Awards International and Good Practices Design for All

General information

Design for All International Good Practice Awards recognize achievements in the field of Design for All, large and small, from governments, public companies, private non-profit organizations and professionals around the world. In doing so, we aim to demonstrate the improvement that Design for All/Universal Design implies in quality of life for all.
An international jury will select the 5 "Best Good Practices" from among all those presented to be awarded the Design for All International Award. These will be the examples that stand out for their impact and that indicate the way forward for a better implementation of Design for All/Universal Design.

Key dates

Entries are welcome from 1 February 2023 until 30 June 2023.
Shall be evaluated in less than a month and if they are selected, candidates will receive the certificate of "Good Practice\" corresponding.
The "Best Practices awarded" selected by the Jury, will be announced during the ceremony of the Design for All International Awards 2023. Data and place will be announced three months in advance.

Objectives and Categories

Objectives

The awards aim to fulfil the following objectives:

To recognise initiatives and projects which seek to respect and promote human diversity through the use of Design for All.
To promote Design for All / Universal Design as a tool to improve quality of life for everyone.
To highlight the importance of Design for All / Universal Design and its contribution to innovation within all kinds of organisations.
To demonstrate the various social and economic benefits that Design for All / Universal Design brings.

Categories and spheres of activity

Candidates may submit entries in one of the following categories:

Spaces, products and services already in use.
Projects, proposals, initiatives, methodologies and studies.

In the current edition, each of these categories includes, but is not limited to, the following areas of activity:

Products (household goods, industrial products, tools, textiles, consumables, foods, etc.).
Graphics (graphic design, signage, etc.).
Information and communication technology.
Urban and natural spaces.
Buildings (architecture, interior design, etc.).
Transport and mobility.
Services (tourism, culture, leisure, banking, health, etc.).
Initiatives, projects and services co-created with users.

Participants

Entry criteria

The awards are open to public and private organisations, governments, professionals, not-for-profit organisations, networks, associations, consortia or any other type of union of organisations, temporary or permanent, as long as they are formally established as such, from any country.

Entries

Projects, initiatives products or services submitted must meet the criteria for excellence in order to be selected as a "Good Practice" by the Design for All International. If desired, prospective candidates can complete a self-assessment test, based upon the criteria established by the Association, to help determine the likelihood of their entry being selected as a Good Practice. Click here to complete the test.

In the event of an entry not being selected as a Good Practice, the candidate will receive a comprehensive report detailing the reasons for the decision along with areas for improvement.

All entries received from 1 February 2023 until 30 June 2023 and selected as Good Practices will automatically be entered into the “Design for All International Awards 2023”.

Assessment criteria

The Association will award the Good Practice recognition to all entries which fulfil the following requirements:

Improvement and optimisation of access to and use of the product or service in comparison to the existing situation or to the competition.
Consideration of the requirements and wishes of users and/or clients and their participation in the design process.
Standard of the actions or initiatives, products, services and projects in accordance with design for all criteria, environmental and sustainability principles.
The solution adopted must follow one of the following strategies: A solution for all; Adjustable; Products or services range; compatible with commonly used accessories; Premises/product + complementary service; An alternative option to the mainly used offering similar benefits and a personalized solution.

For its part, the jury will take the following criteria into account when choosing the Design for All International Award winners 2023:

Relevance of the project: extent to which it promotes participation by all.
Standard of the development process: Excellence in the methodology used to implement the principles of design for all, from the outset and at every stage of the process, with the aim of identifying the needs and wishes of users and/or clients.
Extent to which the outputs meet the 8 criteria that define Design for All, which state that products and services should be respectful of diversity, safe, functional, healthy, understandable, sustainable, affordable and appeal.
Effectiveness (or impact): Potential benefit that the project or initiative contributes to society.
The degree of innovation: How the project or initiative represents a step forward both in the conceptualisation of Design for All and in its practical application.

Entry procedure

The following steps should be followed to submit entries for selection as Good Practices:

For all entries, candidates should complete the application form.
Complete all the information requested in the form in English. It is important to include additional material that enhances understanding of the project, product, service or initiative, as well as the process followed, to facilitate evaluation. This will both help entries to obtain recognition as a Good Practice and to demonstrate their excellence in order to be subsequently considered for the Design for All International Awards.
Email the completed application form, together with any additional material, to awards@designforall.org, including the word "candidate" in the subject line. Entries must be submitted before 17:00 (CET) on 30 June 2023. (Unless required by the Association or the Jury).
Entry is free to members of the Design for All International.
Non-members should pay the following fee:
1. €250 if the final user/client does not have to pay anything to use the service or product. (*)
2. €1,000 if the final user has to pay to obtain or use the product or service. (*)
  (*) Should your organisation be unable to afford the entry fee, please email awards@designforall.org including the word "support" in the subject line so that we can consider your situation.
  Entries which do not meet this condition after 17:00 (CET) on 30 June 2023 will not be accepted.
Payment should be made via:
1. Bank transfer
  Bank: Caixa d'Enginyers
  Address: Via Laietana 39, 08003 Barcelona
  Account holder: Disseny per a Tothom Internacional.
  Bank account: (IBAN) ES78 3025 0001 1314 3366 9230
  BIC/SWIFT: CDENESBBXXX
  When making the transfer, please include the word "Awards" together with the name of the organisation submitting the entry.
2. Credit card – please follow the following steps.

Should you have any queries regarding completion of the entry form, the information you should provide or the payment of the entry fee, please send it to awards@designforall.org including the word "support" in the subject line.

Competition Terms and Conditions

Download the complete Terms and conditions of Good Practice 2023 and International Design for All Awards 2023

Prizes

Entries which are selected as Good Practices will receive a certificate and will have the right to:

The use of the Good Practice logo in materials relating to the product, service or project.
Publication of the Good Practice on the Design for All International website, social networks and other communication channels.
Of the Good Practices, 5 will be selected by the jury to receive the Design for All International Awards 2023.

In addition to the benefits obtained by being selected as a Good Practice, award winners will receive a trophy and will have the right to:

A year's free membership of the Design for All Foundation's international and enjoy the benefits these have to offer.

Jury

The Jury will be chaired by the President of the Association Design for All International, without voting right, and will be composed of internationally renowned representatives from business, government and the not-for-profit sector.

The members of the jury will be announced in June 2023

Sponsor the awards

The Association dedicates considerable resources to the organisation and financing of this initiative to share examples of good practice which are being undertaken at the global level. In order to do so, we need everyone's support.
Candidates submitting Good Practices contribute an entry fee, while and members of our international networks contribute part of their annual fee. If you think that the awards are an important, positive initiative, you can help them to obtain maximum impact by becoming a sponsor or making a donation.

Official Sponsor

Contribution: >€2,500.
Your organisation logo will be displayed on all official and publicity materials for the awards.

Premium Sponsor

Contribution: >€5,000.
Your organisation logo will be displayed in a prominent position on all official and publicity materials for the awards, as well as appearing in the Design for All International Newsletter for a year.
Your organisation will be a member of the Design for All International for a year and enjoy the benefits these have to offer.

If you are interested in supporting the awards in any way, please email us at awards@designforall.org, including the word "sponsorship" in the subject line.