The winter application round for the National Design Awards of Latvia 2024 - the highest award in the field of design in Latvia will last from January 2nd to February 15h, 2024. The purpose of the award is to identify, evaluate, and popularize the achievements of Latvian designers, as well as to promote the use of design created in Latvia and the development of the design industry.
The application procedure for the the National Design Award of Latvia 2024 ensures the possibility for the authors of works or their clients to submit works to the competition in two periods - in autumn and winter - thus making both the application process itself and structuring the evaluation more convenient.
Winter application for the competition runs from January 2 to February 15, 2024 with the evaluation process finalized by April 15th. Selection jury composed of national and international members goes through all submitted works and decides on the ones who proceed to the second stage. Final jury further evaluates the nominees of the second stage and decides on the finalist list establishing a winner for each of the five categories as well as the winner of the Grand Prix. Second stage of the competition will be accomplished with the award ceremony at the end of May 2024. Exact dates are to be announced on www.dizainabalva.lv.
All submissions will be approached by the selection jury consisting of nine renowned Latvian design professionals representing various design fields. Each of five categories will be composed of a chairman and two members of the jury. Architect and New European Bauhaus expert Ieva Zībārte, designer and entrepreneur Edgars Zvirgzdiņš, graphic designer Kirils Kirasirovs and head of the UX design department and partner of the company Cube Mārcis Miķelsons–Germs, have agreed to take on the duties of chairmen and chairwomen of the 5 categories. The selection jury will also include: Edijs Laksa, the author of the design of the military vehicle «VR-1-FOX», the winner of National Design Award of Latvia 2023 in product design category, Dārta Apsīte, co-author of the Riga Patriots Month communication campaign, the winner the jury's special recognition for promoting self-esteem and belonging sense using design techniques, fashion and interior designer Baiba Ripa, Anna Andersone, an entrepreneur in the field of design and leader of the Riga TechGirls movement, and Didzis Jaunzems, the architect and manager of the design office DJA.
The evaluation of works submitted to the NDAL includes the following quality criteria:
- originality and creativity of the idea,
- the defined problem and task(s), and the chosen solutions to solve the problem,
- co-creation, stakeholder involvement and cooperation in the work process,
- functionality and technological solution,
- aesthetics and other dimensions of quality of experience,
- economic relevance, sustainability, and circularity,
- social relevance, inclusion, availability and accessibility.
Autumn applications for the National Design Award of Latvia 2024 were open from October 1st to November 10. Out of 62 submissions, the selection jury nominated 31 works for further participation in the second stage. All works were evaluated in five categories: product, service, communication, environment and digital solution design. The biggest category this year also was the communication design category, receiving 20 entries, followed by the environmental design category with 19 entries and the product design category with 16 entries. Nominees from autumn submissions are available on www.dizainabalva.lv.
The National Design Award of Latvia was established in 2017 with the support of the Ministry of Culture. Until May, 2025, the organization of the award ceremony lays upon the Latvian Design Centre.
Latvian Design Centre is a member of the Bureau of European Design Associations (BEDA) and an official partner of the European Commission's New European Bauhaus Initiative. Latvian Design Centre is involved in design policy making, research and education, and initiates cooperation and strategic partnerships with other design organizations, designers, companies and design users. With the support of the Ministry of Culture, Latvian Design Centre maintains the creative industry communication platform FOLD.