The 16th International Design Contest Trieste Contemporanea is the 2026 edition of the biennial design competition organized by the Trieste Contemporanea Committee in Italy under the patronage of the Central European Initiative and ADI – Association for Industrial Design, with the collaboration of ADI’s Friuli Venezia Giulia Territorial Delegation. Established in 1995, the contest continues its focus on contemporary design from Central and Eastern Europe while inviting new proposals that connect objects, memory, and place.
For the 2026 edition, participants are asked to develop an original concept for a small functional object that preserves a personal experience of Friuli Venezia Giulia, whether lived directly or imagined. The brief emphasizes use, formal clarity, conceptual strength, and practical feasibility, and asks entrants to translate the cultural, historical, social, or landscape character of the region into a coherent design proposal. A special theme is also attached to the Venzone Special Prize, which specifically invites projects connected to Venzone and its symbolic role in post-earthquake reconstruction, resilience, and community.
The competition offers a strong platform for designers seeking international visibility through selection, exhibition, and publication rather than only through cash recognition. Selected works will be exhibited in Trieste and published in an online catalogue, while the winning designers will be invited to the award ceremony in Trieste with travel and accommodation covered by the organizer. For eligible designers from the region covered by the call, it is a focused opportunity to present an unpublished object proposal within a clearly framed cultural theme and a long-running international contest.
Entry fee: Free.
Eligibility
Open to designers of any age born in Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, or Ukraine, entering individually or in groups, with one original and previously unpublished project per individual or group.
Prize
The 2026 awards include the Gillo Dorfles Prize of €4,000 for the best overall design, the CEI Prize of €3,000 for the best design from a non-EU CEI country, the Venzone Special Prize of €2,000 for the project that best represents the special 2026 theme, and the BEBA Prize of €1,000 for the youngest individually participating designer among those selected. In addition, selected projects will be exhibited in Trieste and published in an online catalogue, and the winning designers will be invited to the award ceremony in Trieste with travel and accommodation expenses covered by Trieste Contemporanea.
