Berlin Design Innovation Challenge 2024

Timeline

• January 2, 2024: Start of the submission period for applications
• January 30, 2024: End of the submission period
• February 21, 2024: Announcement of the award winners

Prize Money

Prize Money In the category "International Attention," two formats will be awarded with up to €100,000 each, and one with up to €50,000.

In the category "Community Building and Knowledge Transfer," two formats will receive up to €50,000 each, and two formats will each receive up to €25,000.

A company/association can submit multiple applications in both categories and prize money tiers, but double awards for the same entry are not allowed.

Conditions

• The proposed format should be implemented in Berlin in the year 2024.
• Applicants must have at least one reference in the field of format conception and execution from the past 3 years.

The competition is open to concepts from all design disciplines (product and industrial design, UI/UX, service design, space/interior design, communication, etc.), excluding fashion design and game design.

The formats can be integrated into existing events such as the Gallery Weekend, Berlin Art Week, etc. Synergies with other partners (excluding additional public funding) and companies for scaling the formats are explicitly encouraged.

It is important to note that individual designers with individual products or services will not be awarded. Instead, the awards are for concept proposals that are open to a variety of industry actors. It is a requirement that the formats are publicly accessible or promoted to be eligible for an award.

International Audiences

In the category of "International Attention," formats will be honored that make the Berlin design scene internationally visible. Simultaneously, these formats should be particularly attractive to international (professional) visitors and participants, providing a tourist value.

Since 2006, Berlin has held the title of UNESCO City of Design, and we aim to live up to this designation. The ecosystem of startups, academia, and the creative industry in Berlin already boasts diverse and international stakeholders. However, what defines Berlin design, and how can Berlin be effectively showcased as an international design hub?

Concept proposals in the "International Audiences" category engage with these questions and present corresponding solutions.

Community-Building and Knowledge Transfer

Design serves as an intersectional industry and a focal point for cross-sectoral innovations. For innovations to emerge, there is a need for a functional ecosystem and continuous knowledge transfer within the industry, extending beyond industry boundaries.

In the category of "Community-Building and Knowledge Transfer," formats will be recognized that address B2B needs, while also providing emerging designers with the opportunity to connect with other experts and companies. This enables them to professionalize their work, address industry-wide issues, and foster cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Criteria for Project Selection

Funding Needs: The format addresses one or more relevant funding needs within the industry, and these needs are clearly articulated.

Benefit / Added Value: The format is designed to provide tangible benefits and added value for businesses and self-employed individuals in the design industry. This is achieved through tailored communication to the target audience, a suitable number and relevance of involved actors, and/or community engagement.

Trends: The format takes into account relevant, contemporary, and forward-looking trends and industry topics.

Independence and Pilot Character: The format stands out due to its originality and the adoption of new conceptual and/or content approaches.

Feasibility: The format is achievable, reasonable, of high quality, and is expected to use the prize money efficiently. This is evident from the time and cost plan.

What to Submit?

Please begin by indicating which category (Internationalization or Community-Building and Knowledge Transfer) you are submitting a proposal for. 

• The application should address the criteria for project selection outlined above. 
• Moodboard or visual representation of the format. 
• Preliminary Budget.
• De-Minimis declaration.

Terms and Conditions

All rights to the competition entry remain with the submitter. Submitting multiple competition entries is permissible. The submitter is liable to the organizers of the competition, ensuring that the competition entry does not infringe on any third-party rights. If necessary, the submitter will indemnify the competition organizers from any claims and potential expenses that may be asserted by third parties due to a breach of rights.

By submitting the entry materials, the submitter agrees that the submitted works (photographic material, etc.) may be used by the organizers and their service providers for the purposes of the competition, documentation, and reporting, and grants all necessary usage rights for this purpose. The usage right granted to the organizers is non-exclusive, but it is unlimited in time and space and covers all known and unknown forms of exploitation.

The competition organizers are entitled to share the personal data of the participants acquired during the competition, such as names or photos, with third parties, such as the media.

If the participant does not wish to have their data shared, they will inform the competition organizers in writing at the time of submission, specifying which data they wish not to be shared.

Applicants must ensure that the disbursement of prize money does not exceed the de minimis aid threshold of €200,000 within three years. Prize money is also subject to this support. Funding is not permitted if other public subsidies are claimed for the same purpose (cumulation prohibition). De Minimis threshold of the EU (version 15.12.2023)

There is no legal entitlement to the award of prize money.

In the event of an award, the prize money is intended to be paid in two installments: the first installment (50%) after the announcement of the award winners and the second installment (50%) after the event has taken place.

The winners agree to use the logo of the Senate Department for Economics, Energy, and Businesses, as well as that of Project Zukunft, in the implementation of their concepts.

The winners also commit to making themselves available for public relations efforts by the Senate Department for Economics, Energy, and Businesses and/or Project Zukunft. This may include activities such as interviews, videos, accompanying reports on the formats, and more.