call for entries for the sixth edition of AWDA

31.03.2026 Announcements

The call for entries for the sixth edition of AWDA, AIAP Women in Design Award is now online. This biennial award is open to visual communication designers from all over the world. Eligible projects include visual communication design works produced from 2023 to the present by by professionals, researchers, or students. The deadline for participation is June 30.

AWDA is an award created in 2012 inside AIAP, the Italian Association of Visual Communication Design, which is its Project Leader, while ICoD, the International Council of Design, has the role of Institutional Partner.

Today the curators are Cinzia Ferrara, Laura Moretti and Carla Palladino, along with an intergenerational team: Alice Bianco, Costanza de Luca, Benedetta De Rossi, Angelica D’Errico, Elia Maniscalco, Bianca Sangalli Moretti and Lucia Tonelli. 

The main goal is to bring to light, within a framework of valorisation and gender equality, those female figures in visual communication design from the past, present, and future whom history, even in its recent accounts, does not always acknowledge. 

AWDA’s commitment is to foster a network among designers, researchers, and activists, keeping people at the centre of processes of change.

Who can apply?

The AWDA International Award is open to all individuals who identify as women, regardless of sex assigned at birth, sexual orientation, or any transition journeys.

The Award includes the following three categories:

01. Professionals
Eligible participants include: studio owners, independent professionals, studio employees, freelancers, and female-led or predominantly female collectives. For employees and freelancers, a release form, signed and stamped by the owning studio or agency, certifying intellectual property rights of the submitted project, must be attached.

02. Researchers

Eligible participants include: scholars, researchers, university lecturers, lecturers from academies or secondary schools, public and/or private institutions, PhD holders, and scholars who have developed studies, research projects, publications (including self-published works), doctoral theses, or educational projects related to visual communication design.

03. Students

Eligible participants include: students enrolled in public and/or private universities or academies, specialist schools, whose academic curriculum includes visual communication design projects; graduating students or graduates (within the last four years) who have developed or are developing undergraduate or master’s thesis projects in visual communication design.

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Projects submitted within the deadlines specified in the call will be selected by an international jury composed of leading figures in the field of design. Projects in the Researchers' category will be evaluated by a dedicated jury, primarily consisting of university professors and researchers. The composition of both the international jury and the research category jury will be announced by May 2026.

Among the selected works deemed worthy of publication, the jury will announce the winning graphic designer of the AWDA 2026 Prize and award three honorable mentions (one for each category) and any special mentions. Since 2023, a special award has been added: AWDA for RIGHTS!. This is granted to the project – among all those selected – that best addresses social issues regarding women's rights and labor, and more broadly, gender inequality in any field. The Lifetime Achievement Award (which may also be awarded posthumously) will be presented to a national or international designer who has distinguished themselves through their professional and research career, contributing significantly to the dissemination and growth of design culture within the field of communication design. Summarizing the awards and mentions given will be:

— AWDA 2026 Award
— AWDA Lifetime Achievement Award 2026
— AWDA for RIGHTS! Award 2026
— AWDA Honorable Mention 2026 Professional Category
— AWDA Honorable Mention 2026 Students Category
— AWDA Honorable Mention 2026 Researchers Category

The call will remain open from March, 31st to June, 30th 2026.

The official award-giving ceremony will take place in Italy, in November 2026.

Detailed information on AWDA is available on the website: www.aiap-awda.com

Follow AWDA on Instagram: www.instagram.com/aiapwomenindesign
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/aiapwomenindesignaward

For any requests for clarification or general information please write to: info@aiap-awda.com