Account Types

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List of account types are given below. You will notice that each account has certain benefits as well as a different pricing for nomination fees. For all accounts, registration, submission and preliminary score is free of charge.

World Brand Account: Designed specifically for globally renowned corporations, multinational market leaders, industry-dominant brands, and enterprises with exceptional international recognition and influence. The World Brand Account Type exclusively supports world-class brands and elite commercial entities distinguished by global market dominance, extraordinary organizational scale, exceptional brand equity, and extensive international commercial, industrial, or service-oriented operations with profound worldwide impact.

World Brand	Special Benefits Complementary PR Push (World Brand) Complementary Portfolio Evaluation (World Brand) Promote Designers & Get Discounted Participation (World Brand) Inclusion in Rankings (World Brand)
	Good to Know Free Registration, Free Submission, Free Preliminary Score Campaign Rates & Nomination Packages (World Brand) No Contractually Obligated Winner Fees for Professional, Digital & Vision Edition Entries
	⚐ Yearbook Name Limit : 3*, Team-Member Limit: 800
	Nomination Fees • Highest when compared to other account types.

Table 1. World Brand Account Type Nomination Fees
	PRO-EDITION	DIGITAL-EDITION	VISION-EDITION	CLASSIC-EDITION
EARLY	13.555 €	5.080 €	2.595 €	1.755 €
STANDARD	16.300 €	6.095 €	3.110 €	2.095 €
LATE	18.865 €	7.085 €	3.605 €	2.435 €
JOIN NOW:	JOIN PRO Take part in the A' Design Award via Professional Entry by obtaining a Pro-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN DIGITAL Take part in the A' Design Award via Digital Entry by obtaining a Digital-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN SMART Take part in the A' Design Award via Smart Entry by obtaining a Vision-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN CLASSIC Take part in the A' Design Award via Classic Entry by obtaining an Industry-Standard-Nomination Ticket now.

Eligibility Conditions: Open exclusively to globally recognized corporations, multinational conglomerates, industry-leading commercial enterprises, and iconic brands with extensive international presence, exceptional market influence, and substantial operational scale on a global level. Eligible entities typically include multinational industry leaders, globally influential corporations, internationally renowned service providers, elite commercial brands, and enterprises demonstrating outstanding global reach and recognition.

Restrictions: Brand names may appear in the yearbook, certificates, exhibition posters, design rankings, screen presentations, and profile details, but cannot be used on gala-badges. For all accounts, for nomination pathways eligible for gala participation, gala-badges must exclusively display the personal legal names of attending individuals who choose to participate in the gala event. For registration and invoicing purposes, an institutional or corporate email address and a valid company registration number, VAT number, or corporate identification number should be provided. Up to three (3) entity names may be listed in the yearbook, certificates, exhibition posters, gala-badges, design rankings, screen presentations, or profile details. If space is limited, excessively long names might be abbreviated or shortened as necessary. The maximum team size allowed is eight hundred (800) members, including the account owner; thus, no more than eight hundred (800) entities may be listed in the team members section of design details.

Clarifications: The purpose of the World Brand Account Type is specifically to support and promote globally renowned corporations, multinational market leaders, industry-dominant brands, and enterprises recognized for their exceptional international market influence, extraordinary global operational scale, and outstanding commercial or service-oriented achievements worldwide. If your project's team size exceeds eight hundred (800) members, submissions are still permitted; however, additional charges for printing extra certificates may apply, calculated at production cost plus 25%. To clarify, you will not be automatically charged for extra printed certificates unless you specifically request more than 800 printed certificates; otherwise, only the first 800 certificates will be printed (applicable only if your team exceeds 800 members, and if you select an entry method such as Professional Account Type, and if you participate in the gala event to retrieve your winner kit). For Digital Edition entries, up to 800 certificates can be downloaded automatically; additional digital certificates beyond this limit can be manually requested, incurring charges calculated at production cost plus 25%. The World Brand Account Type represents the highest classification tier, and there are intentionally no further upward escalation thresholds because this tier accommodates the largest global corporations without additional restrictions. If multiple World Brand-tier entities collaborate on a single submission, consider using the Business Consortium Account Type to reflect the multi-entity collaborative nature of such submissions. World Brand classification acknowledges the submitting entity's position as a major global corporation with substantial market influence, organizational scale, and commercial operations worldwide. Submissions are welcome from all qualifying major brands regardless of specific revenue levels beyond the 500 Million EUR minimum. World Brands are expected to submit their own original creative, design, and innovation work; submissions created by third-party agencies, consultancies, or external partners should be evaluated for whether the submitting entity or the creating agency is the more appropriate submitter of record.

Big Brand Account: Designed specifically for major commercial brands, established corporations, market-leading enterprises, and large-scale businesses across various sectors. The Big Brand Account Type supports globally recognized brands and influential commercial entities distinguished by exceptional market leadership, significant organizational scale, prominent brand equity, and expansive commercial or service-oriented operations with considerable impact at national or international levels.

Big Brand	Special Benefits Complementary PR Push (Big Brand) Complementary Portfolio Evaluation (Big Brand) Promote Designers & Get Discounted Participation (Big Brand) Inclusion in Rankings (Big Brand)
	Good to Know Free Registration, Free Submission, Free Preliminary Score Campaign Rates & Nomination Packages (Big Brand) No Contractually Obligated Winner Fees for Professional, Digital & Vision Edition Entries
	⚐ Yearbook Name Limit : 3*, Team-Member Limit: 500
	Nomination Fees • Very High when compared to other account types.

Table 3. Big Brand Account Type Nomination Fees
	PRO-EDITION	DIGITAL-EDITION	VISION-EDITION	CLASSIC-EDITION
EARLY	6.970 €	2.610 €	1.330 €	900 €
STANDARD	8.360 €	3.130 €	1.600 €	1.070 €
LATE	9.700 €	3.670 €	1.870 €	1.270 €
JOIN NOW:	JOIN PRO Take part in the A' Design Award via Professional Entry by obtaining a Pro-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN DIGITAL Take part in the A' Design Award via Digital Entry by obtaining a Digital-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN SMART Take part in the A' Design Award via Smart Entry by obtaining a Vision-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN CLASSIC Take part in the A' Design Award via Classic Entry by obtaining an Industry-Standard-Nomination Ticket now.

Eligibility Conditions: Open exclusively to major commercial brands, large-scale corporations, established businesses, and market-leading enterprises characterized by significant commercial activity, influential market status, substantial organizational scale, and wide geographic reach, regardless of specific industry or service sector. Eligible entities typically include major brands, influential commercial enterprises, sizable corporations, market leaders, and nationally or internationally recognized businesses with prominent visibility.

Restrictions: Brand names may appear in the yearbook, certificates, exhibition posters, design rankings, screen presentations, and profile details, but cannot be used on gala-badges. For all accounts, for nomination pathways eligible for gala participation, gala-badges must exclusively display the personal legal names of attending individuals who choose to participate in the gala event. For registration and invoicing purposes, an institutional or corporate email address and a valid company registration number, VAT number, or corporate identification number should be provided. Up to three (3) entity names may be listed in the yearbook, certificates, exhibition posters, gala-badges, design rankings, screen presentations, or profile details. If space is limited, excessively long names might be abbreviated or shortened as necessary. The maximum team size allowed is eighty (80) members, including the account owner; thus, no more than eighty (80) entities may be listed in the team members section of design details.

Clarifications: If you have more than five hundred (500) team members choose the World Brand Account Type instead. If your submission represents a collaboration between multiple major commercial entities whose combined annual revenue exceeds 500 Million EUR, select the World Brand Account Type instead. If your brand's annual revenue equals or exceeds 500 Million EUR, select the World Brand Account Type instead. If your brand is part of a multinational holding structure whose parent company turnover exceeds 3 Billion EUR, whose parent workforce exceeds 12,000 personnel, whose own organizational workforce exceeds 5,000 personnel, whose founder net worth exceeds 10 Billion EUR, or whose establishment capital exceeds 1 Billion EUR, please select the World Brand Account Type to accurately reflect the ultimate corporate scale. Note that having 12,000 parent-level personnel or 5,000 organizational personnel generally indicates operations at World Brand scale, as these workforce levels typically accompany commercial activity at the 500 Million EUR and above turnover level that defines the World Brand tier. Brands operating as divisions of global mega-conglomerates whose combined parent structure substantively exceeds Big Brand tier thresholds should escalate to World Brand classification regardless of the specific division's reported standalone revenue. Joint ventures between Big Brand and World Brand tier entities should typically classify at the World Brand tier reflecting the largest participant's scale. Transfer pricing or internal billing arrangements designed to report Big Brand tier revenue while actual economic activity reflects World Brand scale do not alter underlying classification requirements. Creator entities combined assets are intentionally uncapped at this tier because Big Brand is already a high-tier classification; however, if your creator entities profile genuinely reflects World Brand scale operations, please classify accordingly.

Business Consortium Account: Designed specifically for multinational corporations, business consortia, enterprise alliances, large-scale corporate collaborations, or very large enterprises, the Business Consortium Account Type provides complimentary PR Push and Portfolio Evaluation Services, as well as strategic visibility opportunities, to effectively showcase and promote major corporate initiatives, projects, and products.

Business Consortium	Special Benefits Complementary PR Push (Business Consortium) Complementary Portfolio Evaluation (Business Consortium) Promote Designers & Get Discounted Participation (Business Consortium) Inclusion in Rankings (Business Consortium)
	Good to Know Free Registration, Free Submission, Free Preliminary Score Campaign Rates & Nomination Packages (Business Consortium) No Contractually Obligated Winner Fees for Professional, Digital & Vision Edition Entries
	⚐ Yearbook Name Limit : 3*, Team-Member Limit: 500
	Nomination Fees • Very High when compared to other account types.

Table 5. Business Consortium Account Type Nomination Fees
	PRO-EDITION	DIGITAL-EDITION	VISION-EDITION	CLASSIC-EDITION
EARLY	4.130 €	1.370 €	689 €	459 €
STANDARD	4.860 €	1.825 €	919 €	609 €
LATE	5.585 €	2.280 €	1.139 €	759 €
JOIN NOW:	JOIN PRO Take part in the A' Design Award via Professional Entry by obtaining a Pro-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN DIGITAL Take part in the A' Design Award via Digital Entry by obtaining a Digital-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN SMART Take part in the A' Design Award via Smart Entry by obtaining a Vision-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN CLASSIC Take part in the A' Design Award via Classic Entry by obtaining an Industry-Standard-Nomination Ticket now.

Eligibility Conditions: Open exclusively to large-scale enterprises, multinational corporations, business consortiums, enterprise partnerships, mega-corporations, conglomerates, large holding companies, enterprise groups, corporate alliances, or any commercial collaboration consisting of multiple enterprises jointly undertaking design-related projects, innovations, developments, products, or services. Eligible entities typically include major manufacturers, technology corporations, automotive companies, consumer goods producers, luxury and lifestyle brands, hospitality chains, retail groups, financial institutions, global licensors, large-scale real estate development companies, engineering firms, construction corporations, infrastructure companies, multinational service providers, megacorporations, big lifestyle brands and other enterprises or business entities with annual revenues or annual expenditures exceeding 250 Million EUR.

Restrictions: Brand names, corporate names, or consortium entity names may appear in yearbooks, certificates, exhibition posters, design rankings, screen presentations, and profile details (up to three (3) entity names permitted, clearly identifying the primary business consortium or participating entities). Entity names may be abbreviated or shortened if space limitations apply. Brand names cannot appear on gala-badges. For all accounts, for nomination pathways eligible for gala participation, gala-badges must exclusively display the personal legal names of attending individuals who choose to participate in the gala event. Institutional or corporate email addresses should be used for registration, and official identification numbers (company registration number, VAT number, or corporate ID) are required for invoicing purposes. The maximum allowed team size is five hundred (500) members, including all designers, employees, representatives, executives, or collaborators listed in the design details.

Clarifications: The Business Consortium Account Type specifically accommodates large-scale commercial collaborations, corporate groups, multinational enterprises, or business consortia undertaking significant projects with substantial investments, extensive resources, or global market reach, ensuring appropriate classification and fair competition. If your company's annual revenue equals or exceeds 100 Million EUR but is less than 250 Million EUR, choose the Business Consortium Account Type. If your company's annual revenue equals or exceeds 250 Million EUR but is less than 500 Million EUR, choose the Big Brand Account Type. If your company's annual revenue equals or exceeds 500 Million EUR, choose the World Brand Account Type. If your business consortium is itself part of a larger corporate structure, holding group, or multinational conglomerate whose parent company turnover exceeds 2 Billion EUR or whose parent workforce exceeds 10,000 personnel, or whose own organizational workforce exceeds 5,000 personnel, please select the Big Brand or World Brand Account Type matching the ultimate holding structure's scale. The Business Consortium Account Type is for the 100 Million EUR to 250 Million EUR combined turnover tier; consortiums with greater combined scale must escalate accordingly. If your business consortium consists of separately-incorporated divisions of a single corporate parent rather than a genuine collaboration between independent enterprises, the submission should be classified according to the corporate parent's actual tier rather than the nominal consortium structure. Consortium structures specifically created to fragment what is effectively single-corporation activity into artificially smaller reported scales do not qualify for Business Consortium classification at lower tiers than the parent warrants. Genuine consortiums combining independent enterprises must classify according to the combined scale of all participating entities, not merely the smallest or nominally-leading participant. If the consortium was formed within the past year specifically for a submission without substantive independent operational history, additional verification of the collaborative structure may be required.

Enterprise Account: Designed for the needs of big enterprises in mind, Enterprise Account Type comes with a complimentary PR Push and Portfolio Evaluation Service.

Enterprise	Special Benefits Complementary PR Push (Enterprise) Complementary Portfolio Evaluation (Enterprise) Promote Designers & Get Discounted Participation (Enterprise) Inclusion in Rankings (Enterprise)
	Good to Know Free Registration, Free Submission, Free Preliminary Score Campaign Rates & Nomination Packages (Enterprise) No Contractually Obligated Winner Fees for Professional, Digital & Vision Edition Entries
	⚐ Yearbook Name Limit : 3*, Team-Member Limit: 80
	Nomination Fees • High when compared to other account types.

Table 7. Enterprise Account Type Nomination Fees
	PRO-EDITION	DIGITAL-EDITION	VISION-EDITION	CLASSIC-EDITION
EARLY	2.430 €	910 €	459 €	309 €
STANDARD	2.915 €	1.215 €	609 €	409 €
LATE	3.400 €	1.520 €	759 €	509 €
JOIN NOW:	JOIN PRO Take part in the A' Design Award via Professional Entry by obtaining a Pro-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN DIGITAL Take part in the A' Design Award via Digital Entry by obtaining a Digital-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN SMART Take part in the A' Design Award via Smart Entry by obtaining a Vision-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN CLASSIC Take part in the A' Design Award via Classic Entry by obtaining an Industry-Standard-Nomination Ticket now.

Eligibility Conditions: Open to commercial enterprises generating profits through the sale, production, licensing, or distribution of products or services, including manufacturers, real estate development companies, construction firms, factories, technology corporations, automotive companies, consumer goods producers, hospitality and retail chains, financial service providers, licensors, and other recognized large-scale brands or corporations with annual revenues exceeding 2 Million EUR.

Restrictions: Brand names may appear in the yearbook, certificates, exhibition posters, design rankings, screen presentations, and profile details, but cannot be used on gala-badges. For all accounts, for nomination pathways eligible for gala participation, gala-badges must exclusively display the personal legal names of attending individuals who choose to participate in the gala event. For registration and invoicing purposes, an institutional or corporate email address and a valid company registration number, VAT number, or corporate identification number should be provided. Up to three (3) entity names may be listed in the yearbook, certificates, exhibition posters, gala-badges, design rankings, screen presentations, or profile details. If space is limited, excessively long names might be abbreviated or shortened as necessary. The maximum team size allowed is forty (40) members, including the account owner; thus, no more than forty (40) entities may be listed in the team members section of design details.

Clarifications: If you have more than forty (40) team members, if your project is a collaboration between multiple enterprises, or if your company's annual revenue exceeds or equal to 100 Million EUR, choose the Business Consortium Account Type instead. A single enterprise with annual revenue or expenditures of 100 Million EUR or more must select the Business Consortium Account Type, even if not collaborating with other enterprises. If your company's annual revenue exceeds or equal to 250 Million EUR, choose the Big Brand Account Type. If your company's annual revenue exceeds or equal to 500 Million EUR, choose the World Brand Account Type. To ensure accurate classification and prevent larger entities from submitting under Enterprise pricing, additional anti-exploitation thresholds apply: if your Enterprise is a subsidiary, division, branch, affiliate, or portfolio company of a larger parent corporation, holding company, private equity firm, hedge fund, family office, or investment group whose annual turnover exceeds 500 Million EUR, whose workforce exceeds 4,000 personnel, whose combined creator entity assets exceed 500 Million EUR, or whose establishment capital exceeds 1 Billion EUR, you must select the Big Brand, World Brand, or Business Consortium Account Type corresponding accurately to the parent entity's actual profile. Additionally, if your own organization's workforce exceeds 2,000 personnel including all full-time employees, part-time workers, contractors, freelancers, and outsourced personnel, the submission should be classified at a higher tier. The term Creator Entities as referenced throughout these thresholds encompasses the full scope of ultimate beneficial ownership and control, including founders and co-founders, majority shareholders, controlling stakeholders holding ownership or effective control exceeding 25 percent, silent investors with substantive decision-making influence, parent holding companies at all levels of the corporate structure, investing funds including venture capital firms, private equity groups, and hedge funds, family offices, institutional investors, and any other entities that ultimately control or direct the submitting enterprise. Transfer pricing arrangements, internal billing schemes, or artificial revenue recognition timing designed to reduce reported turnover to qualify for this Account Type constitute misclassification. Similarly, creating shell Enterprise-tier subsidiaries specifically to access Enterprise Account pricing while operating as arms of substantially larger corporations is not permitted. Joint ventures between entities of different scales should be classified according to the largest participating entity's tier rather than the nominal JV revenue, when the JV effectively provides access to the larger participant's resources. If your entity was acquired by a larger parent during the competition period, your Account Type at the time of submission must reflect your current parent structure. These thresholds are intentionally generous and are designed to catch only clear misclassification, not to punish legitimate Enterprise-scale operations.

Manufacturing Brand Account: Designed specifically for established manufacturing enterprises, production companies, factories, large manufacturing plants, and commercial manufacturing brands actively involved in original product design, large-scale creative manufacturing, and innovative product development. The Manufacturing Brand Account Type distinctly caters to sizable manufacturing operations and commercial production facilities recognized for significant production capacities, established market presence, and ongoing commitment to design innovation and creative excellence.

Manufacturing Brand	Special Benefits Complementary PR Push (Manufacturing Brand) Complementary Portfolio Evaluation (Manufacturing Brand) Promote Designers & Get Discounted Participation (Manufacturing Brand) Inclusion in Rankings (Manufacturing Brand)
	Good to Know Free Registration, Free Submission, Free Preliminary Score Campaign Rates & Nomination Packages (Manufacturing Brand) No Contractually Obligated Winner Fees for Professional, Digital & Vision Edition Entries
	⚐ Yearbook Name Limit : 1+1*, Team-Member Limit: 8
	Nomination Fees • Above Average when compared to other account types.

Table 9. Manufacturing Brand Account Type Nomination Fees
	PRO-EDITION	DIGITAL-EDITION	VISION-EDITION	CLASSIC-EDITION
EARLY	1.925 €	725 €	370 €	250 €
STANDARD	2.315 €	875 €	450 €	300 €
LATE	2.685 €	995 €	515 €	350 €
JOIN NOW:	JOIN PRO Take part in the A' Design Award via Professional Entry by obtaining a Pro-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN DIGITAL Take part in the A' Design Award via Digital Entry by obtaining a Digital-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN SMART Take part in the A' Design Award via Smart Entry by obtaining a Vision-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN CLASSIC Take part in the A' Design Award via Classic Entry by obtaining an Industry-Standard-Nomination Ticket now.

Eligibility Conditions: Open exclusively to established manufacturing enterprises, large-scale factories, production companies, major manufacturing plants, and recognized commercial manufacturing brands whose primary operations focus on original product design, large-scale creative manufacturing, innovative product development, and market-oriented production. Eligible entities typically include sizable factories, well-established production facilities, significant manufacturing companies, and industrial brands with notable commercial operations and substantial production volumes.

Restrictions: Brand names may appear in the yearbook, certificates, exhibition posters, design rankings, screen presentations, and profile details, but cannot be used on gala-badges. For all accounts, for nomination pathways eligible for gala participation, gala-badges must exclusively display the personal legal names of attending individuals who choose to participate in the gala event. For registration and invoicing purposes, an institutional or corporate email address and a valid company registration number, VAT number, or corporate identification number should be provided. Up to two (2) entity names may be listed in the yearbook, certificates, exhibition posters, gala-badges, design rankings, screen presentations, or profile details. If space is limited, excessively long names might be abbreviated or shortened as necessary. The maximum project team size allowed is eight (8) members, including the account owner; thus, no more than eight (8) entities may be listed in the team members section of design details.

Clarifications: The purpose of the Manufacturing Brand Account Type is specifically to support and promote established manufacturing enterprises, sizable factories, production companies, and commercial manufacturing brands significantly engaged in original product design, large-scale creative manufacturing, and innovative product development, typically characterized by significant operational scale, market presence, and commercial influence. If your project's team size exceeds eight (8) members, select the Enterprise Account Type instead; if your project's team size exceeds forty (40) members, select the Business Consortium Account Type instead, unless your annual revenue corresponds explicitly to a higher-tier account type. If your submission represents a collaboration between multiple manufacturing entities, select the Business Consortium Account Type instead. You can only submit products directly created, originally designed, developed, and commercially manufactured by your brand or enterprise; submissions cannot include products for which you act merely as a manufacturer, producer, or supplier without original creative ownership or explicit Intellectual Property rights. If your enterprise's annual revenue equals or exceeds 2 Million EUR, select the Enterprise Account Type instead. If your enterprise's annual revenue equals or exceeds 100 Million EUR, select the Business Consortium Account Type instead. If your enterprise's annual revenue equals or exceeds 250 Million EUR, select the Big Brand Account Type instead. If your enterprise's annual revenue equals or exceeds 500 Million EUR, select the World Brand Account Type instead. Works created on behalf of third-party commercial clients, external entities, or other brands cannot be submitted unless you explicitly hold rights to the Intellectual Property. Manufacturing Brands that are subsidiaries, sub-brands, or divisions of larger manufacturing conglomerates, industrial groups, or consumer goods corporations must use the Account Type matching the parent organization's profile. For Manufacturing Brand eligibility beyond the primary criteria, parent company turnover must not exceed 100 Million EUR, parent workforce must not exceed 6,000 personnel, organization workforce must not exceed 3,000 personnel, founder household net worth must not exceed 50 Million EUR, creator entities combined assets must not exceed 50 Million EUR, and establishment capital must not exceed 5 Million EUR. If any threshold is exceeded, escalate to Enterprise, Business Consortium, Big Brand, or World Brand Account Type as appropriate. Sub-brand strategies where major consumer goods companies create separately-marketed sub-brands appearing independent while operating with parent company resources, IP, distribution, and marketing must classify according to the parent corporation's actual scale. Manufacturing Brands acquired by larger corporations during the competition period must reflect their current ownership structure. Licensing arrangements where the Manufacturing Brand primarily licenses designs from or to larger entities should evaluate where the substantive creative and manufacturing activity actually occurs.

Media Conglomerate Account: Designed specifically for very large media organizations, major media networks, multinational publishing groups, broadcasting corporations, or collaborations between multiple media entities, the Media Conglomerate Account Type provides complimentary entry opportunities exclusively in exchange for editorial coverage of other winners' awarded projects, as well as complimentary Portfolio Evaluation Services.

Media Conglomerate	Special Benefits Pressroom, Press Panel & Functionality (Media Conglomerate) Article Sponsorship for The Award (Media Conglomerate) Article Sponsorship for The Winners (Media Conglomerate) Design Award Jury Invitation (Media Conglomerate) Inclusion in Rankings (Media Conglomerate)
	Good to Know Free Registration, Free Submission, Free Preliminary Score Campaign Rates & Nomination Packages (Media Conglomerate) No Contractually Obligated Winner Fees for Professional, Digital & Vision Edition Entries
	⚐ Yearbook Name Limit : 1+2*, Team-Member Limit: 80
	Nomination Fees • Above Average when compared to other account types.

Table 11. Media Conglomerate Account Type Nomination Fees
	PRO-EDITION	DIGITAL-EDITION	VISION-EDITION	CLASSIC-EDITION
EARLY	1.745 €	485 €	249 €	169 €
STANDARD	2.005 €	645 €	329 €	219 €
LATE	2.265 €	810 €	409 €	269 €
JOIN NOW:	JOIN PRO Take part in the A' Design Award via Professional Entry by obtaining a Pro-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN DIGITAL Take part in the A' Design Award via Digital Entry by obtaining a Digital-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN SMART Take part in the A' Design Award via Smart Entry by obtaining a Vision-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN CLASSIC Take part in the A' Design Award via Classic Entry by obtaining an Industry-Standard-Nomination Ticket now.

Eligibility Conditions: Open exclusively to officially recognized large-scale media organizations, major media networks, multinational publishing houses, broadcasting corporations, television and radio networks, large digital media platforms, international magazine groups, major newspapers, global online news platforms, podcast networks, editorial syndicates, and similar large-scale media entities actively involved in independently producing editorial content, news, design stories, lifestyle journalism, arts and cultural coverage, architectural features, technology reporting, innovation journalism, and related fields. Corporate promotional publications, advertorial-driven media channels, purely commercial or promotional media outlets, private institutional newsletters, or religious publications are not eligible.

Restrictions: Must register using the official media conglomerate name or abbreviation for yearbooks, certificates, exhibition posters, design rankings, screen presentations, and profile details (up to three (3) entity names permitted, clearly identifying the primary conglomerate or participating media entities). If space is limited, excessively long names might be abbreviated or shortened as necessary. Brand names cannot appear on gala-badges. Organizational email addresses should be used for registration purposes. Official identification numbers (company registration number, VAT number, or corporate ID) are required for invoicing purposes. The maximum allowed team size is eighty (80) members, including journalists, editors, producers, contributors, correspondents, or staff listed in the design details.

Clarifications: If your media entity or team size consists of fewer than twenty (20) members and does not represent a large-scale media conglomerate or collaboration, select the Media Account Type instead. Media Conglomerate Account holders must submit only original editorial content or publications created directly by the conglomerate or by its affiliated media entities, including editorial features, journalistic reports, original multimedia content, podcasts, editorial photography, special magazine editions, newspapers, digital content, original interactive journalism, or similar independent journalistic productions. Content created on behalf of third-party advertisers, sponsors, external brands, or promotional clients must be submitted using Account Types accurately corresponding to the client's organizational profile and annual revenue or expenditure (e.g., Enterprise or Business Consortium), rather than using the Media Conglomerate Account Type. If your annual turnover exceeds 100 Million EUR, select the Business Consortium Account Type instead. If your company's annual revenue exceeds or equal to 250 Million EUR, choose the Big Brand Account Type. If your company's annual revenue exceeds or equal to 500 Million EUR, choose the World Brand Account Type. Media Conglomerate Account holders are encouraged, though not legally obliged, to feature A' Design Award winners, designers, projects, or competition-related news, independently selecting featured content at their sole discretion. The Media Conglomerate Account Type specifically exists to facilitate extensive press coverage by large media entities capable of providing significant journalistic exposure, editorial quality, and public impact, thereby helping promote design excellence on a large scale. If your media conglomerate is itself part of a larger entertainment, telecommunications, or media holding structure whose parent company turnover exceeds 1 Billion EUR, whose parent workforce exceeds 20,000 personnel, whose own organizational workforce exceeds 10,000 personnel, or whose creator entities combined assets exceed 1 Billion EUR, you must use the Business Consortium, Big Brand, or World Brand Account Type matching the ultimate holding structure's actual profile. Editorial divisions of mega-conglomerates submitting under fragmented Media Conglomerate classification do not accurately reflect the actual scale of resources supporting their operations. Submissions by media conglomerates must consist of their own original editorial and media production work, not content created for or by advertising clients, sponsors, or third-party commercial interests. Transfer pricing arrangements or internal billing schemes designed to reduce reported turnover at the conglomerate level to qualify for this Account Type when actual economic activity reflects larger scale constitute misclassification.

Agency Cooperation Account: Designed specifically for very large creative agencies, major design firms, multinational creative consultancies, or collaborations involving multiple creative agencies, the Agency Cooperation Account Type provides complimentary Portfolio Evaluation Services and strategic visibility to effectively showcase and promote major collaborative creative projects.

Agency Cooperation	Special Benefits Complementary Portfolio Evaluation (Agency Cooperation) Promote Designers & Get Discounted Participation (Agency Cooperation) Inclusion in Rankings (Agency Cooperation)
	Good to Know Free Registration, Free Submission, Free Preliminary Score Campaign Rates & Nomination Packages (Agency Cooperation) No Contractually Obligated Winner Fees for Professional, Digital & Vision Edition Entries
	⚐ Yearbook Name Limit : 1+2*, Team-Member Limit: 40
	Nomination Fees • Above Average when compared to other account types.

Table 13. Agency Cooperation Account Type Nomination Fees
	PRO-EDITION	DIGITAL-EDITION	VISION-EDITION	CLASSIC-EDITION
EARLY	1.745 €	485 €	249 €	169 €
STANDARD	2.005 €	645 €	329 €	219 €
LATE	2.265 €	810 €	409 €	269 €
JOIN NOW:	JOIN PRO Take part in the A' Design Award via Professional Entry by obtaining a Pro-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN DIGITAL Take part in the A' Design Award via Digital Entry by obtaining a Digital-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN SMART Take part in the A' Design Award via Smart Entry by obtaining a Vision-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN CLASSIC Take part in the A' Design Award via Classic Entry by obtaining an Industry-Standard-Nomination Ticket now.

Eligibility Conditions: Open exclusively to very large creative agencies, major design studios, multinational advertising agencies, branding agencies, innovation consultancies, industrial design firms, architecture offices, interior design firms, creative strategy agencies, PR companies, digital media studios, interactive design studios, engineering consultancies, marketing consultancies, photography studios, fashion houses, creative production companies, and similar creative service providers whose core competency is directly creating original design and creative content for their own clients. The Agency Cooperation Account Type specifically accommodates either individual very large creative agencies or multiple agencies collaborating together on design-related projects or creative initiatives.

Restrictions: Agency or collaborative entity names may appear in yearbooks, certificates, exhibition posters, design rankings, screen presentations, and profile details (up to three (3) entity names permitted, clearly identifying the primary creative agency, collaborating entities, or joint agency cooperation). If space is limited, excessively long names might be abbreviated or shortened as necessary. Agency names, company names or brand names cannot appear on gala-badges. Institutional or corporate email addresses should be used for registration purposes, and official identification numbers (company registration number, VAT number, or corporate ID) are required for invoicing purposes. Maximum allowed team size is forty (40) members, including all designers, creative directors, employees, executives, or collaborators listed in the design details.

Clarifications: If your agency or collaborative team consists of fewer than twenty (20) members and is not a large-scale agency collaboration, select the Agency Account Type instead. If your annual revenue exceeds 2 Million EUR, select the Enterprise Account Type; if your annual revenue or expenditures exceed 100 Million EUR, select the Business Consortium Account Type. If your annual revenue exceeds or equal to 250 Million EUR, choose the Big Brand Account Type. If your annual revenue exceeds or equal to 500 Million EUR, choose the World Brand Account Type. Agency Cooperation Account holders must submit only original creative work, designs, campaigns, products, or initiatives created directly by their own agency or agencies in direct cooperation. Projects created or commissioned by external enterprises, brands, corporate groups, third-party clients, or consortiums must be submitted under appropriate Account Types (e.g., Enterprise, Business Consortium) accurately matching the actual profile, annual revenue, or expenditure of the client. The Agency Cooperation Account Type specifically exists to support, and promote large-scale creative collaborations and very large agencies producing original creative content, ensuring fairness and appropriate classification, and preventing misuse by smaller agencies, single freelancers, external consultants, or well-funded commercial entities. If your agency cooperation represents collaboration between agencies whose combined parent network exceeds 500 Million EUR in parent turnover, whose parent workforce exceeds 8,000 personnel, whose own organizational workforce exceeds 4,000 personnel, or whose creator entities combined assets exceed 500 Million EUR, you must use the Business Consortium, Big Brand, or World Brand Account Type matching the ultimate holding structure's scale. If your cooperation consists of multiple agency subsidiaries of a single global agency network rather than genuine independent agencies collaborating, classification should reflect the parent network's actual tier rather than the nominal subsidiary scale. Fragmentation of single-network activity into multiple subsidiary Agency Cooperation submissions to access lower-tier pricing does not accurately reflect the collaborative work's underlying scale. Genuine agency cooperation involves independent agencies of different ownership collaborating on specific projects; subsidiary-to-subsidiary cooperation within the same holding network should classify according to the network's actual profile.

Institutional Alliance Account: Designed specifically for very large non-profit organizations or collaborations between multiple not-for-profit entities, the Institutional Alliance Account Type provides discounted entry fees, supportive services, and participation opportunities through patronage or membership referral programs, helping large-scale non-profits promote impactful initiatives and collaborative projects.

Institutional Alliance	Special Benefits Patronage Program (Institutional Alliance) Refer to Members (Institutional Alliance) Inclusion in Rankings (Institutional Alliance)
	Good to Know Free Registration, Free Submission, Free Preliminary Score Campaign Rates & Nomination Packages (Institutional Alliance) No Contractually Obligated Winner Fees for Professional, Digital & Vision Edition Entries
	⚐ Yearbook Name Limit : 1+2*, Team-Member Limit: 40
	Nomination Fees • Above Average when compared to other account types.

Table 15. Institutional Alliance Account Type Nomination Fees
	PRO-EDITION	DIGITAL-EDITION	VISION-EDITION	CLASSIC-EDITION
EARLY	1.700 €	455 €	229 €	159 €
STANDARD	1.940 €	610 €	309 €	209 €
LATE	2.185 €	765 €	389 €	259 €
JOIN NOW:	JOIN PRO Take part in the A' Design Award via Professional Entry by obtaining a Pro-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN DIGITAL Take part in the A' Design Award via Digital Entry by obtaining a Digital-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN SMART Take part in the A' Design Award via Smart Entry by obtaining a Vision-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN CLASSIC Take part in the A' Design Award via Classic Entry by obtaining an Industry-Standard-Nomination Ticket now.

Eligibility Conditions: Open exclusively to legally registered non-profit organizations, charitable entities, foundations, trusts, cooperatives, associations, cultural institutions, public-interest groups, educational organizations, government-sponsored non-profit institutions, and similar entities officially recognized as tax-exempt by relevant tax authorities or governments. Institutional Alliance Account Type is intended for very large non-profit entities, collaborations between multiple registered non-profit organizations, or alliances formed specifically to undertake joint design-related projects or initiatives that advance common public, cultural, social, educational, or charitable objectives. Institutional Alliance Account Type may also be used by government bodies or collaborations between governmental and non-profit organizations when jointly executing design, cultural, educational, or social development projects for public benefit.

Restrictions: Institutional names or official entity names may appear in yearbooks, certificates, exhibition posters, design rankings, screen presentations, and profile details, up to three (3) entity names permitted, with at least one entity name clearly identifying the primary institutional alliance or the main non-profit organization. Entity names may be abbreviated or shortened if space limitations apply. Brand or institution names cannot appear on gala-badges. Institutional or organizational email addresses should be used for registration, and official identification numbers (registration number, VAT number, or corporate ID) are required for invoicing purposes. Maximum allowed team size is forty (40) members, including project leaders, representatives, staff, or collaborators listed in the design details.

Clarifications: If your submission involves fewer than ten (10) team members and does not represent a large institutional collaboration, select the Non-Profit Account Type instead. Institutional Alliance Account holders must submit only original projects, initiatives, or campaigns created directly by the institutional alliance, non-profit partnership, or group collaboration for public benefit or institutional goals. Works created by third-party designers, agencies, consultants, or independent professionals commissioned by non-profits must be submitted using the appropriate Agency, Enterprise, or Business Consortium Account Types, accurately matching the actual profile and annual expenditure of the external creator or provider. Institutional Alliance Account Type is not intended for commercial entities, corporate-funded non-profits, private enterprises, or businesses undertaking pro bono or sponsored non-profit projects. The Institutional Alliance Account Type specifically subsidizes genuine collaborative projects and large-scale non-profit initiatives aiming to deliver significant public impact, social benefit, cultural enrichment, or educational advancement through strategic design excellence. The submitted project must be specifically created by and for the institutional alliance itself, and not a commercial project undertaken on behalf of a third-party; for such third-party projects, select and pay the relevant fees corresponding to the appropriate Account Type matching the actual client's profile, annual revenue, or organizational structure. The Institutional Alliance Account Type is reserved for genuine collaborations between independent non-profit organizations pursuing public-interest objectives. For Institutional Alliance eligibility beyond the primary criteria, your organization's total workforce must not exceed 500 personnel, and your creator entities combined assets including all participating institutions endowments and funding under management must not exceed 500 Million EUR. Commercial consortiums wearing non-profit clothing, industry associations primarily serving members commercial business interests, alliances dominated by corporate foundations, or coalitions of brand-philanthropy arms are not eligible; such collaborations must use the Business Consortium, Enterprise, or Big Brand Account Type matching the underlying commercial profile. If the combined assets, endowments, or funding-under-management across all participating institutions in the alliance exceeds 500 Million EUR, or if any single member institution is effectively controlled by a for-profit enterprise whose profile would require a commercial Account Type, the alliance must use the Business Consortium Account Type or higher. Alliances formed specifically for design award submission purposes without genuine ongoing collaborative operations, or alliances that function primarily as procurement vehicles for underlying commercial interests, do not qualify. The Institutional Alliance Account Type is designed to support substantive multi-institutional non-profit collaboration on genuine public-interest design projects, not to provide discounted fees to loose coalitions of wealthy foundations or disguised commercial interest groups. Industry trade associations whose member companies collectively operate at commercial scale must use commercial Account Types despite nominal non-profit association status.

Factory Workshop Account: Designed specifically for independently operated medium-sized factories, manufacturing workshops, production facilities, and family-owned manufacturing companies primarily engaged in original product design, direct manufacturing, and entrepreneurial innovation. The Factory Workshop Account Type serves production-driven enterprises actively managed by founders, entrepreneurs, or principal owners personally overseeing creative output, product development, and factory operations, distinctly emphasizing innovation and direct production capabilities.

Factory Workshop	Special Benefits Complementary PR Push (Factory Workshop) Complementary Portfolio Evaluation (Factory Workshop) Promote Designers & Get Discounted Participation (Factory Workshop) Inclusion in Rankings (Factory Workshop)
	Good to Know Free Registration, Free Submission, Free Preliminary Score Campaign Rates & Nomination Packages (Factory Workshop) No Contractually Obligated Winner Fees for Professional, Digital & Vision Edition Entries
	⚐ Yearbook Name Limit : 1*, Team-Member Limit: 8
	Nomination Fees • Average when compared to other account types.

Table 17. Factory Workshop Account Type Nomination Fees
	PRO-EDITION	DIGITAL-EDITION	VISION-EDITION	CLASSIC-EDITION
EARLY	1.395 €	525 €	275 €	185 €
STANDARD	1.685 €	630 €	325 €	225 €
LATE	1.950 €	735 €	375 €	255 €
JOIN NOW:	JOIN PRO Take part in the A' Design Award via Professional Entry by obtaining a Pro-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN DIGITAL Take part in the A' Design Award via Digital Entry by obtaining a Digital-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN SMART Take part in the A' Design Award via Smart Entry by obtaining a Vision-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN CLASSIC Take part in the A' Design Award via Classic Entry by obtaining an Industry-Standard-Nomination Ticket now.

Eligibility Conditions: Open exclusively to independently operated medium-sized factories, manufacturing workshops, family-owned manufacturing companies, specialized production facilities, and entrepreneurial manufacturing enterprises whose primary operations involve original design production, direct creative manufacturing, and product innovation, personally managed or overseen by founders, entrepreneurs, or principal owners directly involved in daily factory management, creative direction, or production oversight.

Restrictions: Must register using the founder's or principal owner's full personal legal name only (first name, middle name if any, and surname exclusively); brand names, company names, business names, studio names, nicknames, aliases, or other corporate identities are prohibited from appearing in yearbooks, certificates, exhibition posters, design rankings, screen presentations, or profile details. Brand, company, or institutional names are explicitly prohibited from gala-badges. Institutional or corporate email addresses should be used for registration purposes. Official identification numbers (company registration number, VAT number, or corporate ID) are required for invoicing purposes. Only one (1) name is allowed for designer rankings and profile details. Only one (1), the individual founder or principal owner names may be listed in yearbooks, certificates, exhibition posters, design rankings, screen presentations, or profile details; excessively long names might be abbreviated or shortened if space is limited. Maximum allowed team size is eight (8) members, including founders, owners, principal entrepreneurs, family members involved, managers, employees, and collaborators directly participating in factory or workshop creative and manufacturing operations. Brand names or business identities cannot be used in profile details; instead, use the founder's full legal name (first name, middle name if any, and surname only).

Clarifications: The purpose of the Factory Workshop Account Type is specifically to support and promote medium-sized factories, specialized manufacturing workshops, and family-owned manufacturing enterprises personally managed or overseen by founders or principal entrepreneurs, specifically emphasizing original product design, direct manufacturing capabilities, and entrepreneurial innovation. If your project's team size exceeds eight (8) members, select the Enterprise Account Type instead. If your submission represents a collaboration between multiple manufacturing facilities, select the Business Consortium Account Type if your combined annual revenue exceeds 100 Million EUR. If your collaborative annual revenue is between 2 Million EUR and 100 Million EUR, choose the Enterprise Account Type instead. If your collaborative annual revenue is below 2 Million EUR, select the Factory Workshop Account Type. You can only submit products directly created, originally designed, and manufactured by your factory workshop; submissions cannot include products where you act solely as a producer, manufacturer, or supplier for designs created by external third-party entities or commercial brands. If your factory workshop's annual revenue exceeds 2 Million EUR, select the Enterprise Account Type instead. If your factory workshop's annual revenue exceeds 100 Million EUR, select the Business Consortium Account Type. If your annual revenue equals or exceeds 250 Million EUR, select the Big Brand Account Type. If your annual revenue equals or exceeds 500 Million EUR, select the World Brand Account Type. Works created on behalf of third-party clients or external brands cannot be submitted unless you explicitly hold rights to the Intellectual Property. The Factory Workshop Account Type is reserved for genuinely independent medium-scale manufacturing operations. For Factory Workshop eligibility beyond the primary criteria, parent company turnover must not exceed 20 Million EUR, parent workforce must not exceed 4,000 personnel, organization workforce must not exceed 2,000 personnel, founder household net worth must not exceed 25 Million EUR, creator entities combined assets must not exceed 25 Million EUR, cumulative funding raised must not exceed 2 Million EUR, and establishment capital must not exceed 2 Million EUR. If your factory or workshop is a subsidiary, division, contract manufacturer, OEM supplier, or production arm operating under the direction of larger manufacturing enterprises, industrial groups, brand holding companies, or consumer goods corporations whose parent profile exceeds these thresholds, you must use the Manufacturing Brand, Enterprise, or higher-tier Account Type matching the controlling entity's profile. Factories established with substantial capital backing exceeding 2 Million EUR establishment capital, or that have received industrial investment exceeding 2 Million EUR, or whose founders household wealth exceeds 25 Million EUR, are not considered independent small workshops regardless of revenue levels. OEM manufacturers producing designs owned by external brands must submit only their own original designs under the Factory Workshop Account Type, not products where they function purely as contract manufacturers for designs created by external clients (which would require the client's Account Type). State-subsidized factories receiving substantial governmental industrial support should disclose such backing, because significant undisclosed subsidies effectively function as invisible parent resources. Factories that are effectively captive suppliers of single major clients, where a single client accounts for the majority of production capacity, should evaluate whether Factory Workshop classification accurately reflects their independent status or whether the controlling client's Account Type would be more appropriate.

Boutique Atelier Account: Designed specifically for boutique ateliers, small factories, and family-owned small-scale manufacturing companies operating independently, the Boutique Atelier Account Type caters exclusively to founders and entrepreneurs personally dedicated to design production and creative innovation. Tailored to support modestly scaled manufacturing plants, specialized workshops, or boutique production studios, this account type distinctly emphasizes and values founder-driven identity, entrepreneurial craftsmanship, and personalized creative output.

Boutique Atelier	Special Benefits Inclusion in Rankings (Boutique Atelier)
	Good to Know Free Registration, Free Submission, Free Preliminary Score Campaign Rates & Nomination Packages (Boutique Atelier) No Contractually Obligated Winner Fees for Professional, Digital & Vision Edition Entries
	⚐ Yearbook Name Limit : 1*, Team-Member Limit: 5
	Nomination Fees • Average when compared to other account types.

Table 19. Boutique Atelier Account Type Nomination Fees
	PRO-EDITION	DIGITAL-EDITION	VISION-EDITION	CLASSIC-EDITION
EARLY	1.195 €	455 €	235 €	165 €
STANDARD	1.395 €	535 €	280 €	195 €
LATE	1.680 €	630 €	325 €	225 €
JOIN NOW:	JOIN PRO Take part in the A' Design Award via Professional Entry by obtaining a Pro-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN DIGITAL Take part in the A' Design Award via Digital Entry by obtaining a Digital-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN SMART Take part in the A' Design Award via Smart Entry by obtaining a Vision-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN CLASSIC Take part in the A' Design Award via Classic Entry by obtaining an Industry-Standard-Nomination Ticket now.

Eligibility Conditions: Open exclusively to independently operated boutique ateliers, small factories, family-owned manufacturing businesses, specialized workshops, and boutique production studios whose core activities involve direct design production, original creative manufacturing, or entrepreneurial craftsmanship, personally led by founders or principal entrepreneurs actively engaged in daily operations and creative oversight.

Restrictions: Must register using the founder's full personal legal name only (first name, middle name if any, and surname exclusively); brand names, business names, studio names, nicknames, aliases, or any form of corporate identity cannot be used in yearbooks, certificates, exhibition posters, design rankings, screen presentations, or profile details. Brand, company, or institutional names are explicitly prohibited from appearing on gala-badges. Institutional or corporate email addresses should be used for registration purposes. Official identification numbers (company registration number, VAT number, or corporate ID) are required for invoicing purposes. Only one (1) name is allowed for designer rankings and profile details. Only one (1), the individual founder or principal owner names may be listed in yearbooks, certificates, exhibition posters, design rankings, screen presentations, or profile details; excessively long names might be abbreviated or shortened if space is limited. Maximum allowed team size is five (5) members, including founders, owners, partners, family members directly involved, employees, or collaborators actively participating in the atelier's daily creative or production operations. Brand names or business identities cannot be used in profile details; instead, use the founder's full legal name (first name, middle name if any, and surname only).

Clarifications: The purpose of the Boutique Atelier Account Type is specifically to support and promote independently operated boutique ateliers, small factories, and family-owned small-scale manufacturing companies personally led by founders or principal entrepreneurs dedicated to original creative manufacturing, design innovation, and entrepreneurial craftsmanship. If your project's team size exceeds five (5) members, select the Factory Workshop or Enterprise Account Type instead. If your submission represents a collaboration between multiple entities, partnerships, or larger commercial enterprises, choose the Enterprise, Consortium, or Business Consortium Account Types accordingly. You can only submit products that your boutique atelier or small factory has directly created or originally designed; submissions cannot include products where you act merely as supplier, producer, or manufacturer for designs created by third-party entities or external brands. If your atelier's annual revenue exceeds 1 Million EUR, choose the Factory Workshop Account Type instead. If your atelier's annual revenue exceeds 2 Million EUR, choose the Enterprise Account Type instead. If your atelier's annual revenue exceeds 100 Million EUR, choose the Business Consortium Account Type instead. If your atelier's annual revenue equals or exceeds 250 Million EUR, choose the Big Brand Account Type. If your atelier's annual revenue equals or exceeds 500 Million EUR, choose the World Brand Account Type. Works created on behalf of third-party clients, external brands cannot be submitted, unless you have rights to the Intellectual Property. The Boutique Atelier Account Type is reserved for genuinely independent founder-operated small-scale creative production, with generous anti-exploitation thresholds that allow for legitimate atelier scale while catching clear misclassification. For Boutique Atelier eligibility beyond the primary criteria, your parent company turnover must not exceed 10 Million EUR, parent workforce must not exceed 2,000 personnel, organization workforce must not exceed 200 personnel, founder household net worth must not exceed 10 Million EUR, creator entities combined assets must not exceed 10 Million EUR, cumulative funding raised must not exceed 500,000 EUR, and establishment capital must not exceed 1 Million EUR. Ateliers owned or controlled by wealthy individuals as hobby ventures where founder net worth exceeds the threshold, boutique operations backed by family offices or trust funds where creator entities assets exceed the threshold, or artisan-styled businesses that are actually subsidiaries of luxury brand conglomerates common in fashion, jewelry, watches, and luxury goods sectors are not eligible for this Account Type. If your atelier operates under the umbrella of a major luxury conglomerate whose combined scale exceeds these thresholds, you must use the Manufacturing Brand, Enterprise, Big Brand, or World Brand Account Type reflecting the parent luxury group's actual scale. The spirit of the Boutique Atelier classification is to support independent artisans and craftspeople building businesses from modest resources, not wealthy hobbyists creating vanity ateliers or corporate-backed artisanal brands benefiting from parent conglomerate resources. Celebrity-owned vanity ateliers where the founder's personal wealth substantially exceeds the threshold do not qualify. Contract manufacturers or production facilities creating European atelier marketing fronts while actual production occurs in larger-scale offshore facilities do not represent genuine boutique artisan operations. State-subsidized ateliers receiving substantial undisclosed government support should disclose such backing, because significant undisclosed subsidies effectively function as invisible parent resources supporting the operation.

Professional Partnership Account: Designed specifically for small groups, teams, or partnerships of independent design professionals, architects, engineers, artists, freelancers, creative consultants, or professional collaborators, the Professional Partnership Account Type provides discounted entry fees, complimentary Portfolio Evaluation Services, helping creative professional groups gain recognition, credibility, and visibility.

Professional Partnership	Special Benefits Complementary Portfolio Evaluation (Professional Partnership) Distinguished Designer Program (Professional Partnership) Inclusion in Rankings (Professional Partnership)
	Good to Know Free Registration, Free Submission, Free Preliminary Score Campaign Rates & Nomination Packages (Professional Partnership) No Contractually Obligated Winner Fees for Professional, Digital & Vision Edition Entries
	⚐ Yearbook Name Limit : 3*, Team-Member Limit: 8
	Nomination Fees • Average when compared to other account types.

Table 21. Professional Partnership Account Type Nomination Fees
	PRO-EDITION	DIGITAL-EDITION	VISION-EDITION	CLASSIC-EDITION
EARLY	1.165 €	320 €	159 €	109 €
STANDARD	1.335 €	430 €	219 €	149 €
LATE	1.510 €	540 €	269 €	179 €
JOIN NOW:	JOIN PRO Take part in the A' Design Award via Professional Entry by obtaining a Pro-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN DIGITAL Take part in the A' Design Award via Digital Entry by obtaining a Digital-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN SMART Take part in the A' Design Award via Smart Entry by obtaining a Vision-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN CLASSIC Take part in the A' Design Award via Classic Entry by obtaining an Industry-Standard-Nomination Ticket now.

Eligibility Conditions: Open exclusively to professional teams or partnerships consisting of two (2) to eight (8) individuals actively engaged in independent professional practices, including but not limited to designers, architects, interior designers, engineers, artists, illustrators, photographers, writers, stylists, filmmakers, musicians, animators, curators, educators, researchers, artisans, craftspeople, advertising specialists, marketing consultants, branding strategists, creative directors, art directors, digital media producers, interactive designers, and related creative professionals collaboratively producing original creative or professional work, either directly for clients or for their own professional brands or practices.

Restrictions: Must register using full legal names of individual partners or collaborators (first name, middle name if any, and surname only) for yearbooks, certificates, exhibition posters, design rankings, screen presentations, and profile details. Brand names, business names, studio names, nicknames, or aliases cannot appear in profiles, yearbook publications, certificates, posters or gala-badges. Up to three (3) individual partner names may be listed, subject to abbreviation or shortening if space is limited. Maximum allowed team size is eight (8) individuals, including all partners, collaborators, or professional team members listed in the design details.

Clarifications: If your group exceeds eight (8) members, select the Agency Account Type instead. If your group's annual revenue exceeds 2 Million EUR, select the Enterprise Account Type. Professional Partnership Account holders must only submit original creative works directly created by the named individuals themselves for their own professional practices, partnerships, or collaborative initiatives. Works created on behalf of third-party enterprises, brands, agencies, institutions, media companies, or external clients must be submitted using the appropriate Account Type corresponding directly to the actual client's eligibility and annual revenue or expenditures (Agency, Enterprise, or Business Consortium), rather than the discounted Professional Partnership Account Type. The Professional Partnership Account Type specifically exists to support small-scale creative groups and professional collaborators operating with modest resources, ensuring fair competition among professional partnerships and teams, and preventing misuse by larger commercial entities or well-funded clients. The Professional Partnership Account Type applies anti-exploitation rules to every partner individually, not only to the primary account holder. The organization workforce threshold is set at 200 personnel, reflecting that a genuine Professional Partnership may comprise multiple professionals each with their own support teams, collaborators, and assistants - averaging around 25 personnel per core professional partner. For Professional Partnership eligibility beyond the primary criteria, each individual partner must satisfy the household net worth threshold of 10 Million EUR and must not control other business entities whose combined assets exceed 10 Million EUR. Additionally, cumulative funding raised for the partnership must not exceed 500,000 EUR, and establishment capital must not exceed 2 Million EUR. If any single partner has substantial personal wealth, corporate affiliations, or other business holdings exceeding these thresholds, the partnership must use the Agency or Enterprise Account Type matching the wealthiest or most-affiliated partner's profile. This prevents the scenario where well-connected, wealthy, or corporately-affiliated individuals form partnerships specifically to access discounted fees while providing their private resources and advantages to the collective. Senior executives from major corporations, partners at major consulting firms, or directors of established agencies who form partnerships alongside legitimate independent professionals must honestly evaluate whether the partnership genuinely reflects independent professional collaboration or leverages their institutional affiliations. Partnerships that function as affiliated branches of larger agencies, consulting firms, or enterprises - even when nominally independent - must select the Account Type matching the effective parent organization. Family partnerships where one partner provides substantial resources from family businesses or wealth, while nominally equal, should be evaluated honestly. Working on commissions for clients of any size is welcomed under Professional Partnership, because commission work is normal independent practice - what matters is that the partnership is genuinely an independent professional collaboration, not a shell for undisclosed larger entities.

Startup Account: Designed specifically for newly established businesses founded within the last three (3) years with limited financial resources and funding, the Startup Account Type provides substantially discounted entry fees, complimentary Portfolio Evaluation Services to help emerging companies gain visibility and credibility.

Startup	Special Benefits Complementary Portfolio Evaluation (Startup) Inclusion in Rankings (Startup)
	Good to Know Free Registration, Free Submission, Free Preliminary Score Campaign Rates & Nomination Packages (Startup) No Contractually Obligated Winner Fees for Professional, Digital & Vision Edition Entries
	⚐ Yearbook Name Limit : 1*, Team-Member Limit: 8
	Nomination Fees • Average when compared to other account types.

Table 23. Startup Account Type Nomination Fees
	PRO-EDITION	DIGITAL-EDITION	VISION-EDITION	CLASSIC-EDITION
EARLY	1.050 €	405 €	209 €	139 €
STANDARD	1.265 €	540 €	269 €	179 €
LATE	1.485 €	675 €	339 €	229 €
JOIN NOW:	JOIN PRO Take part in the A' Design Award via Professional Entry by obtaining a Pro-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN DIGITAL Take part in the A' Design Award via Digital Entry by obtaining a Digital-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN SMART Take part in the A' Design Award via Smart Entry by obtaining a Vision-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN CLASSIC Take part in the A' Design Award via Classic Entry by obtaining an Industry-Standard-Nomination Ticket now.

Eligibility Conditions: Open exclusively to newly established registered businesses founded within the past three (3) years, which may operate as design or creative agencies, technology startups, product manufacturers, service providers, or design-driven enterprises, with annual turnover below 360.000 EUR, annual expenditure below 1 Million EUR, and fewer than eight (8) employees, founders included. The Startup Account Type is specifically intended to support early-stage companies that operate on limited financial resources. Full of energy, passion, and creativity, but needs support for marketing, PR, and publicity.

Restrictions: Must register using the official startup name for yearbooks, certificates, exhibition posters, design rankings, screen presentations, and profile details (name must be the startup's official name or abbreviation). Brand names cannot appear on gala-badges. Institutional or corporate email addresses and official company identification numbers (company registration, VAT, or corporate ID) are required for invoicing purposes. The maximum allowed team size is eight (8) members, including founders, partners, and employees. Your company's founding date and startup details should be verifiable through official company documents or registration papers at any time, before or after submission and results announcement.

Clarifications: All eligibility criteria for the Startup Account Type, including company age (founded within the last three years), maximum team size, funding limits, annual turnover, and annual expenditures, must be met simultaneously for your startup to qualify. The Startup Account Type is specifically intended to subsidize and support genuinely bootstrapped, early-stage companies operating with limited financial resources, ensuring fair competition among emerging entrepreneurs, annual turnover must be below 360.000 EUR, and annual expenditures must be below 1 Million EUR. The Startup Account Type is not intended for highly funded ventures or startups backed by substantial venture capital; startups that have cumulatively raised more than 5 Million EUR from venture capital, private equity, angel investors, institutional investors, crowdfunding, or other external funding sources should select the Enterprise Account Type instead. If you raised more than 50 Million EUR, choose Business Consortium Account Type. If your annual expenditures exceed 1 Million EUR or your annual turnover exceeds 360.000 EUR, select the Enterprise Account Type instead. If your expenditures exceed 25 Million EUR annually, or if your business involves collaboration between multiple startups or enterprises, select the Business Consortium Account Type. Startup Account Type is intended for early-stage, self-funded and modestly financed ventures still in their formative phase of growth. Startup Account Type is not suitable for established companies, corporate spinoffs, subsidiaries, rebranded entities, or businesses created by large enterprises, holding companies, or well-capitalized investors to take advantage of discounted fees. If your startup was established, owned, operated, or funded by a third-party enterprise (e.g., a large corporation, holding company, enterprise group, or investor), you must select the Account Type corresponding directly to that third-party company's actual profile and pay fees matching the creator company or holding group's annual revenue or expenditures, rather than using discounted Startup Account entry fees. If your team exceeds eight (8) members, select one of the Enterprise, Big Brand or World Brand Account Type instead, based on company profile and revenue. The Startup Account Type is the most commonly abused classification and therefore requires rigorous eligibility verification across multiple dimensions. For Startup eligibility, all anti-exploitation thresholds must be simultaneously satisfied beyond the primary criteria: your parent company (if any) must have turnover below 10 Million EUR and workforce below 1,000 personnel, your organization's total workforce must not exceed 50 personnel including all contractors and freelancers, your founders combined household net worth must not exceed 10 Million EUR, your creator entities combined assets including all controlling investors, funds, and related entities must not exceed 25 Million EUR, your cumulative external funding raised from all sources must not exceed 5 Million EUR, and your establishment capital must not exceed 1 Million EUR. Failure on any single threshold disqualifies the Startup Account Type. Your startup must be a genuinely independent, newly-formed entity - not a subsidiary, spin-off, rebranded entity, division, internal incubator project, corporate venture, or portfolio company of an existing enterprise, holding company, private equity firm, hedge fund, family office, multinational corporation, or major accelerator program. Corporate venture labs creating nominally independent startups while providing parent corporation resources such as engineers, IP, offices, customers, and introductions do not qualify as genuine startups. Venture capital portfolio companies whose controlling investors exceed the creator entities threshold must use Enterprise or higher-tier Account Types matching the investor group's profile. Family office ventures for wealthy heirs, where founder net worth or family wealth exceeds the specified threshold, do not qualify regardless of the entity's nominal revenue level. Phoenix entities - newly registered companies whose founders previously operated similar businesses that were dissolved, merged, rebranded, or restructured within the past three years - do not qualify as genuine startups if the same founders, team, client relationships, IP, or operations continue under the new legal entity. Cryptocurrency or token sales, Initial Coin Offerings, initial exchange offerings, or similar digital asset fundraising mechanisms count toward cumulative funding raised regardless of their technical legal characterization. Convertible notes, SAFEs, bridge loans, grants exceeding typical small-business assistance levels, and prepaid contracts from institutional clients designed to function as hidden funding all count toward the cumulative funding threshold. Revenue recognition manipulation, whereby startups intentionally postpone revenue recognition or defer billing to appear smaller than their actual commercial activity, does not alter the underlying classification requirement; committed revenue, signed contracts, and pipeline commitments at substantial scale indicate operations beyond Startup Account eligibility regardless of recognition timing. Startups with substantial undisclosed state subsidies, government grants exceeding typical small business assistance levels, or preferential sovereign lending arrangements must disclose these and classify according to the total capital available to operations.

Agency Account: Designed specifically for creative companies, the Agency Account includes complimentary Portfolio Evaluation Services, with discounted entry fees compared to the Enterprise Account.

Agency	Special Benefits Complementary Portfolio Evaluation (Agency) Promote Designers & Get Discounted Participation (Agency) Inclusion in Rankings (Agency)
	Good to Know Free Registration, Free Submission, Free Preliminary Score Campaign Rates & Nomination Packages (Agency) No Contractually Obligated Winner Fees for Professional, Digital & Vision Edition Entries
	⚐ Yearbook Name Limit : 2*, Team-Member Limit: 20
	Nomination Fees • Average when compared to other account types.

Table 25. Agency Account Type Nomination Fees
	PRO-EDITION	DIGITAL-EDITION	VISION-EDITION	CLASSIC-EDITION
EARLY	840 €	320 €	159 €	109 €
STANDARD	1.015 €	430 €	219 €	149 €
LATE	1.185 €	540 €	269 €	179 €
JOIN NOW:	JOIN PRO Take part in the A' Design Award via Professional Entry by obtaining a Pro-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN DIGITAL Take part in the A' Design Award via Digital Entry by obtaining a Digital-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN SMART Take part in the A' Design Award via Smart Entry by obtaining a Vision-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN CLASSIC Take part in the A' Design Award via Classic Entry by obtaining an Industry-Standard-Nomination Ticket now.

Eligibility Conditions: Open to independently operated creative businesses whose core competency is original design production, creative consultancy, or related services, including but not limited to design studios, architectural offices, industrial design firms, graphic design agencies, advertising agencies, advertisement producers, photography studios, marketing agencies, branding consultancies, innovation consultancies, research and development companies, R&D Firms, creative agencies, PR companies, digital media studios, interactive design studios, interior design firms, fashion houses, creative strategy consultancies, and similar creative-service providers, with annual revenues below 2 Million EUR.

Restrictions: Agency names may appear in yearbooks, certificates, exhibition posters, design rankings, screen presentations, and profile details (up to two (2) entity names permitted; one name is recommended, but not required, to be the agency's official name or abbreviation). Agency or brand names cannot appear on gala-badges. Institutional or corporate email addresses should be used for registration, and official company identification numbers (registration number, VAT number, or corporate ID) are required for invoicing purposes. The maximum allowed team size is twenty (20) members, including agency owners, creative directors, employees, designers, or collaborators listed in the design details.

Clarifications: The purpose of the Agency Account is to provide discounted entry fees specifically to support design companies, architecture offices, engineering firms, and similar creative businesses. If your team exceeds twenty (20) members or involves collaboration between multiple agencies, choose the Agency Cooperation Account Type instead. If your agency's annual revenue exceeds 2 Million EUR or is part of a larger holding company, choose the Enterprise Account instead. If your agency's annual revenue exceeds 100 Million EUR, choose the Business Consortium Account Type instead. If your agency's annual revenue exceeds or equal to 250 Million EUR, choose the Big Brand Account Type. If your agency's annual revenue exceeds or equal to 500 Million EUR, choose the World Brand Account Type. The Agency Account is explicitly intended for agencies, studios, and companies whose primary service is direct creation and original production of design and creative content, including but not limited to graphic design studios, industrial design offices, architecture firms, photography studios, innovation and creative consultancies, as well as advertising agencies producing original campaigns, commercials, visuals, and promotional content. Regardless of your company's category (PR, Advertising, Marketing, Consultancy), you may only use the Agency Account to submit creative work that your agency has directly created and produced. Agencies such as PR firms, marketing consultancies, brand management companies, or any company whose primary service involves representing, distributing, or promoting content created by third parties, rather than directly producing original creative or design content, cannot use the Agency Account to submit projects created by others, including their clients. Such agencies must choose the Account Type that accurately reflects the original creator or client's profile (e.g., Enterprise or Business Consortium). Firms whose primary service involves representing, distributing, or promoting third-party content (such as PR agencies, marketing consultancies, or brand management companies) can only use the Agency Account when submitting original creative projects specifically developed to promote their own agency's brand identity or services. PR Agencies and Marketing Companies submitting or promoting projects, products, or services created on behalf of commercial clients must select either the Enterprise or Business Consortium Account Type, accurately matching the client's actual profile and annual revenue or expenditure. The Agency Account Type is reserved for independently operated small creative firms, with generous anti-exploitation thresholds that catch only clear misclassification. If your agency is a subsidiary, affiliate, branch, franchise, or office of a substantially larger agency network, multinational marketing group, holding company, or communications conglomerate whose parent company turnover exceeds 20 Million EUR, parent workforce exceeds 2,000 personnel, your own organization's workforce exceeds 250 personnel, creator entities combined assets exceed 10 Million EUR, cumulative external funding raised exceeds 2 Million EUR, or establishment capital exceeds 5 Million EUR, you must select the Agency Cooperation, Enterprise, or higher-tier Account Type corresponding to the parent group's actual profile. Working on commissions for clients of any size, including major global brands and Fortune 500 corporations, is a normal and welcomed part of professional creative practice under the Agency Account Type; client prestige or scale does not affect your classification when you are genuinely the independent creative author. The concern addressed by these thresholds is not about the size of your clients, which is irrelevant to account classification - a small independent agency working on a major commission for a global brand submits correctly under the Agency Account Type because your agency is the genuine creative author. The concern is identity honesty: ensuring that the submitting agency is genuinely an independent small creative firm, not a shell, proxy, subsidiary, or internal team of a larger undisclosed entity operating under a small-agency disguise. Agencies functioning as captive creative departments of single large clients, where an overwhelming majority of annual revenue derives from one client-parent suggesting hidden ownership or employment-like dependency, should evaluate whether the Agency Account Type genuinely reflects their independent status. Phoenix rebranding, whereby established agencies dissolve and re-register under new names to appear newer or smaller, does not qualify an agency for this Account Type when the same founders, team, clients, and operations continue under a new legal entity. Franchise agencies operating under global brand names must disclose this relationship and may need to use Account Types reflecting the franchise network's combined scale. Silent partners, sleeping investors, or majority stakeholders whose wealth or business holdings would breach the Creator Entities threshold disqualify the agency regardless of nominal independence on paper. These thresholds are set at generous levels specifically to avoid punishing legitimate agencies while preventing only clear exploitation.

Media Account: Designed specifically for media organizations, publications, press channels, and information dissemination platforms, the Media Account Type provides complimentary entry opportunities exclusively in exchange for featuring editorial coverage of other winners' awarded projects, and grants access to our Pressroom.

Media	Special Benefits Pressroom, Press Panel & Functionality (Media) Article Sponsorship for The Award (Media) Article Sponsorship for The Winners (Media) Design Award Jury Invitation (Media) Inclusion in Rankings (Media)
	Good to Know Free Registration, Free Submission, Free Preliminary Score Campaign Rates & Nomination Packages (Media) No Contractually Obligated Winner Fees for Professional, Digital & Vision Edition Entries
	⚐ Yearbook Name Limit : 1*, Team-Member Limit: 20
	Nomination Fees • Average when compared to other account types.

Table 27. Media Account Type Nomination Fees
	PRO-EDITION	DIGITAL-EDITION	VISION-EDITION	CLASSIC-EDITION
EARLY	840 €	320 €	159 €	109 €
STANDARD	1.015 €	430 €	219 €	149 €
LATE	1.185 €	540 €	269 €	179 €
JOIN NOW:	JOIN PRO Take part in the A' Design Award via Professional Entry by obtaining a Pro-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN DIGITAL Take part in the A' Design Award via Digital Entry by obtaining a Digital-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN SMART Take part in the A' Design Award via Smart Entry by obtaining a Vision-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN CLASSIC Take part in the A' Design Award via Classic Entry by obtaining an Industry-Standard-Nomination Ticket now.

Eligibility Conditions: Open exclusively to officially recognized media entities such as printed publications, digital magazines (e-zines), online news platforms, blogs, design and lifestyle publications, architectural or cultural magazines, art journals, sector-specific publications, television channels, radio broadcasters, podcasts, and similar information dissemination channels actively involved in publishing editorial content related to lifestyle, design, architecture, art, culture, technology, innovation, or related fields. Corporate promotional publications (produced by companies for self-promotion), religious publications, private company newsletters, and purely promotional or sponsored content channels are not eligible.

Restrictions: Must register using the official media organization name for yearbooks, certificates, exhibition posters, design rankings, screen presentations, and profile details (name must be the official media organization's name or abbreviation). Brand names cannot appear on gala-badges. Organizational email addresses should be used for registration purposes. Maximum allowed team size is twenty (20) members, including editors, journalists, producers, contributors, or staff listed in the design details.

Clarifications: If your media entity exceeds twenty (20) team members, represents a large media network, media conglomerate, or a collaboration between multiple media organizations, select the Media Conglomerate Account Type instead. The Media Account Type specifically exists to support small and independent media companies by offering discounted entry fees to media entities willing to provide editorial press coverage, journalistic exposure, or authentic features highlighting A' Design Award winners, awarded projects, designers, and competition-related news. Media Account holders are encouraged, though not legally obliged, to feature A' Design Award winners. If you choose to feature A' Design Award winners, you may freely select any winner, project or design from the official A' Design Award winners' list at your sole discretion. The Media Account Type is explicitly not intended for media entities whose primary content includes paid promotional material, advertorials, advertisements, sponsored articles, corporate self-promotional publications, institutional newsletters, religious promotional publications, purely commercial content, or other primarily promotional non-editorial materials. In contrast, the Media Account Type is specifically intended for media entities whose primary content consists of authentic, independently-produced editorial materials, original journalism, editorial feature stories, design news articles, objective reporting, and creative editorial content related to design, arts, architecture, culture, innovation, lifestyle, and similar topics of public interest. If your media entity has annual turnover exceeding 2 Million EUR, select the Enterprise Account Type instead. If your annual turnover exceeds 100 Million EUR, select the Business Consortium Account Type instead. If your company's annual revenue exceeds or equal to 250 Million EUR, choose the Big Brand Account Type. If your company's annual revenue exceeds or equal to 500 Million EUR, choose the World Brand Account Type. Media organizations may only nominate their own original editorial content or publications, including but not limited to editorial feature stories, news articles, magazine features, magazine covers, special editions, newspapers, original interactive or multimedia content, podcasts, editorial photography series, or similar original journalistic works. If your submission includes content created on behalf of advertisers, sponsors, third-party brands, external clients, or entities other than your own media organization, you must select and pay entry fees or use nomination tickets corresponding directly to the actual client's profile, annual revenue, or organizational structure, rather than using the discounted Media Account Type. The Media Account Type is reserved for genuinely independent small media organizations. For Media eligibility beyond the primary criteria, your parent company turnover must not exceed 20 Million EUR, parent workforce must not exceed 2,000 personnel, organization workforce must not exceed 100 personnel, creator entities combined assets must not exceed 10 Million EUR, cumulative funding raised must not exceed 2 Million EUR, and establishment capital must not exceed 1 Million EUR. If your publication, broadcasting channel, digital platform, or podcast network is owned, controlled, or operated by a larger media conglomerate, entertainment group, publishing corporation, or multinational media network whose parent profile exceeds these thresholds, you must select the Media Conglomerate, Enterprise, or higher-tier Account Type matching the parent entity's profile. Media organizations primarily owned or controlled by wealthy individuals whose personal wealth or other business interests exceed the creator entities threshold, suggesting the media outlet functions as a vanity project, influence operation, or personal brand vehicle rather than a genuine commercial media enterprise, must use the Account Type matching the owner's actual profile. Dormant blogs, minimally-active publications, or recently-created media entities specifically established to obtain Media Account status for submission purposes do not qualify; a consistent publication history with regular editorial output is expected. Media entities dominated by sponsored content, advertorials, or paid promotional material rather than genuine editorial work do not qualify for Media classification regardless of legal structure. Influencer platforms, personal brand publications, celebrity-owned magazines, and vanity media projects owned by wealthy individuals should evaluate whether their operations constitute genuine independent journalism or personal promotional vehicles. Media organizations acting as hidden marketing channels for affiliated commercial interests, where editorial independence is compromised by controlling commercial stakeholders, do not fit the Media Account Type's spirit. Submissions by media organizations must consist of their own original editorial content, not content created by or for advertising clients, sponsors, or third-party commercial interests submitted under the Media Account Type's discounted fee structure.

Academic Collaboration Account: Designed specifically for groups of academics, scholars, professors, lecturers, researchers, and graduate students collaboratively representing their academic institutions, the Academic Collaboration Account Type offers significantly discounted entry fees, complimentary Portfolio Evaluation Services and opportunities for enhanced institutional recognition and visibility.

Academic Collaboration	Special Benefits Patronage Program (Academic Collaboration) Design Award Jury Invitation (Academic Collaboration) Inclusion in Rankings (Academic Collaboration)
	Good to Know Free Registration, Free Submission, Free Preliminary Score Campaign Rates & Nomination Packages (Academic Collaboration) No Contractually Obligated Winner Fees for Professional, Digital & Vision Edition Entries
	⚐ Yearbook Name Limit : 1+2*, Team-Member Limit: 40
	Nomination Fees • Below Average when compared to other account types.

Table 29. Academic Collaboration Account Type Nomination Fees
	PRO-EDITION	DIGITAL-EDITION	VISION-EDITION	CLASSIC-EDITION
EARLY	870 €	240 €	119 €	79 €
STANDARD	1.000 €	320 €	159 €	109 €
LATE	1.130 €	405 €	209 €	139 €
JOIN NOW:	JOIN PRO Take part in the A' Design Award via Professional Entry by obtaining a Pro-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN DIGITAL Take part in the A' Design Award via Digital Entry by obtaining a Digital-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN SMART Take part in the A' Design Award via Smart Entry by obtaining a Vision-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN CLASSIC Take part in the A' Design Award via Classic Entry by obtaining an Industry-Standard-Nomination Ticket now.

Eligibility Conditions: Open exclusively to academic teams, collaborative groups, research units, or partnerships actively employed by or affiliated with legally registered and government-accredited academic institutions, including universities, colleges, technical institutes, research centers, academies, graduate schools, and similar accredited academic entities officially recognized for teaching, scholarly research, scientific studies, design, architecture, technology development, social sciences, arts, and related academic disciplines. Academic Collaboration Account holders must consist of two (2) or more academic collaborators, including professors, researchers, lecturers, faculty members, graduate students, or academic staff actively undertaking collaborative institutional or scholarly projects.

Restrictions: Must register using institutional email addresses, and academic affiliation must be verifiable through official documentation, licenses, or approvals co-signed by affiliated academic institutions at any time, before or after submission and results announcement. Academic institution names may appear in yearbooks, certificates, exhibition posters, design rankings, screen presentations, and profile details; however, institution names, commercial studio names, brand namess, business names, or third-party company names cannot appear on gala-badges or profile details. Up to three (3) entity names may be listed in yearbooks, certificates, exhibition posters, gala-badges, design rankings, and screen presentations, clearly identifying the primary academic institution or collaborating institutions. If space is limited, excessively long names might be abbreviated or shortened as necessary. Only one (1) institutional entity name is allowed for designer rankings and profile details. The maximum allowed team size is forty (40) academic members; you cannot list more than forty (40) entities in the team members section of designs.

Clarifications: If your submission involves fewer than two (2) academic collaborators or team members, select the Academic Account Type instead. Undergraduate student teams may select the Young Collective Account Type if they meet age requirements. Academic Collaboration Account holders must submit original institutional, scholarly, educational, research, or academically-driven projects created directly through collaborative efforts of academic team members, exclusively for their affiliated academic institution or institutional objectives. Projects independently created for commercial clients, private businesses, agencies, or third-party enterprises must be submitted under the appropriate Professional Partnership, Agency, Enterprise, or Business Consortium Account Types, accurately matching the actual profile and annual revenue or expenditures of the external entity. Do not select the Academic Collaboration Account Type solely on the basis of having designed projects for academic institutions; all team members must hold active academic positions and directly represent their academic institutions in undertaking collaborative institutional work. At the end of the year, your academic affiliations and active academic status may be verified by reviewing registered institutional email addresses and confirming active listings within your affiliated academic institutions, faculties, or departments. If any team member does not hold an active academic role (lecturer, professor, dean, researcher, graduate student, academic staff), select the Professional Partnership or Agency Account Type instead. If your academic group's annual revenue exceeds 2 Million EUR, select the Enterprise Account Type instead. If your group's annual revenue or expenditures exceed 100 Million EUR, select the Business Consortium Account Type instead. If your groups's annual revenue exceeds or equal to 250 Million EUR, choose the Big Brand Account Type. If your group's annual revenue exceeds or equal to 500 Million EUR, choose the World Brand Account Type. All Academic Account Type anti-exploitation rules apply individually to every collaborator in the Academic Collaboration group. The organizational workforce is intentionally uncapped because academic institutions legitimately encompass large numbers of faculty, researchers, and support personnel - collaborations drawing on multiple such institutions may involve extensive teams, and this is normal. For Academic Collaboration eligibility beyond the primary criteria, each member must hold a genuine primary academic position at an accredited institution, must have household net worth not exceeding 5 Million EUR, and must not control other business entities whose combined assets exceed 10 Million EUR. If any member is primarily a commercial practitioner with only a nominal or adjunct academic affiliation, or has substantial personal wealth or business holdings beyond the specified thresholds, the collaboration must use the Professional Partnership, Agency, or Enterprise Account Type corresponding to that member's actual profile. Academic collaborations substantially funded by commercial sponsors, industry partners, pharmaceutical companies, or technology corporations whose financial contributions substantially exceed typical academic research grants must use Account Types matching the commercial sponsor's profile, because the work is effectively industry-sponsored research rather than independent academic scholarship. Cross-border academic collaborations that are effectively commercial research consortiums disguised with academic participants must classify according to the underlying commercial nature. Collaborations where the majority of substantive creative work is performed by commercial participants while academic members provide primarily nominal affiliation or institutional cover do not qualify as genuine Academic Collaborations. All participating academics must be currently active at their respective institutions; inclusion of retired, emeritus-only, or nominally-affiliated individuals alongside genuine commercial practitioners does not transform the submission's essential character.

Non-Profit Account: Designed specifically for not-for-profit organizations, the Non-Profit Account Type provides discounted entry fees and the opportunity to participate through patronage or membership referral programs.

Non-Profit	Special Benefits Complementary Portfolio Evaluation (Non-Profit) Patronage Program (Non-Profit) Refer to Members (Non-Profit) Inclusion in Rankings (Non-Profit)
	Good to Know Free Registration, Free Submission, Free Preliminary Score Campaign Rates & Nomination Packages (Non-Profit) No Contractually Obligated Winner Fees for Professional, Digital & Vision Edition Entries
	⚐ Yearbook Name Limit : 1*, Team-Member Limit: 10
	Nomination Fees • Below Average when compared to other account types.

Table 31. Non-Profit Account Type Nomination Fees
	PRO-EDITION	DIGITAL-EDITION	VISION-EDITION	CLASSIC-EDITION
EARLY	810 €	305 €	159 €	109 €
STANDARD	970 €	405 €	209 €	139 €
LATE	1.130 €	505 €	259 €	169 €
JOIN NOW:	JOIN PRO Take part in the A' Design Award via Professional Entry by obtaining a Pro-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN DIGITAL Take part in the A' Design Award via Digital Entry by obtaining a Digital-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN SMART Take part in the A' Design Award via Smart Entry by obtaining a Vision-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN CLASSIC Take part in the A' Design Award via Classic Entry by obtaining an Industry-Standard-Nomination Ticket now.

Eligibility Conditions: Open exclusively to legally registered not-for-profit organizations and entities recognized as tax-exempt by relevant tax authorities or governments, including charitable organizations, foundations, trusts, cooperatives, associations, cultural institutions, public-interest groups, educational organizations, and similar non-profit entities whose revenues support their stated missions rather than distributing profits.

Restrictions: Institutional names may be used in yearbooks, certificates, exhibition posters, design rankings, screen presentations, and profile details (name must be the non-profit's official name or abbreviation), but institution or brand names cannot appear on gala-badges. For all accounts, for nomination pathways eligible for gala participation, gala-badges must exclusively display the personal legal names of attending individuals who choose to participate in the gala event. Institutional electronic mail addresses should be used for registration, and an official registration number, VAT number, or corporate identification number must be provided for invoicing. Maximum team size is ten (10) members, including the account owner.

Clarifications: If your project involves more than ten (10) team members or represents collaboration among multiple non-profit organizations, select the Institutional Alliance Account type instead. Non-Profit Account Type is strictly reserved for registered non-profits and cannot be used by designers, agencies, engineers or professionals submitting pro bono work created for non-profit clients. The submitted designs must be in-house projects created specifically by and for the non-profit organization itself. Non-Profit Account holders cannot submit works created on behalf of other enterprises, brands, or external clients. The Non-Profit Account Type is exclusively for legitimately independent non-profit organizations, with anti-exploitation thresholds designed to prevent corporate or vanity foundations from accessing discounted fees intended for genuine public-interest work. For Non-Profit eligibility beyond the primary criteria, your organization's total workforce must not exceed 1,000 personnel and your creator entities combined assets, endowments, and funding under management must not exceed 50 Million EUR. Corporate foundations, brand-affiliated charitable entities, CSR arms of for-profit enterprises, or non-profits established, funded, controlled, or effectively operated by commercial corporations such as charitable foundations of major consumer goods companies, brand philanthropy arms, enterprise-controlled charitable trusts, or corporate foundations of pharmaceutical, technology, or financial services companies are not eligible under this Account Type. Such entities must submit under the Account Type matching the parent corporation's actual profile, whether Enterprise, Business Consortium, Big Brand, or World Brand. If your non-profit operates as part of a larger institutional network, coalition, or umbrella organization whose combined resources exceed the threshold, you must select the Institutional Alliance Account Type instead. Non-profits primarily funded, governed, or controlled by a single wealthy individual or family whose personal or family wealth substantially exceeds the specified threshold, indicating a vanity foundation or private philanthropic vehicle rather than a genuine broadly-supported public-interest non-profit, should evaluate whether the non-profit classification genuinely reflects the project's nature. Religious organizations with substantial commercial publishing, media, or merchandising operations must classify based on the nature of the submitted work: editorial religious content may qualify for Non-Profit, while commercial merchandising submissions require commercial Account Types. Government-adjacent non-profits, quasi-public institutions, or foundations established by state-owned enterprises must use Government or Enterprise Account Types corresponding to their actual controlling entity's nature. Non-profits created specifically to commission design work at reduced rates, effectively acting as procurement vehicles for underlying commercial interests, do not qualify. The Non-Profit Account Type is strictly for in-house projects created by and for the non-profit itself to advance its genuine mission, not for projects where the non-profit acts as a pass-through for other entities commercial design work.

Young Collective Account: Designed specifically for groups of young designers, emerging talents, and creative collectives, all aged 25 years or younger, the Young Collective Account Type provides significantly discounted entry fees, complimentary participation opportunities, and Portfolio Evaluation Services, helping young creative teams gain recognition and visibility.

Young Collective	Special Benefits Design Ambassador Program (Young Collective) Design Award Scholarship (Young Collective) Young Design Category (Young Collective) Inclusion in Rankings (Young Collective)
	Good to Know Free Registration, Free Submission, Free Preliminary Score Campaign Rates & Nomination Packages (Young Collective) No Contractually Obligated Winner Fees for Professional, Digital & Vision Edition Entries
	⚐ Yearbook Name Limit : 3*, Team-Member Limit: 8
	Nomination Fees • Low when compared to other account types.

Table 33. Young Collective Account Type Nomination Fees
	PRO-EDITION	DIGITAL-EDITION	VISION-EDITION	CLASSIC-EDITION
EARLY	680 €	225 €	119 €	79 €
STANDARD	795 €	295 €	149 €	99 €
LATE	915 €	370 €	189 €	129 €
JOIN NOW:	JOIN PRO Take part in the A' Design Award via Professional Entry by obtaining a Pro-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN DIGITAL Take part in the A' Design Award via Digital Entry by obtaining a Digital-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN SMART Take part in the A' Design Award via Smart Entry by obtaining a Vision-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN CLASSIC Take part in the A' Design Award via Classic Entry by obtaining an Industry-Standard-Nomination Ticket now.

Eligibility Conditions: Open exclusively to groups consisting entirely of individuals aged 25 or younger, typically students or aspiring professionals in fields such as architecture, interior design, product design, graphic design, communication design, interactive design, fashion design, photography, illustration, visual arts, advertising, creative writing, filmmaking, music, digital media, styling, or related creative disciplines. All group members must not yet earn significant income through professional creative or design services, must not own or operate professional businesses, and each member's age eligibility may be verified upon request.

Restrictions: Must register using full legal names (first name, middle name if any, and surname only) for yearbooks, certificates, exhibition posters, design rankings, screen presentations, and profile details; brand names, nicknames, aliases, business names, or studio names are not permitted. Up to three (3) entity names may be listed, subject to abbreviation or shortening if space is limited. Institution or brand names cannot appear on gala-badges. The maximum allowed team size is eight (8) individuals, including the account holder and all team members. Proof of age for all team members may be requested for verification purposes at any time, before or after nomination or results.

Clarifications: If your team exceeds eight (8) members, select the Agency Account Type instead. Graduate students or academic groups aged 25 years or younger actively affiliated with accredited academic institutions should select the Academic Collaboration Account Type, particularly if submitting projects specifically created for academic or institutional purposes. Young Collective Account holders must only submit original creative works personally created by group members for their own personal or collective projects, identities, or personal brands. Works created on behalf of third-party clients, agencies, enterprises, brands, or other commercial entities cannot be submitted using the discounted Young Collective Account Type fees. Such submissions must be made under appropriate Professional Partnership, Agency, Enterprise, or Business Consortium Account Types, accurately matching the actual profile and annual revenue or expenditure of the client or project owner. Additionally, young individuals who personally receive, directly or indirectly, more than 100.000 EUR annually (including salary, inheritance, endowments, dividends, stocks, capital gains, trust funds, investments, or other forms of income or wealth), or individuals whose total personal net worth, savings, investments, or financial assets exceed 1 Million EUR, must select the Professional Partnership or Agency Account Type instead. The Young Collective Account Type is specifically designed to subsidize and support emerging creative teams operating with modest resources, ensuring fair competition among genuine early-stage creative groups. All group members must be 25 years old or younger at the time results are announced; if any member will turn 26 before results, the group is not eligible. If your group is formally registered as a legal business entity, select the Startup Account Type instead. The Young Collective Account Type applies all Young Account Type anti-circumvention rules to every single member of the group, not only the primary account holder. The organizational workforce is intentionally uncapped because student groups and emerging collectives, particularly within academic settings, may involve larger team collaborations - the aim is not to punish legitimate student group work. However, every member of the collective must individually satisfy all eligibility thresholds: age 25 or younger at the time of results announcement, personal income below 100,000 EUR annually, personal and immediate family combined net worth below 1 Million EUR, no access to family business or creator entity assets exceeding 5 Million EUR, no control over external funding sources exceeding 50,000 EUR, and no establishment capital exceeding 200,000 EUR. If even one member of the collective fails any single threshold, the entire group is ineligible for Young Collective status and must select the Professional Partnership Account Type instead. This rigorous per-member assessment specifically prevents the wealthy-plus-one exploitation pattern, where a single wealthy individual partners with genuine young designers to exploit the group's discounted fees while providing undisclosed resources and advantages to the collective. All structural advantages - family wealth, industry connections, access to established studios, mentorship from senior industry figures - accruing to any single member must be evaluated as advantages to the entire collective, because collaborative groups share resources and opportunities. If the collective has received external funding, sponsorship, grants, accelerator backing, or institutional support exceeding the specified thresholds, it must select an appropriate commercial Account Type. If the collective operates under the umbrella of an established enterprise, agency, or family business whose resources substantively support the collective's operations (beyond legitimate academic institutional support), the appropriate classification should reflect the supporting entity's Account Type. Senior industry figures serving as silent mentors or shadow collaborators on Young Collective submissions, who are not listed as team members but who substantively contributed creative direction or execution, compromise the Young Collective's integrity; all substantial contributors should be honestly disclosed. Age verification applies to each member individually.

Academic Account: Designed specifically for individual academics, scholars, professors, lecturers, researchers, and graduate students, the Academic Account Type offers the low entry fees, complimentary Portfolio Evaluation Services, and opportunities for institutional recognition.

Academic	Special Benefits Patronage Program (Academic) Design Award Jury Invitation (Academic) Inclusion in Rankings (Academic)
	Good to Know Free Registration, Free Submission, Free Preliminary Score Campaign Rates & Nomination Packages (Academic) No Contractually Obligated Winner Fees for Professional, Digital & Vision Edition Entries
	⚐ Yearbook Name Limit : 1*, Team-Member Limit: 0
	Nomination Fees • Low when compared to other account types.

Table 35. Academic Account Type Nomination Fees
	PRO-EDITION	DIGITAL-EDITION	VISION-EDITION	CLASSIC-EDITION
EARLY	625 €	235 €	79 €	59 €
STANDARD	750 €	310 €	109 €	79 €
LATE	875 €	390 €	139 €	89 €
JOIN NOW:	JOIN PRO Take part in the A' Design Award via Professional Entry by obtaining a Pro-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN DIGITAL Take part in the A' Design Award via Digital Entry by obtaining a Digital-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN SMART Take part in the A' Design Award via Smart Entry by obtaining a Vision-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN CLASSIC Take part in the A' Design Award via Classic Entry by obtaining an Industry-Standard-Nomination Ticket now.

Eligibility Conditions: Open exclusively to individuals actively employed by or affiliated with a legally registered and government-accredited academic institution, such as universities, colleges, institutes of technology, research institutions, academies, technical schools, or similar institutions, who actively engage in teaching, scholarly research, scientific studies, design, architecture, technology development, social sciences, arts, or related academic disciplines. Graduate students enrolled at accredited institutions also qualify.

Restrictions: Must register using your full legal name (first, middle if any, and surname only), along with an institutional email address and verification or approval from your affiliated academic institution. Academic institution names may appear in yearbooks, certificates, exhibition posters, design rankings, screen presentations, and profile details; however, gala-badges must exclusively display the individual scholar's personal legal name, and cannot include brand names, business names, studio names, or institutional names. Only one (1) entity name, either the official academic institution name, its abbreviation, or the individual's own personal name, is allowed for designer rankings and profile details. The team members section must remain blank, as the Academic Account Type is strictly limited to one (1) individual scholar.

Clarifications: If your submission involves multiple academic collaborators or team members, select the Academic Collaboration Account Type instead. Undergraduate students may use the Young Account Type, provided they meet age eligibility requirements. The Academic Account Type is strictly intended for institutional, scholarly, educational or research projects directly connected to your affiliated academic institution. The Academic Account Type is not intended for personal, freelance, commercial or third-party projects. For non-academic projects, select the Professional or other appropriate Account Type instead. You will be required to submit an official License and Declaration co-signed by your academic institution. Choose the Academic Account Type only if you currently hold an active academic position such as faculty member, staff, lecturer, professor, researcher, graduate student, or similar academic role, and you are submitting your work specifically on behalf of the academic institution you represent, for a project made as part of your academic duties. Your institution's registration number, VAT number, or corporate identification number is required for invoicing purposes. Do not select this Account Type solely based on designing for an academic institution; you must personally hold an active academic position within the institution for which the project was created. Companies designing projects for academia must instead select Enterprise, Agency or Startup Account Types. At the end of the year, your academic affiliation and status may be verified by reviewing your registered institutional email address and confirming your active listing at your faculty or department. If you do not hold an active academic role (lecturer, professor, dean, researcher, graduate student), please choose the Professional Account Type instead. The Academic Account Type is strictly reserved for genuine full-time or primary-employment academics whose main professional activity is teaching, scholarly research, or academic work at accredited institutions. There is intentionally no workforce threshold applied to the academic's affiliated institution, because universities, research institutes, and academic bodies legitimately employ large numbers of faculty, researchers, administrative staff, and support personnel - this is normal and does not disqualify genuine academic submissions. For Academic eligibility beyond the primary criteria, your household net worth must not exceed 10 Million EUR, and you must not control other business entities whose combined assets exceed 10 Million EUR. Individuals holding only nominal, adjunct, visiting, or honorary academic positions while primarily operating commercial design practices, agencies, or enterprises must select the Account Type matching their actual primary commercial activity rather than exploiting nominal academic affiliations for discounted fees. Accreditation of your institution will be verified against recognized national and international academic accreditation bodies; unaccredited institutions, diploma mills, commercial training centers, or for-profit educational companies masquerading as academic institutions do not qualify. Emeritus status alone, without active teaching, research, or institutional responsibilities, does not qualify; an active primary role at the institution is required. If the submitted project was substantially funded by a commercial sponsor, industry partner, pharmaceutical company, technology corporation, or other third-party enterprise whose financial contribution substantially exceeds typical academic research grants, the Account Type should reflect the commercial sponsor's profile, not the academic institution's nature, because the work is effectively industry-sponsored research rather than independent academic scholarship. Part-time adjunct faculty whose primary income and identity is commercial practice should not exploit their adjunct status to access Academic Account discounts for essentially commercial work. PhD candidates and graduate students must be genuinely enrolled as full-time or primary-status students, not senior commercial practitioners using nominal enrollment for classification purposes. If you are a tenured professor but also own a design firm generating substantial revenue, and the submitted work derives from your firm's commercial practice rather than your academic research, the appropriate Account Type is determined by where the work genuinely originated. The Academic Account Type exists to support those whose primary life-work is scholarly, not those with secondary academic affiliations alongside substantial commercial operations.

Professional Account: Designed specifically for individual design professionals, architects, artists, freelancers, and independent creative consultants, the Professional Account Type includes complimentary Portfolio Evaluation Services, with discounted entry fees compared to Enterprise or Agency Accounts.

Professional	Special Benefits Complementary Portfolio Evaluation (Professional) Distinguished Designer Program (Professional) Inclusion in Rankings (Professional)
	Good to Know Free Registration, Free Submission, Free Preliminary Score Campaign Rates & Nomination Packages (Professional) No Contractually Obligated Winner Fees for Professional, Digital & Vision Edition Entries
	⚐ Yearbook Name Limit : 1*, Team-Member Limit: 0
	Nomination Fees • Low when compared to other account types.

Table 37. Professional Account Type Nomination Fees
	PRO-EDITION	DIGITAL-EDITION	VISION-EDITION	CLASSIC-EDITION
EARLY	595 €	225 €	119 €	79 €
STANDARD	715 €	295 €	149 €	99 €
LATE	835 €	370 €	189 €	129 €
JOIN NOW:	JOIN PRO Take part in the A' Design Award via Professional Entry by obtaining a Pro-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN DIGITAL Take part in the A' Design Award via Digital Entry by obtaining a Digital-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN SMART Take part in the A' Design Award via Smart Entry by obtaining a Vision-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN CLASSIC Take part in the A' Design Award via Classic Entry by obtaining an Industry-Standard-Nomination Ticket now.

Eligibility Conditions: Open exclusively to individual professionals such as designers, architects, engineers, artists, illustrators, photographers, stylists, writers, creative consultants, strategists, art directors, filmmakers, animators, musicians, artisans, curators, educators, researchers, craftspeople, advertising professionals, marketing specialists, branding experts, and similar creative individuals who independently produce original creative work or provide professional creative services, either directly to clients or for their own personal projects and brands.

Restrictions: Must register using the individual's full name (first name and surname only); brand names, nicknames, aliases, business names, studio names, or multiple names cannot be used in yearbooks, certificates, exhibition posters, gala-badges, design rankings, screen presentations, or profile details. Team Members section must remain blank since the Professional Account Type is strictly for one (1) individual, the account holder.

Clarifications: If your submission involves partners, collaborators, or team members who should be named in yearbooks, certificates, exhibition posters, gala-badges, design rankings, screen presentations, or profile details, select the Professional Partnership Account Type instead. If your group exceeds eight (8) individuals, select the Agency Account Type; if your annual revenue exceeds 2 Million EUR, select the Enterprise Account Type; if your annual revenue or expenditures exceed 100 Million EUR, select the Business Consortium Account Type. If your annual revenue exceeds or equal to 250 Million EUR, choose the Big Brand Account Type. If your annual revenue exceeds or equal to 500 Million EUR, choose the World Brand Account Type. When submitting designs created for external companies, enterprises, brands, institutions, organizations, media, or third-party clients, entry fees paid or nomination tickets used must accurately correspond to the Account Type matching the client's actual eligibility, organizational structure, annual revenue, or expenditures. Individual professionals may not use discounted Professional Account Type entry fees or nomination tickets to submit designs created for Enterprise-level or higher-tier clients. The Professional Account Type specifically subsidizes and supports individual creative professionals operating independently with modest resources, ensuring fair competition, professional recognition, and appropriate account usage aligned precisely to actual project ownership and client profile. The Professional Account Type is reserved for genuinely independent creative professionals, with anti-exploitation thresholds designed to catch only egregious misclassification. For Professional eligibility beyond the primary revenue criteria, your household net worth including spouse or domestic partner must not exceed 10 Million EUR. Household net worth calculation includes all savings, investments, real estate excluding primary residence, trust fund access, stocks and securities, bonds, inheritance received or expected within five years, cryptocurrency holdings, business ownership stakes, and any other financial assets directly accessible to you or your household. Additionally, if you control or own business entities whose combined assets exceed 10 Million EUR, if your organization including collaborators, assistants, and contractors you regularly work with exceeds 25 personnel, if cumulative funding raised exceeds 500,000 EUR, or if establishment capital exceeds 1 Million EUR, you must select the Agency or Enterprise Account Type corresponding to your actual business scale. Working on commissions for clients of any size, including global corporations and major brands, is entirely welcomed under the Professional Account Type, as commission work is a normal and important part of independent professional practice. The concern addressed by these thresholds is not about the prestige or scale of your clients, which is irrelevant to Account Type classification - an independent freelance professional working on a commissioned project for a Fortune 500 company submits correctly under Professional Account because you are the genuine creative author. The concern is ensuring that the submitting individual is genuinely an independent professional, not a disguised representation of a larger entity. If you are currently employed as a senior executive, director, or staff member of a major corporation, agency, or enterprise, and the submitted work substantially benefits from or relies upon your employer's resources, networks, intellectual property, client relationships, team support, or institutional backing, the submission should reflect your employer's Account Type rather than your personal Professional status, even if nominally performed in your personal capacity. Independently wealthy individuals whose household wealth substantially exceeds the specified threshold, family office beneficiaries, trust fund recipients, semi-retired former executives, or heirs of major design or business dynasties operating boutique personal practices as hobbies rather than primary livelihoods may not fit the Professional Account Type regardless of current personal income levels. The concept of Creator Entities includes all your currently controlled businesses, all entities where you hold majority or significant influence, all family business access, and all holding structures through which you operate. These thresholds are intentionally generous to avoid punishing successful independent professionals while preventing clear structural misclassification.

Government Account: Designed specifically for governmental bodies, ministries, councils, municipalities, and public institutions, the Government Account Type provides discounted entry fees, nomination opportunities, and supportive services to help governments effectively promote their projects, foster innovation, boost tourism, recognize creative excellence, and drive economic development through strategic design initiatives.

Government	Special Benefits Patronage Program (Government) Design Award Jury Invitation (Government) Complementary Portfolio Evaluation (Government)
	Good to Know Free Registration, Free Submission, Free Preliminary Score Campaign Rates & Nomination Packages (Government) No Contractually Obligated Winner Fees for Professional, Digital & Vision Edition Entries
	⚐ Yearbook Name Limit : 1*, Team-Member Limit: 20
	Nomination Fees • Low when compared to other account types.

Table 39. Government Account Type Nomination Fees
	PRO-EDITION	DIGITAL-EDITION	VISION-EDITION	CLASSIC-EDITION
EARLY	630 €	240 €	119 €	79 €
STANDARD	760 €	320 €	159 €	109 €
LATE	890 €	405 €	209 €	139 €
JOIN NOW:	JOIN PRO Take part in the A' Design Award via Professional Entry by obtaining a Pro-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN DIGITAL Take part in the A' Design Award via Digital Entry by obtaining a Digital-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN SMART Take part in the A' Design Award via Smart Entry by obtaining a Vision-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN CLASSIC Take part in the A' Design Award via Classic Entry by obtaining an Industry-Standard-Nomination Ticket now.

Eligibility Conditions: Open exclusively to officially recognized governmental entities acknowledged by their respective national governments, including national ministries, regional or local governments, municipalities, municipal councils, design councils, development councils, public administrative bodies, government-sponsored cultural or creative institutions, design centers, tourism boards, innovation offices, public sector initiatives, and similar official governmental organizations responsible for promoting economic, social, cultural, or creative growth and development through design-related projects or initiatives, regardless of governmental role or responsibility (executive, legislative, or judiciary). Individual government representatives, such as bureaucrats, public officials, government-appointed representatives, or politicians holding seats in parliament, may also use the Government Account Type when officially submitting projects directly on behalf of their governmental body or institution.

Restrictions: Must register using the official governmental institution name or abbreviation for yearbooks, certificates, exhibition posters, design rankings, screen presentations, and profile details (name must be the official governmental institution's name or abbreviation). Government, country, institution or brand names cannot appear on gala-badges. For all accounts, for nomination pathways eligible for gala participation, gala-badges must exclusively display the personal legal names of attending individuals who choose to participate in the gala event. Institutional or governmental email addresses should be used for registration purposes. Official government identification numbers (registration number, VAT number, or corporate ID) are required for invoicing purposes. Maximum allowed team size is twenty (20) members, including government representatives, officials, administrators, public servants, or staff listed in the design details.

Clarifications: If your submission involves a team of more than twenty (20) members directly participating in the government project, or if it involves collaboration between multiple government organizations, administrative bodies, or public institutions, select the Institutional Alliance Account Type instead. The Government Account Type is explicitly intended for official governmental bodies submitting projects directly initiated, created, commissioned, or produced by the government itself for public benefit or governmental objectives. Designers, agencies, architects, engineers, or independent professionals who have produced projects commissioned by government entities must select and pay entry fees or use nomination tickets corresponding directly to their actual profile (e.g., Agency, Enterprise, Business Consortium), and not the discounted Government Account Type. The Government Account Type may not be used by private-sector entities, contractors, consultants, or independent third parties submitting work created on behalf of governmental clients. Governments can purchase discounted bulk nomination ticket packages and distribute nomination tickets directly to local designers, companies, creative professionals, or institutions, specifically to subsidize design participation, incentivize excellence, and stimulate economic and cultural growth through design promotion initiatives. However, nomination tickets purchased by governments for distribution purposes must correspond to the appropriate Account Type matching the intended recipients' actual eligibility (e.g., Agency, Enterprise, or Business Consortium). Governments cannot distribute Government Account Type tickets to external recipients. We provide discounted bulk nomination ticket purchase options to governments to support initiatives promoting local creativity, tourism, economic development, and innovation. The Government Account Type is exclusively for genuine governmental bodies performing non-commercial public functions, and there are intentionally no workforce or parent structure thresholds because governmental bodies legitimately encompass very large organizational structures - this is normal and does not disqualify genuine governmental submissions. However, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) operating as commercial entities in competitive markets must select the Enterprise, Business Consortium, Big Brand, or World Brand Account Type matching their actual commercial profile and revenue, regardless of nominal state ownership. Examples include national airlines operating commercially, state-owned banks competing in retail banking markets, government-controlled telecommunications or energy companies, and similar commercially-operating entities; these must use commercial Account Types despite state ownership. The Government Account Type is strictly reserved for non-commercial governmental functions such as ministries, municipalities, councils, regulatory bodies, and public institutions serving administrative, cultural, social, educational, infrastructural, or public-interest objectives without competing in commercial markets. Quasi-governmental organizations with significant commercial operations must use Account Types reflecting their commercial activity. Public-private partnerships should classify based on which party substantively drove the submitted project. Private contractors, architecture firms, design agencies, or consultancies who performed the actual creative work on government commissions must submit under their own commercial Account Types - Agency, Enterprise, Business Consortium - rather than exploiting the Government Account discount through nominal government sponsorship of submissions. Governments may, however, use discounted bulk nomination tickets to subsidize genuine third-party creative submissions by distributing tickets to independent designers, agencies, or companies; such distributed tickets must correspond to recipients actual Account Types, not the Government Account Type. Municipal and regional governments must reflect their specific governmental scope; cross-border collaborations between government bodies may require the Institutional Alliance Account Type if the collaboration's combined scope exceeds single-government submission norms.

Young Account: Designed specifically for individual, upcoming talents and new designers aged 25 years or younger, the Young Account Type offers the lowest entry fees, complimentary participation opportunities and Portfolio Evaluation Services to support emerging creative professionals.

Young	Special Benefits Design Ambassador Program (Young) Design Award Scholarship (Young) Young Design Category (Young) Inclusion in Rankings (Young)
	Good to Know Free Registration, Free Submission, Free Preliminary Score Campaign Rates & Nomination Packages (Young) No Contractually Obligated Winner Fees for Professional, Digital & Vision Edition Entries
	⚐ Yearbook Name Limit : 1*, Team-Member Limit: 0
	Nomination Fees • Least when compared to other account types.

Table 41. Young Account Type Nomination Fees
	PRO-EDITION	DIGITAL-EDITION	VISION-EDITION	CLASSIC-EDITION
EARLY	420 €	160 €	79 €	59 €
STANDARD	505 €	215 €	109 €	79 €
LATE	590 €	270 €	139 €	89 €
JOIN NOW:	JOIN PRO Take part in the A' Design Award via Professional Entry by obtaining a Pro-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN DIGITAL Take part in the A' Design Award via Digital Entry by obtaining a Digital-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN SMART Take part in the A' Design Award via Smart Entry by obtaining a Vision-Nomination Ticket now.	JOIN CLASSIC Take part in the A' Design Award via Classic Entry by obtaining an Industry-Standard-Nomination Ticket now.

Eligibility Conditions: Open exclusively to individuals who are 25 years of age or younger, typically students or aspiring creatives in fields such as architecture, interior design, product design, graphic design, communication design, interactive design, fashion design, photography, illustration, visual arts, advertising, creative writing, filmmaking, music, digital media, styling, and related creative disciplines, who have not yet begun earning significant income by providing professional design or creative services, and who do not currently own or operate a professional creative business.

Restrictions: Must register using the individual's full legal name (first name, middle name if any, and surname only). Brand names, nicknames, aliases, business names, or studio names cannot be used in yearbooks, certificates, exhibition posters, gala-badges, design rankings, screen presentations, or profile details. The team members section must remain blank; the Young Account Type is strictly for one (1) individual, the account holder. Proof of age may be requested for verification purposes, at any time, before or after nomination or results.

Clarifications: If your submission involves additional team members, collaborators, or a group, select the Young Collective Account Type provided all group members are aged 25 or younger; otherwise, choose the Professional Partnership Account Type. Graduate students or academics aged 25 years or younger who are actively affiliated with an accredited academic institution should select the Academic Account Type, especially for projects specifically created as part of their institutional or academic duties. Young Account holders may submit only original creative work personally created for their own personal projects or personal brand identity. Works created on behalf of third parties, agencies, enterprises, or commercial clients cannot be submitted using the discounted Young Account Type entry fees. Such submissions must be made using the appropriate Professional, Agency, or Enterprise Account Types, accurately reflecting the client's actual eligibility, organizational structure, and annual revenue. Likewise, nomination tickets purchased must directly correspond to the correct Account Type matching the actual profile of the project owner or client, ensuring the appropriate fees are applied. Additionally, young individuals who personally receive, directly or indirectly, more than 100.000 EUR annually (including salary, inheritance, endowments, dividends, stocks, capital gains, trust funds, investments, or other forms of income or wealth), or individuals whose total personal net worth, savings, investments, or financial assets currently exceed 1 Million EUR, must select the Professional Account Type instead. All members must be 25 years old or younger at the time results are announced; if you will turn 26 before results, you are not eligible. Once you reach the age of 26, please contact us, and we will convert your Young Account Type to a Professional Account Type once, free of charge, without any additional fees. To ensure proper processing of your submissions and payments, please do not make any new payments or nominations using your Young Account Type after turning 26; wait until your account has been updated to the correct Professional Account Type. The Young Account Type is specifically designed to subsidize and support emerging creative talents with significantly discounted entry fees. The Young Account Type is exclusively reserved for genuinely emerging young individuals with modest personal and family financial resources. The organizational workforce is intentionally set at 1 because the Young Account Type is for individual submissions only - if you are working in a group, please use the Young Collective Account Type instead. For Young Account eligibility beyond the primary criteria, the net worth threshold encompasses not only your personal assets but also your immediate family's wealth, including parents, guardians, spouse, or domestic partner. This combined family net worth must not exceed 1 Million EUR. The calculation includes trust funds established for your benefit or accessible to your immediate family, inheritance already received or expected within five years, family business ownership stakes and dividends, endowments, stocks and securities held in your name or for your benefit, real estate holdings of the immediate family, savings and investments, cryptocurrency holdings, and any other assets directly accessible to you or your immediate family members. If your immediate family's combined wealth exceeds this threshold, or if you have access to family businesses or entities whose combined assets exceed 5 Million EUR, if cumulative funding raised for your practice exceeds 50,000 EUR, or if establishment capital exceeds 100,000 EUR, you must select the Professional Account Type regardless of your personal income level. This classification specifically addresses the structural advantages problem: young individuals with wealthy family backgrounds have inherent access to capital, connections, industry networks, mentorship, introductions, studio resources, and opportunities that the Young Account Type is not designed to subsidize. Trust fund beneficiaries, heirs of business dynasties, children of major design firm owners, and young individuals whose families operate significant enterprises are not the intended beneficiaries of this subsidized Account Type. Additionally, if you are employed by, affiliated with, sponsored by, or receive substantial assistance from a major design firm, agency, enterprise, or established practice whose resources contribute to your submitted work, you should select the Account Type matching that entity's profile, because the work is effectively that entity's work rather than your independent young-designer output. Age verification may be required; the age threshold applies at the time award results are announced, not merely at the time of submission. If your family business was recently restructured to conceal assets, or if your access to family wealth was temporarily restricted specifically to qualify for Young Account status, such arrangements do not alter the underlying eligibility assessment. The Young Account Type exists to support genuinely emerging talent building careers from modest resources, not young individuals with substantial structural privilege operating under the appearance of student status.