Winning a Dezeen Award is "the ultimate seal of approval"

With just one week left until entries close for Dezeen Awards 2025, past winners have shared stories about the transformative impact the accolade has had, with one designer heralding it as "a lifetime achievement."

More media attention, global recognition, plus new business leads and projects were all cited as the positive outcomes of winning a Dezeen Award.

The countdown is on! Dezeen Awards entries close at 23:59 London time on 29 May. Enter your projects into one of our 49 categories across architecture, interiors and design for your chance to benefit from global acclaim and elevate your industry profile. Read on to hear more details about what past winners had to say:

"Exposure was global and very immediate"

Philippe Malouin collaborated with Italian lighting brand Flos to create Bilboquet, a two-cylinder table lamp. The Canadian designer described winning lighting design of the year as "energising" and told Dezeen that the accolade "brought more eyes to our work."

The compact, adjustable table lamp, which marked Malouin's first collaboration with Flos, led to new opportunities and boosted morale for his team.

"Clients, institutions, and collaborators we hadn't connected with before started reaching out," said Malouin. "It's energising for my studio to be recognised."

"It reaffirmed our approach and encouraged us to keep experimenting," he continued. "We feel more confident pushing ideas that might seem unconventional at first glance."

"Enhanced visibility with clients, partners, and designers"

Winning "brought heightened recognition from the global design community," said global furniture brand Humanscale, which took home workplace design of the year for its versatile video call desk light Nova.

Judges praised Nova for its resolved details, showcasing technicality yet having a "pleasingly-neutral appearance."

"Winning a Dezeen Award reinforced Humanscale's position as a leader in user-focused design," said Anand Gandesha, brand director at Humanscale.

"It enhanced visibility with clients, partners, and designers, and elevated our positioning as an innovator in ergonomic solutions," he explained. "Since the award, we've seen increased engagement from architecture and design firms that align with our values across the globe."

Humanscale also expressed how the win served as motivation for future projects, adding that "the recognition encouraged us to double down on our core values."

"It's been a reminder that design excellence is not only measured by form and function but by long-term environmental and social impact," reflected Gandesha. "It galvanised our teams and reaffirmed our commitment to pushing boundaries in product innovation."

"International press and media coverage"

Dezeen also spoke to Scottish artist and metalworker Kathleen Reilly, whose product Oku won in 2022, to understand what impact winning has had on her work.

For Reilly, winning felt like "a lifetime achievement," and "solidified and validated Oku's position and future as a brand."

"Winning is the ultimate seal of approval for a project or design," she said. "Since winning a Dezeen Award in 2022, Oku has expanded to form a community."

"It has allowed us to reach new levels of value and recognition stretching beyond the architecture and design sectors," Reilly explained. "It has given us the confidence to fulfil our ambitions and reach new heights."

"We have had new successful collaborations with manufacturers, retailers and restaurants, in addition to international press and media coverage."

One week left to enter!

There's just one week left to enter Dezeen Awards. Enter your projects by 23:59 London time on 29 May to avoid late entry fees.

All the information about how to enter can be found here, which includes details about our categories, prices and dates, and terms and conditions.

Need help with your entry? Drop us a line at awards@dezeen.com if you have any questions, and someone from the team will be on hand to help.

Dezeen Awards 2025 in partnership with Bentley

Dezeen Awards is the ultimate accolade for architects and designers across the globe. The eighth edition of the annual awards programme is in partnership with Bentley as part of a wider collaboration to inspire, support and champion design excellence and showcase innovation that creates a better and more sustainable world. This ambition complements Bentley's architecture and design business initiatives, including the Bentley Home range of furnishings and real estate projects around the world.

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