Organised by the European Union Intellectual Property Office, the DesignEuropa Awards celebrate excellence in design and design management among Registered Community Design (RCD) holders, whether they are individual right holders, small businesses or large enterprises.
The aim of the Awards is to raise awareness of the design protection system in the EU and to promote design as a valuable intellectual property right that underpins our economy and supports jobs.
There are three categories:
• The Industry Award: for RCDs owned by companies which have more than 50 employees and over €10 million in turnover/€10 million balance sheet total
• The Small and Emerging Companies Award: for RCDs owned by companies which have fewer than 50 employees and less than €10 million turnover/€10 million balance sheet total or for companies established after January 1, 2014, regardless of their size
• The Lifetime Achievement Award: for individual designers with a significant body of work of aesthetic value, created over the course of a career, which has also had a demonstrable impact on the marketplace.
The prestigious Jury panel, chaired by Luisa Bocchietto, is composed of recognised experts from the fields of industrial design, business and intellectual property rights.
There is no entry fee.
Eligibility
Open to any person, entity or institution of any nationality, either individually or as a team, provided that they own a valid Registered Community Design (RCD) that is also marketed and sold (in any country).
The RCD is a unitary intellectual property right administered by EUIPO and valid throughout the EU-28, chosen by thousands of companies and individuals to protect their vital business assets across the Union. All designs submitted must be valid RCDs at the time of sending the application, with no pending invalidity proceedings. Finalist designs must retain their validity throughout the selection and award period.
Prize
Finalists will be announced in October 2018, and the winners will be invited to the DesignEuropa Awards ceremony in Warsaw in November 2018. Travel and accommodation costs will be borne by the organiser. The winner of each category will receive a trophy and a certificate.
Finalists and winners will be featured on the DesignEuropa Awards page and in newsletters and other promotional and multimedia material published for disseminating information about this activity. Information on the company, the designers and the selected designs will also be included in press dossiers for specialised press and media, and may be used for other promotional activities organised by the Office.
