a new generation of creatives to integrate learning, innovation, and storytelling into their work, ultimately shaping a more informed and responsible future through design.
Entry fees vary by participant type: Students: 50 USD; Individual professionals/companies with fewer than 10 employees: 175 USD; Companies with 11–100 employees: 350 USD; Companies with more than 100 employees: 600 USD.
Eligibility
Open to creative, innovative projects (completed or conceptual, from the last 5 years) of any scale that, in addition to excellent aesthetics, incorporate added value such as educational potential, storytelling elements, stimulation of critical thinking, influence on users’ emotions or behavior, and impact on perception.
Prize
Winners of the Design Educates Awards receive a comprehensive benefits package, including certificates, winning labels, inclusion in the annual yearbook, participation in an exhibition with certification, and an invitation to the awards ceremony in Germany, complete with photo documentation. Additionally, winners gain access to press kits and benefit from promotion through media sponsors and partners.
