Entry Instructions

Step by Step Entry Submission Instructions from Account Creation to Nomination

To enter and nominate your work to the A' Design Award, first create a free account and confirm your registration through the verification email. Once your account has been successfully confirmed, log in to your personal control panel. Review the competition terms and select an Account Type. Once this step is complete, you can upload your design. After uploading, you may choose to wait for your complimentary Preliminary Score and review the feedback to improve your submission, or proceed directly to nominate your design for official award consideration.

Step 1: Create a Free Account, Register and Submit Your Design

Create a free A' Design Award account, verify your email address, review the terms and select the account type that aligns with your organization's objectives. Access your control panel to submit your design details. Feel confident in submitting your work as is; our team carefully reviews every submission multiple times and provides personalized guidance to help you continuously enhance your presentation. Each time you update your design, we gladly review it again, supporting you at every step to achieve the best possible result.

Submit a Main Image precisely 3600 x 3600 pixels as 72 DPI JPEG, along with up to four supplementary Optional Images sized 1800 x 1800 pixels each, also 72 DPI JPEG. Please ensure images comply with our anonymous judging standards by excluding all logos, brand identifiers, watermarks, or text overlays (exceptions apply for logos integrated to products themselves, packaging, advertising). Accompany your images with concise, factual descriptions in English, emphasizing your design’s functions, features, and innovations.

Step 2: Optimize Your Submission for Review and Obtain Free Preliminary Score

When you upload your design to A' Design Award, our experts carefully review your design presentation and provide complimentary guidance, especially if there are any improvements needed. To speed up your presentation review process and get better feedback, you can utilize our Advanced Submission Optimizer, a free tool designed to enhance the quality of your submission.

Before submission you will also want to view and download our Presentation Guidelines. Our Presentation Guidelines teaches you how to better present your work visually and how to better explain your work textually. Moreover, we advise to refer to our Award Category pages. At each Award Category page, we give examples of what kind of images to upload for Main image and Optional images, and whether it is required to submit a document or video (some categories may require them).

Step 3a: Receive Your Preliminary Score

After uploading your design, within 72 hours, your entry undergoes a confidential Preliminary Review process. The Preliminary Review is the first phase of the A' Design Award and it is completely free of charge. Preliminary Review is provided to check if your submission meets the evaluation standards, ensure consistency among all entries for fair jury consideration, and give constructive feedback to enhance your presentation. Preliminary Review also assists you in choosing an appropriate award category and clearly indicates the quality of your design and the effectiveness of your design presentation. You will receive two distinct scores: a Preliminary Score (for design quality) ranging from 0 to 10, and a Presentation Score ranging from 0 to 100. The Preliminary Score is more relevant as you can improve your Presentation Score by providing more data such as uploading additional images and completing your entry, while the Preliminary Score is more about the work itself, it generally does not get updated as you make changes, unless of course the presentation is significantly enhanced, which results in better communication and understanding of your design.

The Preliminary Score indicates your design's likelihood of success on a scale from 0 (zero, lowest) to 10 (ten, highest). Preliminary Scores 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10 indicates strong potential. Preliminary scores 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 indicates further improvements to your design or presentation are needed to increase its chances of success. The Preliminary Score service is provided completely free of charge and in a confidential manner. Obtaining a preliminary score does not create a contractual obligation to nominate your work for awards consideration. You can upload multiple designs at the same time and obtain multiple Preliminary Scores for each work. Big brands and top creative agencies always upload multiple projects, and select those that have higher Preliminary Score for nomination. This strategy is smart if you want to increase the likelihood of your success; upload multiple designs, get free preliminary score for each product or project, and nominate the projects that score higher. Grand Jury Panel does not see your Preliminary Score. Preliminary Score does not anchor or prime jurors.

Step 3b: Nominate Your Entry and Select an Entry Type

You can nominate your entry to A' Design Award anytime, with or without a Preliminary Score. That said, it is strategically advantageous to have multiple preliminary scores first so you can choose which projects to nominate. After reviewing your Preliminary Score and jury feedback, you may formally nominate your design for the final jury evaluation, even if the presentation is not complete, you can make changes after nomination. To nominate your work to A' Design Award, go to Nominate a Design page, select the Award Category, and Entry Type. Aim for Public (non-concealed) categories for higher PR opportunities. Choose an Entry Type for your work and complete the nomination process. Aligned with different business objectives and budgets, we have multiple entry methods and pathways available: Professional Edition, Digital Edition, Vision Edition and Classic Edition.

The Professional Edition provides extensive promotional benefits for established brands and agencies without additional winner fees. Professional Edition Entry is what we generally recommend if you want to have a potential to join gala, obtain physical hardcover yearbooks, framed certificates, trophies and merchandise. The Digital Edition offers an affordable, digital-focused entry method suitable for all businesses, brands and creative agencies seeking online visibility. Digital Edition has almost same PR benefits of Professional Edition. The Vision Edition allows a flexible, minimal initial commitment with optional services purchasable after winning. The Classic Edition is structured with lower initial fees and conditional winner fees, suitable for incremental investment based on results. Choose the method best matching your brand's strategic priorities and objectives. Professional, Digital and Vision Edition entry does not impose contractual winner fees.

Design Prize

Discover the A' Design Prize

Winning the prestigious A' Design Award through Professional or Digital Edition entry grants you the relevant A' Design Prize that helps position your brand internationally, offering recognition through global media coverage, industry exhibitions, professional publications, and strategic networking events. Eligible A' Design Award laureates benefit from services including international PR campaigns, multilingual promotional materials, formal certificates, exhibition opportunities, and inclusion in design yearbooks. Our resources strategically support your brand’s visibility, credibility, and market positioning without imposing additional obligatory fees, allowing your organization to leverage recognition effectively within your industry.