Get Recognized for Designing the Future
Industrial Design at CCA is not just about coursework—it's about preparing you to innovate, collaborate, and lead in the real world. As part of your journey, you’ll be encouraged to participate in global design competitions that align with your passions, whether that's sustainability, speculative futures, digital storytelling, or furniture design.

Our new curriculum—including Professional Practice, CoLAB Studios, and Junior Review—prepares you to confidently present your ideas, refine your storytelling, and build a portfolio that stands out. These experiences set you up to enter major competitions that celebrate bold thinking, ethical design, and advanced future design solutions that bring positive impact to people and the planet.

Industrial Design Competitions by Category

Global & Product Design

• IDEA – Industrial Designers Society of America idsa.org
• Red Dot Design Concept Award red-dot.org
• Core77 Design Awards core77.com
• James Dyson Award jamesdysonaward.com
• Spark Design Awards sparkawards.com
• Design for Asia Awards (DFAA) dfaawards.com
• Taipei International Design Award taipeidaward.taipei
• Lexus Design Award lexusdesignaward.com
• Braun Prize braun.com

Sustainability & Social Innovation

• Biodesign Challenge biodesignchallenge.org
• Wege Prize – Circular Economy Design Challenge wegeprize.org
• What Design Can Do – Make it Circular Challenge whatdesigncando.com
• UNESCO Green Citizens Campaign unesco.org
• Prototypes for Humanity prototypesforhumanity.com
• Design for Planet Challenge designcouncil.org.uk
• Global Design Graduate Show artsthread.com

Furniture & Home Design

• SIT Furniture Design Award sitaward.com
• Design Emphasis Student Furniture Competition (IWF) iwfatlanta.com
• SaloneSatellite Award salonemilano.it
• FORM Student Innovation Competition formica.com
• IFDA Educational Foundation Student Competitions ifdaef.org
• Porada Design Award porada.it
• Young Furniture Makers Awards (UK) furnituremakers.org.uk

Technology, Interaction & Innovation

• Interaction Awards – IxDA interactionawards.org
• Hackaday Prize hackaday.io
• Fast Company Innovation by Design Awards fastcompany.com
• Microsoft Imagine Cup imaginecup.microsoft.com
• NASA BIG Idea Challenge bigidea.nianet.org
• Autodesk Design for Industry Challenge autodesk.com
• IDA – International Design Awards idesignawards.com

Speculative, Future & Bio Material Design

• Speculative Futures Digital Arts Competition (ACM DAC) dac.siggraph.org
• Youth Speculative Design Competition youthspeculativedesign.com
• Make Me! Design Competition – Łódź Design Festival lodzdesign.com
• Biomimicry Youth Design Challenge youthchallenge.biomimicry.org
• Future Materials Bank (open calls & exhibitions) futurematerialsbank.com
• Material Futures / Central Saint Martins Graduate Show arts.ac.uk

Creative Emerging Voices

• The One Club – Young Guns / Young Ones / ADC / TDC oneclub.org
  WantedDesign x ICFF Launch Pad wanteddesignnyc.com
• Global Footwear Awards globalfootwearawards.com
• FIT Sport Design Awards fitsportdesignawards.com
  Andreu World International Design Contest andreuworld.com

Healthcare & Medical Design

• Stanford Longevity Design Challenge longevity.stanford.edu
• Medtronic BMES Student Design Competition bmes.org
• iF Design Student Award – Health & Wellness Category ifdesign.com
• Global Innovation Awards – IHA Student Design Competition theinspiredhomeshow.com
• The Index Award theindexproject.org

Wellness, Fitness & Sport Design

• FIT Sport Design Awards fitsportdesignawards.com
• GDUSA Health + Wellness Design Awards gdusa.com
• HD/West Elm Student Product Design Competition hospitalitydesign.com

Interaction & Service Design in Health

• CHI Student Design Competition (HCI & Health) chi2025.acm.org

Bio-Material & Speculative Health Design

• Speculative Futures Digital Arts Competition dac.siggraph.org
• Biomimicry Youth Design Challenge youthchallenge.biomimicry.org

Promote your designs by applying to design competitions. 

Stay Updated & Get Support

We’re always expanding the list. A shared doc is in progress—please check back here or email Shu Bertrand at sbertrand@cca.edu to share a competition you’ve entered or suggest one we should spotlight.

Looking to enter one of these competitions? Start preparing during Professional Practice and Junior Review

Be featured so industry professionals can find your work and your awards. Upload your latest work to the ID Student Portfolio Page (link back to #3 above - coming soon to the front of our internal site!).