In February, the 41-member jury evaluated the entries for the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2016 and awarded the Red Dot quality seal for good design. The award-winning designs and their makers will now officially be honoured: On 4 July 2016, the global design scene will come to Essen, Germany, to celebrate the best products of the year. During the Red Dot Gala, which has been booked out for months now, the winners of the highest single distinction, the “Red Dot: Best of the Best”, will receive their trophies on stage in the Aalto-Theater in Essen. Afterwards, designers, manufacturers and design fans will celebrate at the after-show party in the Red Dot Design Museum. Ticket sales for the Designers’ Night end on 1 July 2016.

Evaluation of the products

The participating products are evaluated by an expert jury. It is comprised of independent designers, design professors and specialised journalists. The entries are evaluated directly in situ. The submitted products do not compete with each other. Every single object, seen individually, is tested, discussed and assessed. The evaluation criteria include among others the degree of innovation, functionality, ergonomics, durability, self-explanatory quality and ecological compatibility. The winners of this process can use the Red Dot label and advertise their success – for example in press relations, advertisements or packaging.

Award ceremony in the Aalto-Theater

During the Red Dot Gala on 4 July, the laureates of the highest single distinction, the “Red Dot: Best of the Best”, will be honored in the Aalto-Theater in Essen, Germany. It is tradition for Professor Dr. Peter Zec to host the impressive gala. The founder and CEO of Red Dot will welcome respected guests onto the stage, including Kristiina Lassus, Ken Okuyama, and Alexander Neumeister – all of whom are part of the Red Dot jury in 2016. 

About 1,200 international guests will watch as the laureates of the top individual award, the “Red Dot: Best of the Best”, receive their trophies on stage in the Aalto-Theater. Only 79 products won the top individual award this year, which goes to the best entries of a category. The festive gala will be completed by a cultural programme and performances by violinist Beatrix Löw-Beer and the Aalto Ballett Essen.

The highlight of the gala is the awarding of the Red Dot: Design Team of the Year title. Since 1988, the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen has awarded a prize each year to a selected team that has distinguished itself at the highest level through its continuously innovative design achievements. In 2016 the title goes to Blackmagic Industrial Design Team from Melbourne, which under the direction of Simon Kidd develops hardware and software products used in films, television programmes and advertisements around the world. During the award ceremony, Robert Sachon, Global Design Director of Bosch and title-holder from last year, will hand over the “Radius” challenge cup to the designers from Australia, thus officially crowning them “Red Dot: Design Team of the Year 2016” together with Professor Dr. Peter Zec.

Designers’ Night in the Red Dot Design Museum

After the award ceremony, the Designers’ Night will take place in the Red Dot Design Museum. The after-show party will bring together around 1,800 designers, decision-makers and design fans – all those who want to celebrate, dance or network into the early hours in the midst of award-winning top design. Cult DJ “Chrissi D!” will provide the party atmosphere. At the same time, the winners’ exhibition will be launched.

In 2016, the Red Dot Design Museum Essen is showing the largest exhibition in Red Dot’s history with “Design on Stage”. For the first time, all of the products currently awarded the coveted seal will be presented in three locations during the party. The most comprehensive selection of international innovations will be on show in the museum itself. Further award-winning products will be on show in two other halls.

Furthermore, the Red Dot: Design Team of the Year presents itself for four weeks with a self-designed and self-implemented special exhibition. Under the title “Creative Video Revolution”, the Blackmagic Industrial Design Team will showcase their revolutionary products. The exhibition features numerous concepts of the Australians that are united not by a visual connection but by their enormous inherent physical quality. This quality is something that has also met with appreciation in Hollywood for some time now, with cameras from Blackmagic used in visually stunning blockbusters like “Mad Max: Fury Road”, “The Martian” and “Avatar”.

»Tickets for the Designers’ Night

»Further information on the Red Dot Award: Product Design

Accreditation for journalists for the Red Dot Gala, 4 July 2016
1st event: from 2.30 p.m. Reception for Red Dot: Best of the Best laureates in the Red Dot Design Museum Essen (opportunities for filming and taking photos, press tours; interviews with Red Dot winners possible)

2nd event: entry from 5.30 p.m.; 6.00 p.m. Start of the Red Dot Gala in the Aalto-Theater (opportunities for filming and taking photos: red carpet and interior)

3rd event: from 9.00 p.m. Designers’ Night after-show party in the Red Dot Design Museum Essen (opportunities for filming and taking photos: red carpet, special exhibitions; interviews with Red Dot winners possible)

Accreditation request to [email protected] including name, contact details, medium + press ID or evidence of editorial reporting; stating desired participation at which events.

About the Red Dot Design Award

In order to appraise the wide scope of design in a professional manner, the Red Dot Design Award is broken down into the three distinct disciplines: the Red Dot Award: Product Design, Red Dot Award: Communication Design and Red Dot Award: Design Concept. The Red Dot Award is organised by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Essen, Germany, and is one of the largest design competitions in the world. In 1955, a jury convened for the first time to assess the best designs of the day. The name and brand of the award were developed in the 1990s by Red Dot CEO, Professor Dr. Peter Zec. Since then the sought-after Red Dot is the revered international seal of outstanding design quality. Further information: www.red-dot.org.