Design Intelligence Awards 2020
Build your brand and grow your business in China
The Design Intelligence Awards (DIA) is an exceptional opportunity for UK entrepreneurs and designers to build their reputation and market share. Hosted by the renowned China Academy of Art, the DIA recognises the innovative design of world leading products and services and outstanding designers and studios. Now in its fifth year, DIA has become one the worlds’ most prestigious and popular awards programmes attracting diverse applicants from 56 countries.
“China has become the second largest consumption economy after the USA and the number of households classed as middle class has surpassed that of the United States at 109 million. This growth in consumption has opened up many opportunities for British firms.”
Terence Chiu, head of commercial banking China, HSBC, 2019
The DIA represents an exceptional opportunity for award applicants to build their presence in Asian markets and grow their businesses through a compelling value proposition including:
– Exposure through digital and social media into China’s expanding supply chains
– Track record of UK winners — 2019 Winners Open Bionics with Hero Arm
– Access to Chinese and global senior decision makers, investors and commissioners
– Use of the DIA Innovation hallmark recognised by Chinese business and consumer markets — Cash prizes of £560,000 with two gold awards of £115,000 to super-charge a winner’s growth — Easy and free application that takes around an hour to complete
Exposure into China’s expanding supply chains and consumer markets
The UK’s entrepreneurs, innovators, manufacturers, digital solution providers and industrial and service designers are recognised in China as world leaders whose products and services are attractive and popular in Chinese markets. The UK’s design-led reputation has been established since the early 2000’s by trailblazer brands such as Burberry, Rolls Royce and Dyson who sell their products through 200 stores in 45 cities.
The Chinese appetite for innovative products and services is now being capitalised on by the UK’s design-led small and mid-sized enterprises influenced by China’s extraordinary growth potential:
- Expanding markets — a population of 1.2bn and an annual growth rate above 6%
- Spending power — Chinese middle class swelling to 630 million people
- Export value — UK China exports have tripled since 2008 to £22.3bn in 2019
- Digital shopping — 58% or 830 million Chinese had internet access in 2018
- Future customers — 100,000 Chinese students study in the UK — more than from the EU 6. Growing investment — China-UK investment was £88.4bn and UK-China £103.1bn in 2017
Track record of UK Winners
£115,000 for 2019 Gold Winners Open Bionics with Hero Arm
Open Bionics design and develop affordable, assistive devices that enhance the human body. They started with Hero Arm,
a stylish multi-grip bionic hand and are on a mission to
make beautiful bionic limbs more accessible. They started with Hero Arm, a stylish multi-grip bionic hand and are on
a mission to make beautiful bionic limbs more accessible.
“There was a great mix of competitors from Adidas with a huge consumer product to more niche products. Some super slick designs on show. Thanks for the nomination, we were the only company to receive unanimous yeses from the judges. It’s a great competition.”
Co-founder, Samantha Payne.
Access to Chinese and global decision makers, investors and commissioners
The DIA experts group of judges and influencers include over 500 design directors, leaders and academics selected from a diverse raft of design-led organisations from 49 countries. The 2020 UK judges include design industry leaders Clive Grinyer — Head of Service Design RCA, Paul Priestman — Chairman of PriestmanGoode, Mat Hunter — Co-CEO Plus X Accelerators, Rama Gheerawo — Director of the Helen Hamlyn Centre and Ben Griffin — Innovation Lead — Design at Innovate UK.
DIA is an innovation hallmark recognised in Chinese consumer markets
The DIA awards are designed to attract innovative solutions representing a diverse range of sectors and markets spanning all industrial design skills from product and service design to digital experiences and environments. The four categories of Cultural innovation, Living wisdom, Industrial Equipment and Digital Economy have been developed to appeal to both established businesses with products in market and early stage innovators with prototypes capable of being brought to market.
Adidas Futurecraft 4D — innovative high performance footwear
Ant Forest — 500m users, plant trees to create virtual green
Neolix Autonomous Driving Vehicle — energy retailing, delivery and patrol
Cash prizes of £560,000 super-charge a winner’s growth
DIA prizes will make a significant difference to a winner’s growth. Grand Prix winners collect £560,000 in total with two Gold prizes winners collecting £115,000 each to invest the funds as they wish. In addition to the financial award, entrants benefit from a global marketing campaign across digital and social media, events, exhibitions and lectures attracting business and design leaders. This creates opportunities to build relationships with customers, partners, distributors and investors.
Dedicated support for UK DIA applicants
DIA have appointed a dedicated UK judging team led by John Mathers, former Design Council CEO and current Chair of the British Design Fund. If you are interested in applying contact John on: john@britishdesignfund.co.uk
Easy to apply — Deadline July 6th 2020
DIA recognises that entrepreneurs’ time is at a premium so the application process is free, easy and takes around an hour to complete by visiting: https://en.di-award.org/
