External Contests

FIT shares contests and projects that are open to the general public or to the general collegiate population only as a convenience and for informational purposes. FIT does not sponsor, organize, or endorse these contests or projects in any way, and FIT is not responsible for the accuracy, legality, content, or terms of any such contest or project. FIT encourages interested persons to carefully review the terms and conditions of any contest or project before participating and to contact the contest or project sponsor for questions or concerns.   

2026 Kyoto Global Design Awards 

Details: The Kyoto Global Design Awards celebrates the diversity of design across the world, starting from Japan's cultural center, Kyoto, which has more than a thousand years of history and is one of the oldest cities in the world. With its legacy of Japanese history, Kyoto continually innovates and endeavors, bringing together history and modernity. This precious heritage has allowed Kyoto to become not only an important symbol of culture but also a hub for new economic and design development. Through the Kyoto Global Design Awards, the Kyoto Global Design Awards Committee is embarking on a journey to seek global talents and encourage designers to increase design value, promote social and commercial exchanges, and make meaningful contributions to a better world. They aim to provide a reliable platform that promotes professionalism and quality in design.

Submission Deadline: September 19, 2026

Winners Selected: October 31, 2026

Competition Guidelines: Each Kyoto Global Design Awards winner has undergone an extensive review process. Award winners are selected through a series of reviews and evaluations that look at their trend-setting capabilities and influence from various angles. The Kyoto Global Design Awards jury is composed of high-level experts from multiple fields, including design, art and culture, and environment. Entries are reviewed from various angles, with a focus on lifestyle and human nature. Judges look for designs that impact an entire field and lead to new opportunities for creative or business collaboration. Regarding the KGDA judging criteria, there are six key points: Aesthetic Excellence, Innovation, Societal Impact, Nature Positivity, Sustainability Commitment, and Functionality.

Enter Kyoto Global Design Awards

About Kyoto Global Design Awards: (KGDA) is an international design competition established in 2019, with the aim of recognizing outstanding designers from across the globe. With its headquarters in the Netherlands, KGDA intends to become one of the most prestigious design awards in the Asia-Pacific region. As a means of promoting collaboration between design and society, KGDA provides designers from around the world with an opportunity to showcase their work, regardless of their country of origin or background.

SFWRUNWAY Sustainability Design Competition 

Details: Design a four-look capsule from what already exists. Three wearable looks and one showpiece. At least 60% of each look, by surface area, must come from one or more of the following: Deadstock or end-of-roll fabric — unused yardage that would otherwise be discarded; Post-consumer garments or textiles — reworked, reconstructed or disassembled; Offcuts and factory waste — including your own studio waste; Certified recycled fibre — minimum 50% recycled content; Natural fibres to a recognised standard — organic, regenerative or equivalent, certification named.

Submission Deadline: November 30, 2026

Winners Selected: January 15, 2027

Competition Guidelines: Attached as a five-page PDF, and published in full on the entry page. In short: design a four-look capsule — three wearable, one showpiece — in which at least 60% of each look by surface area comes from deadstock, post-consumer textiles, factory offcuts, certified recycled fibre or certified natural fibre. To apply, entrants submit three sketches, a 500-word statement on their material sourcing, and two images of past work, as a single PDF. Nothing needs to be made in order to enter. Open to anyone 18 or over, currently enrolled or graduated within the last three years, with fewer than four years of professional experience.

Enter Sustainability Design Competition

About SFWRUNWAY: SFWRUNWAY is a fashion entrepreneurship platform helping emerging designers turn creative talent into sustainable businesses. Having supported more than 1,300 designers, SFWRUNWAY combines industry access and Fashion Week opportunities with technology, business resources, product development tools, and professional content. Their runway experiences in Los Angeles and New York serve as a bridge between emerging talent and the broader fashion ecosystem, while initiatives like the Sustainability Design Competition create accessible pathways for students and early-career designers to gain real-world industry experience and visibility.

2027 Design-A-Bag Competition

Details: Design-A-Bag (DAB) Online Competition is the only bag designing event of its kind for designers and design students all over the world. The competition is part of an initiative by Fashion Access and APLF. The annual event brings together a global design community to the Fashion Access trade fair. Designers can showcase their creations to the world and exchange design concepts among talents from various cultures and backgrounds.

Submission Deadline: January 8, 2027

Winners Selected: 2027

Competition Guidelines: Designs must be an A3 sized document, and include the following: Bag must be designed with genuine leather as the main material; Front view in colour sketch; One other view in colour sketch; A technical drawing with scaled measurement; Present the material swatch(es) and colour story. To ensure fairness, NO participant/company/institute name should appear on the drawing or else the submission will be disqualified. The design must align with this year’s theme: Crafting Wonder. Submissions that do not reflect the theme will be disqualified. The submission process must be repeated for each separate entry. Submitting the same design more than once will result in disqualification.

Enter the Design-A-Bag Competition

About APLF Limited: APLF was established in 1984. It has been the most international leather and fashion manufacturing exhibition, and recognised as the most important trading platform in the tanning industry. Every year, the exhibitions attract 10,000+ visitors, including fashion designer brands, manufacturers of bag, footwear, furniture and car, and tanneries from 100 countries. 

2026 Porada International Design Award

Details: Organized in collaboration with POLI.design and supported by the ADI (Italian Industrial Design Association), this annual design competition is a great pathway to professional opportunities for design students. This year's competition is officially open and focuses on the theme of TABLES. The challenge asks students and professionals to develop innovative table concepts where solid wood is the dominant material, balancing ergonomic and sustainable design requirements. 

Submission Deadline: January 31, 2027

Winners Selected: 2027

Competition Guidelines: The competition is open to Italian and/or foreign designers working independently or employed by companies and Italian and/or foreign students enrolled in Bachelor's or Master's programs, recent graduates, and students of secondary schools. Participation is prohibited for Jury members, their relatives, employees of Porada and POLI.design, and freelance designers currently designing or who have designed products for Porada in the past. The wood may be combined with other materials (preferably chosen from those in the collection). Submitted designs must be original and unpublished. The Jury will decide three winners for each category, Students and Professionals, and a winner of the Giacomo Allievi Special Mention, for a total prize of 11,000 euros. Winners will be celebrated at a dedicated award ceremony organized by Porada, offering direct exposure to leading Italian manufacturers and design networks.

Enter the 2026 Porada International Design Award Competition

About Porada: Porada was established in 1968 by Luigi Allievi with the aim of expanding the production of chairs, started in 1948. The excellent quality and considerable experience in the wood manufacturing shortly gave the Company a solid and well-defined identity, which nowadays express itself in refined products that contribute to design a domestic environment, where the everyday living needs are met.