In addition to the ten traditional categories, this year the Animago Award is also honouring work in the categories of Best Feature Film and Best VR/AR/360°. The latter category is aimed at the many new pieces of work in the area of virtual reality and focuses on interaction, technical progress, and innovation. The competition, organised by the German technical periodical Digital Production, selects the winners of the different categories with the help of an independent specialist panel. The prizes will be awarded on 25 and 26 October 2018 during the Animago conference. Stu dios, film production companies, agencies, freelancers, private individuals, and students are invited to submit their work. The winner of the Best Young Production category will receive prize money of 3,000 euros sponsored by Digital Production.

Every year, the James Dyson Award looks for particularly innovative, clever, and promising product ideas. The criteria place equal importance on the practical benefits, the marketability, and the sustainability of the product. As a young talent competition, it is aimed at students and those who have graduated within the past four years in the areas of product design, industrial design, and engineering sciences. Teams may apply as long as at least one member fulfils these conditions. The prize money is 2,000 pounds for national winners and 5,000 pounds for international finalists. The international winner (individual or team) receives 30,000 pounds, and an additional 5,000 pounds is awarded to the respective faculty.

To highlight design achievements from the Rhineland-Palatinate area of Germany, the design prize is awarded every year by the responsible ministry (in each case, achievements are honoured in communication design and product design on an annually alternating basis). The current competition is seeking projects in the area of visual design. The condition for entering is having a connection to this federal state of Germany, either by dint of your own or your client’s company headquarters being located there, or by studying at a university in the Rhineland-Palatinate area. Submissions can be made in the following categories: corporate design, editorial design, multimedia design, illustration, photography, film/audio, communication in space, as well as design studies and research. The winning works will receive publicity by being displayed in an exhibition with an accompanying catalogue, and through other communication channels. The participation fee is 50 euros, from which students are exempt.

The company Optische Werke Passau Brillen (OPW), which was founded back in ‚œ1947 and has an extensive portfolio of well-known brands, is organising the International Eyewear Design Contest. The competition’s aim is to generate innovative designs in the area of spectacle frames and sunglasses, and is explicitly aimed at students and graduates of design schools. Designs can be submitted for both women’s and men’s styles. The only restriction for selecting materials is the requirement that they can be produced industrially. The first prize is ž2,000ƒƒƒ euros, or alternatively a fourweek internship at OWP including accommodation and travel costs to the site. The second and third prizes are ‚1,000ƒƒƒ and 500 euros respectively. The submission deadline is 31 July 2018žƒ‚‡.

Once again, the Annual Multimedia Award encourages agencies, companies, design studios, creative directors, designers, and students to submit their digital projects. To qualify, the work must have been developed, produced or commissioned in the past two years in Germany, Austria or Switzerland. Submissions can be made in 16 different categories, including website, shop/e-commerce, social media, content marketing, app, installation/event, and game. Participation is free of charge initially, but fees will be due as soon as a project is awarded a prize. The accompanying publication does not only illustrate the winning projects, but also includes company portfolios, addresses, contact details, and customer lists.

This year sees the award by the Berliner Type competition offered for the 50th time and is aimed primarily at producers of print media. Submissions can be made in the following categories: image brochures, product brochures, leaflets, anniversary publications, documentations, yearbooks, catalogues, reports, magazines and periodicals, sales folders, calendars, business stationery, special formats as well as a special category for up-and-coming talents. The work must be either in German or used in a German-speaking country and may not have been published more than 18 months in advance of the registration deadline. Interested parties can enter their submissions as an early bird entry for 260 euros until 29 June 2018. Thereafter the fee is 340 euros.

The Future Award is one of the largest innovation competitions in Germany and has been awarded since 2006 by the Deutscher Verband für Post, Informationstechnologie und Telekommunikation. Students from all subject areas and at all stages of their studies can submit entries. Every submission will remain the property of its creator. The competition is aimed at all students with a promising idea for the future – everything from the vision to the idea to the concept and the model can be submitted. Participating in the Future Award is free of charge. Winners will receive both material and cash prizes, and the opportunity to share their ideas with a wide audience and receive feedback from experts in the field of business.