You can find answers to the most frequently asked questions here, ranging from registration to costs and awards.
The Red Dot Design Award is an international design competition. The accompanying distinction “Red Dot” has become established internationally as one of the most sought-after marks of quality for good design. The award breaks down into the three different disciplines “Red Dot Award: Product Design”, “Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design” and “Red Dot Award: Design Concept”. Each competition is held once every year.
The Red Dot Award: Product Design is an international design competition whose origins date back to 1955. Manufacturers and designers from all over the globe can choose from roughly 51 categories in which to register their best products. In line with the motto “In search of good design and innovation”, a jury evaluates all of the entries and only awards a Red Dot to products that win them over with high design quality.
Products that have been manufactured using an industrial production process can be registered for the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2025. They must be available on the open market, and the market launch must have taken place or take place between 1 January 2023 and 1 July 2025. One-off hand-crafted pieces cannot take part in the competition. You can register your products in any of the 51 categories and can also enter them in one of the two metacategories “Sustainable Design” and “Innovative Design”.
Prototypes can be entered in the competition provided that the product will be brought to market by 1 July 2025. The prototypes must already be functional and ready for series production at the time of judging. If the market launch is not taking place until a later date, we recommend that you register your prototypes for the Red Dot Award: Design Concept.
You can register as many products as you like in the Red Dot Award: Product Design. However, you must complete a separate registration for each entry. A product can also be registered several times. However, please ensure that you select different main categories each time. You must complete a separate registration for each category. It is also necessary to send us an original product for each entry, as well as presentation material for judging if necessary. The latter does not apply to entries in the two metacategories “Sustainable Design” and “Innovative Design”.
Yes, you can enter a product in several categories at the same time, but not in several sub-categories within one category. You must complete a separate registration and pay separately for each entry. You need to send us an original product for each entry, as well as presentation material for judging if necessary. The latter does not apply to entries in the “Sustainable Design” and “Innovative Design” metacategories.
Product series are distinguished into product lines and product families.
Product lines are products that differ exclusively in size, colour or material. You have to submit one version in physical form. The different variants have to be presented to the jury in the form of additional digital material (images, videos, PDFs).
Product families contain products that complement each other in sales. With product families, you physically provide us with a representative selection from a maximum of four products for evaluation. With more than four components, you have to use the additional digital material to present the product family in full.
Only products that have been presented to the jury can be promoted with the Red Dot winner label, in the event of being award. Your product presentation should represent the whole product series. Different rules apply to the presentation of product families and product lines. You can find further information about this in the Guide to Success.
You can register for the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2025 from 16 September 2024 to 31 January 2025. For information on the individual registration phases, please see here.
You can use the My Red Dot portal to register for the Red Dot Award: Product Design and complete the entry forms. You will also find a list of your entries as well as all documents needed for taking part in the competition there. You can interrupt the registration at any time and continue it at a later stage.
A detailed checklist with all of the details you need to provide during registration can be found here (PDF, 107 KB).
If you are unsure which category to choose, take a look at our Winners Section. You will find all of the winners from past years sorted by category there.
The sub-categories serve to break down the main categories and provide an overview of which products can be entered in the respective categories. Please note that products win an award in the main categories and not in the sub-categories.
Metacategories are superordinate categories of the traditional categories. Currently, you can enter your products in the metacategories “Sustainable Design” or “Innovative Design”.
There is a more specific focus for assessment in the metacategories. During the jury session, products registered in these groups are first assessed holistically and then evaluated in a second walkthrough with more specific aspects in mind. While the focus of sustainable designs is on durability, adaptability, and material and energy efficiency, innovative designs, on the other hand, are evaluated by experts based on their degree of innovation. This can be reflected in technical optimisations as well as reimagined forms, new materials or a revolutionary approach to use.
If your product wins an award, you receive an individualised Red Dot winner label that clearly communicates the focus of the distinction.
You can only register in the “Sustainable Design” and “Innovative Design” metacategories as a second entry. This means that you must first register your product in one of the 51 traditional categories (except for category "Interior Architecture and Interior Design"). Once you have registered the product in the main category, a pop-up window appears where you can select whether you also want to register the product in a metacategory. If you confirm, a second registration is set up for you which you can then complete online directly. Please note that you will also be charged entry fees for this second registration. A registration in the metacategories is not possible for interior architecture and interior design projects.
The PI code is the number used to identify the product you enter in the competition. It comprises the category number, a serial number and the competition code and looks like this: 01-01234-2025PD.
Please refer to this code in all correspondence for clear allocation to your entry. Once you have completed registration, you will also receive a document with PI code labels that you must attach to the back of your entry and to the delivery packaging before sending.
The product description should present your product briefly and objectively and explain to the Red Dot Jury in just a few sentences what makes the product unique. We recommend that you do not use figurative or flowery language and that you keep the description simple, precise and informative.
You can upload additional material for each project you enter in order to give the Red Dot Jury a better insight into your product. This can take the form of images, videos or PDF files.
Yes, please provide a real-life product so that the jury can assess not just the function but also aspects such as look and feel, material, finish and ergonomics live and in situ. Exceptions are made for very large equipment and machines that are difficult to move as well as for entries in the purely digital category “Interior Architecture and Interior Design”. These entries can be assessed using digital images and videos.
The participant must pay all of the costs of postage, customs and transport insurance for the product.
Important note: Products sent from a country outside of the EU must be processed in accordance with the customs regulations for the free movement of goods Delivered Duty Paid.
After completing the registration, you will receive individual PI code and address labels by e-mail to label your product and delivery. You must attach the PI code label to the product and all accessories (e.g. remote controls or chargers). Please label the delivery with the PI code and the address labels in a visible place.
After you have registered your product in the My Red Dot portal for the Red Dot Award: Product Design, it has to be sent to the following address for judging:
Red Dot GmbH & Co. KG
Product Design
Red Dot Judging Hall
Witzlebenstr. 14
45472 Mülheim an der Ruhr
Germany
Please deliver cars and motorcycles to Essen/Mülheim airport in Germany.
Your contact person for delivery and logistics matters is Michael Franke. You can reach him by phone at +49 208 37777-87 or by e-mail at logistics(at)red-dot.de.
The delivery must arrive pre-assembled at the Red Dot Judging Hall between 10 February and 25 February 2025. It is not possible for you to assemble your product yourself.
Delivery is possible from Monday to Friday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on the dates specified above.
The service provided by our logistics team is to receive deliveries and prepare them for judging in the best possible way. The team does not assemble or mount the products.
It is not possible for you to set up your product yourself. Please contact us if you have any questions in this regard.
Track your delivery or ask for a confirmation of receipt from the shipping agent or parcel service. You can also check the delivery status in your My Red Dot account. However, it can take up to 36 hours after receipt of the delivery for the status to be updated.
Please note that your products must be delivered in a functional state so that the jury can test them. For logistic purposes, it is essential to attach the PI code label sent to you to your product. Please declare your goods stating the correct customs tariff number and use a proforma invoice (PDF, 250 KB) stating the value of your delivery.
If you want to send in a product that needs a presentation space of 3 m² or more, please send a dimensioned sketch of your entry to logistics(at)red-dot.de beforehand so that we can plan enough space for your product. Information on the fees for oversized products can be found here soon.
Please also bear in mind that the loading gates to the Red Dot Judging Hall measure 2.20 x 2.28 m.
For international deliveries of products, deliveries must include a proforma invoice. Here (PDF, 250 KB) is a template and an information sheet for correct use of the document.
In an evaluation process that spans several days, the Red Dot Jury tests, discusses and assesses each individual entry. The products are not compared directly with each other. Instead, they are evaluated on an individual basis.
Products that do not win an award must be collected by participants in the period from 14 to 25 April 2025. Exceptions apply to products for which you have chosen the “No return” or “Disposal” options during registration. In both cases, your product will be disposed of free of charge.
You must arrange collection of your product between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. from the following address:
Red Dot GmbH & Co. KG
Red Dot Judging Hall
Witzlebenstr. 14
45472 Mülheim an der Ruhr
Germany
Please note that we can only hand back your product in return for your PI code.
For vehicles, separate collection times apply.
The registration fee depends on the date on which the products are registered. You can find an overview here.
If you win an award, booking the Winner Package is mandatory. You can find an overview of the costs here.
For companies from Switzerland and Liechtenstein, the competition service is taxable and subject to VAT at a current rate of 8.1% Federal Act on Value Added Tax (“Mehrwertsteuergesetz”, “MWSTG”). For companies outside of Switzerland and Liechtenstein, the competition service is not subject to VAT.
The Red Dot is the prize for good design quality. If your product wins an award, you have the option to advertise using the Red Dot winner label, which is an ideal communication tool thanks to its global reach. Furthermore, it visibly raises the market profile of designs that have won the award. In addition, all award-winning products are presented in the Red Dot Design Yearbook and in the Red Dot Design Museum Essen as well as in the Winners section.
As soon as you have booked your Winner Package, you will receive your winner label and can publicly communicate your success and distinction. A completed booking is also automatically accompanied by a communication release for Red Dot. From this point on, we can therefore publish your award-winning product on all Red Dot channels and communicate it to the press. If you would like an embargo instead, please inform your personal Red Dot contact at the latest when booking the Winner Package. The publication in the Winners Section on the Red Dot website and in the Red Dot Design Museum will take place on the day of the award ceremony. The Red Dot Design Yearbook with all competition winners will be published in summer 2025.
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An overview of all contact persons of the Red Dot Design Award can be found here.