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 fees have been finalized.

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

Do I have to own the copyright of Materials for my submission?
A: Yes, you must be the legal owner of the intellectual property for the submission or have owner’s permission to submit the design.

The copyright for the submission must be either owned by the entrant, or the entry submitted on behalf of the copyright owner. Alternatively, if there are numerous designers, the copyright owners should be credited for their work in the design process.

The International Design Awards, affiliates or partners do not assume any responsibility for materials submitted in violation of competition rules or for those which violate copyright regulations. IDA will investigate claims of copyright infringement to the best of its ability, and will remove and disqualify submissions that are clearly demonstrated to violate copyright and/or competition policies. IDA will act to maintain the integrity of the competition and its affiliated entities, but is not responsible for any damages resulting from images submitted in violation with rules and regulations.

Claimants and users must understand that we are not an intellectual property tribunal. While we and our Designated Copyright Agent may in our discretion use the information provided in order to decide how to respond to infringement claims, we are not responsible for determining the merits of such claims. If a user responds to a claim of infringement by providing assurances that its content is not infringing, the user agrees that if we thereafter restore or maintain the content, the user will defend and hold us harmless from any resulting claims of infringement brought against us and our Designated Copyright Agent.

In the case of conceptual designs, it is essential to note that for the submission to comply with IDA rules, the designer must have the rights to use images from an existing brand or intellectual property and the images must be credited accordingly.

Can I use AI tools in my design submission?
A: Where AI tools have been used in the design process the work must be still considered an original design to be eligible for submission. AI tools can be incorporated in planning the design process and where appropriate in the production of physical products or structures. However if the submission is a conceptual design then it needs to be submitted into the appropriate conceptual categories.

The copyright for the submission must be either owned by the entrant, or the entry submitted on behalf of the copyright owner. Alternatively, if there are numerous designers, the copyright owners should be credited for their work in the design process.

As the AI world evolves so does our policy regarding the AI generated design submission.

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 submissions have been finalized, the members of IDA team will select the IDA OFFICIAL SELECTION, to go through to the final judging by the main jury.  This process is to select qualified entries and prepare them for jury voting. Each year, based on the points (1-100) that the jury has assigned to each entry the Jury will award the ‘Designers of the Year’, the ‘Emerging Designers of the Year’, the ‘Best of the Best’ and ‘Honorable Mentions’ across each discipline in the professional and non-professional categories.

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 their originality, function, innovation and aesthetics.  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 win.

Q: How are the ‘People’s Choice’ winners decided?
A: The non-professional entry who has received the most votes via the People’s Choice platform in each discipline, architectural, interior, product, graphic and fashion will receive a $1000 cash prize. The public vote via the IDA website ‘People’s Choice’ platform on realized or conceptual entries, based on its originality, function and innovation. Completed paid entrants will receive a link via their Member Section to share their submission to encourage people to vote for their entries. Public voters will only be able to vote once for each entry.

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 Trophies will be presented to the winners of the International Designer of the Year™ in each of the five Professional Design disciplines, and Emerging Designer of the Year Award (non-professional/student), at the Bi-Annual International Awards Gala Ceremony. All other Winners will receive two complimentary tickets to attend the Design Awards Gala Ceremony, a certificate that can be printed by going to your Members Page/Winner’s Services, as well as a downloadable logo and press release. All winning designs will 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.