Surface Design Awards 2026 officially open with new judging format revealed

Surface Design Awards 2026 are officially open for entries, with these exciting new categories and judging format. The awards, now in their 14^th year, continue to champion the very best in architecture, design, and manufacturing, shining a spotlight on material excellence and design innovation from the UK and around the globe.

For 2026, the awards have been refreshed with a new process that will see a panel of distinguished judges – each selected for their specialist knowledge and expertise – evaluate entries across ten categories. The updated award categories have been devised to reflect the most innovative products and projects that improve the way we approach materiality in design. Divided between ‘Projects’ and ‘Products’, judges will lead the conversation in their area of expertise while collaborating with the panel to shape the overall decisions.

An important element of the Surface Design Show is supporting young designers, and this is now reflected with the introduction of the Emerging Talent award. This award is by invite only, student projects and universities will be invited to enter projects that demonstrate outstanding material innovation.

The main categories are spilt as:

Projects                                                                                                Products                                                                   

• Lighting                                                                –     Innovation

• Hospitality                                                           –     Digital
• Public Realm                                                       –     Sustainability
• Facades                                                                –     Material Transformation
• Regenerative Design                                        –     Heritage & Craft

This year’s panel brings together the most respected voices in the design industry, each offering unique insights into their field of expertise and include Muyiwa Oki – President RIBA Tina Norden – Principal at Conran & Partners, Arthur Mamou-Mani – Director of Mamou-Mani, Seetal Solanki- Founder and Director of Ma-tt-er, Barbara Chandler- Founder of Green Grads, Oscar Pearce- Co-Founder of Design Burger, Michael Grubb- Founder of Michael Grubb Studio and Tim Bowder-Ridger- Principle and Partner at Conran and Partners, Roddy Clarke – Design Journalist, Presenter & Consultant and Tim Gledstone – Partner at Squire & Partners.

The Surface Design Show will also award an Outstanding Contribution Award which be given to a practice or studio that has made an ‘Outstanding Contribution’ to the industry.

The 2025 edition of the awards received a wide range of submissions from around the globe, showing a diverse range of projects and products that push the boundaries of material use and design. The winners exhibited strong material innovation across both projects and products, with the finalists embodying creative ingenuity and all placed a strong emphasis on sustainability. The Supreme Winner was the ‘Museum of Meenakari Heritage & Flagship Store for Sunita Shekhawat’ by Studio Lotus, was noted as “a beautiful surface with beautiful character” and that it “lights up like a jewel at night”’ by the judges.

David Todd, SDS Event Director, explains: “We are incredibly excited to introduce these new enhancements to the Surface Design Awards which is evidence of the vital importance of materiality in architecture and design. By refining the judging process and expanding the categories, we are creating an even stronger platform to showcase the very best of innovation and creativity in our industry, celebrating projects and products shaping the future of surface design.”

The closing date for Surface Design Award entries is 5pm 17^th October 2025, with judging taking place in late-November 2025. The winners will then be announced at a champagne reception during SDS26, at London’s Business Design Centre on Wednesday 4^thFebruary at 6pm. Last year’s event saw hundreds of people gather to celebrate the winners and enjoy the live band with the awards being presented by property expert and broadcaster Kunle Barker who handed out the trophies designed using repurposed plastic by The Good Plastic Company.

The Surface Design Awards 2026 promises to once again uncover and celebrate the very best in design excellence, offering a global platform for groundbreaking projects and product design. For more information, visit www.surfacedesignshow.com.