On Thursday, 21 May, at a ceremonial event held at the Gaso gas tower, the laureates of the National Design Award of Latvia (NDAL) 2026 were announced, honouring the finest works of design in the product, service, communication, environmental and digital solutions categories. Grand Prix and the Ministry of Culture cash prize of 2,000 euros were awarded to the design of the Baltic Pavilion We Are One at Expo 2025 and its team of authors — Variant Studio, Ozols IR, Inspired, 7 A.M., YesWeCan and Datu Tehnoloģiju grupa. The Emerging Designer Award went to Una Beļeviča for the design of the Lifebuoy stand. The jury also gave three commendations, and special awards were presented by the Patent Office and JCDecaux.
On Thursday evening, the design community gathered at the National Design Award of Latvia 2026 ceremony to honour, in a shared ritual, this year's finest works of design. This event has grown into an annual celebration that not only takes stock of Latvia's design landscape, but also strengthens our design community. The winners were also congratulated by Minister of Culture Agnese Lāce: «This year, the motto of the National Design Award of Latvia is Momentum, and, in my view, it captures very well how the design sector and the cultural sector as a whole work — purposeful and persistent effort is the driving force towards great achievements. The Latvian design industry has proven itself to be diverse and at the same time unique in a global context. We take pride in this both here in Latvia and genuinely rejoice every time the name of Latvian design resonates beyond our borders.»
NDAL 2026 Laureates
GRAND PRIX AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN CATEGORY
Design of the Baltic Pavilion We Are One at Expo 2025
Authors: pavilion design — Variant Studio; graphic design and concept — Ozols IR; production — Inspired; architecture — 7 A.M.; manufacturing — YesWeCan; IT solutions — Datu Tehnoloģiju grupa. Clients — Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, Office of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania.
The jury praised the depth of the project's concept and its contextual sensitivity: «Through the poetic Kizuna Wall, the pavilion transformed technology into an emotional and tactile interaction, allowing hundreds of thousands of visitors to connect with nature and reflect on our shared responsibility for the planet. More than an exhibition, the pavilion became a place of pause and reflection — showing how design can help people slow down, create meaningful experiences and leave lasting emotional memories in an increasingly overstimulated world.»
The jury unanimously recognised the Baltic Pavilion as this year's Grand Prix winner. «The project beautifully reflected the Baltic identity while also revealing subtle parallels between Latvian, Lithuanian and Japanese sensibilities — a shared appreciation for nature, silence, ritual and understated beauty. This quiet cultural dialogue gave the exhibition a unique emotional depth, allowing each visitor to experience it on their own terms. Finally, the pavilion was meticulously executed, with attention to natural resources and environmental responsibility.»
PRODUCT DESIGN CATEGORY
In the product design category, the jury named two winners — finalists who received an equal number of points.
Monk Echo guitar pedal
Authors — Overpriced, Matīss Tazāns, Toms Lazdovskis. Contractor — Mentha Works.
The competition jury assessed Monk Echo as a strong debut with a promising future: «Monk Echo combines innovative sound, a distinctive design language and high execution quality with a convincing market debut — 600 pre-orders before production even began confirm this. The trust-based collaboration between Overpriced, Matīss Tazāns and Toms Lazdovskis is reflected in the carefully crafted details and the device's flexible functionality.»
Altar at Home candle
Author and contractor — Mārcis Ziemiņš.
To highlight the strength of Latvia's design and craft cultures, the jury chose to reflect this diversity with a second award. «Altar at Home is a thoughtful and original idea that brings together circular economy principles, an experimental approach to craft and a poetic reflection on the passage of time. In its first month of production, the project has already sold more than 70 units without any marketing activity, and the author has also taken care to protect the intellectual property.»
SERVICE DESIGN
Biometric wallet Handwave
Authors — Handwave, Cube. Contractor — Handwave.
According to the jury, Handwave addresses a real everyday problem — checkout friction that affects customers, merchants and operators alike. «With a single palm scan, it replaces cards, apps, loyalty programmes and age verification. In this project, the social dimension — accessibility, inclusion, reduced checkout barriers — has been an integral part of the design from the very start, not an afterthought. We look forward to seeing where this project goes — the best is yet to come!»
COMMUNICATION DESIGN
The Living Glove book
Authors — Overpriced, Dans Jirgensons. Contractor — Cimdu ceļš association.
«This book reflects a deep connection to its Latvian story and tells of the emotional strength of its protagonist — the knitter Jette. The publication also stands out for the care taken in its execution — from the archiving of Jette's lifetime of work to the embossed cover that turns reading into a tactile and sensory experience. We hope that the artist's story will cross borders and soon reach an international audience, allowing the world to discover Latvia's strongest women,» the jury says of the work.
DIGITAL SOLUTIONS
The final jury decided not to nominate a winner in the digital solutions category. «This year, the jury decided not to nominate a winner in the digital solutions category. The submitted works showed creativity, thoughtful approaches and well-executed solutions, and the jury appreciates the quality of every entry. However, this year there was no solution that stood out with an innovative approach, a strong problem statement and the potential to scale and create lasting impact,» the jury comments on the decision.
EMERGING DESIGNER AWARD
Lifebuoy stand
Author — Una Beļeviča. Contractor — Riga Design and Art Secondary School.
The jury notes that the Emerging Designer Award recipient's work stood out both for its deep understanding of the problem it addresses and for the social, emotional and environmental sensitivity of the solution. «The stand draws beachgoers in through everyday functions — as a place to hang clothes or sit down — while at the same time becoming a reminder of water safety.» The jury hopes that this concept can become a commercially viable solution.
JURY RECOGNITIONS
Right on Time — a pastime for in-patients of the Children's Clinical University Hospital
Authors — Ieva Skuja-Zelča, Marta Elizabete Smilga. Contractor — The Art Academy of Latvia.
«The booklet reflects a versatile and inclusive approach in line with the principles of universal design, helping to reduce patients' uncertainty and anxiety. The solution is uniquely inclusive — it can be used by patients with diverse needs, including children with visual impairments, through Braille worksheets,» the jury observes.
Interior design of CCAF. Cacao Apothecary Firm café
Authors — Ēter, Dagnija Smilga. Contractor— CCAF. Cacao Apothecary Firm.
The jury notes that the café project has earned recognition for the authors' outstanding ability to transform strict budget and time constraints into a thoughtful and emotionally engaging spatial experience. «By reusing found objects, leftover materials and elements from local sources, the architects have created a space that radiates both honesty and a deep sense of calm, where roughness coexists harmoniously with softness. It is a compelling example of how environmental design can be both resource-conscious and human-centred.»
Procrastination and Creation — permanent exhibition at the Latvian National Museum of Literature and Music
Authors: concept — Una Rozenbauma, Nora Ikstena; exhibition designer — Anna Heinrihsone; graphic identity — Associates, Partners et Sons; interior design — Outofbox; musical message — Sigvards Kļava, Jēkabs Nīmanis; creative team and research — Latvian National Museum of Literature and Music; project manager — Iveta Ruskule. Contractor — Latvian National Museum of Literature and Music.
«The exhibition organically connects archival materials with contemporary environmental design, creating a lively dialogue between 98 cultural figures. With humour and humanity, it illustrates the creative process itself — showing that even procrastination, chaos and apparent inactivity can foster the birth of ideas. In the digital age, it is truly important to create an environment that naturally captures the attention of children and young people, while also providing writers and musicians with an inspiring space,» the jury comments.
PATENT OFFICE SPECIAL AWARD
Healthy Teeth — interactive educational toy for children before a dentist visit
Author — Anete Meiere. Contractor — Riga Design and Art Secondary School.
The Patent Office award includes support for the more effective protection of one's own design and intellectual property of one's business. Through this award, the Patent Office aims to foster designers' understanding of intellectual property protection and to promote the long-term development of Latvia's design industry, including the wider application of design in business and the public sector, thereby strengthening cooperation between these two fields and the commercialisation of the best solutions.
JCDECAUX SPECIAL AWARD
In turn, «JCDecaux» presented its special award communications support for reaching a wider audience to the Tutas lietas app, by «Ausma Media» un «Cube».
About NDAL 2026
A total of 110 works were submitted to the National Design Award of Latvia 2026, of which the selection jury advanced 55 nominees to the next round of the competition. These were then assessed in lively discussions by the members of the final jury, who selected 21 finalists. The assessment continued with the finalists' presentations at the LIAA Representative Office of Creative Industries.
The final jury comprises six experienced design professionals, and alongside the Latvian representatives, the works are also assessed by international experts:
- Margot Thiry set designer, artist and product designer;
- Pamela Mead design strategy, branding and UX expert;
- Sandris Laganovskis Director of the Cooperation and Partnerships Department at EUIPO;
- Liene Gulbe Head of the Creative Industries Representative Office at LIAA;
- Linda Krūmiņa architect, co-founder of MADE arhitekti;
- Alise Dīrika product development and UX specialist, co-founder of Infogram.
The final jury evaluated the entries according to the evaluation criteria defined in the competition rules:
- originality and novelty;
- setting of the problem and conformity of solutions to the work task;
- co-creation, stakeholder involvement and cooperation in the work process;
- functionality and technological solution;
- aesthetics and other dimensions of quality of experience;
- economic importance, sustainability and circularity;
- social relevance, inclusion, availability and accessibility.
The National Design Award of Latvia is a national-level award in design aimed at identifying, evaluating, and promoting the most outstanding achievements of Latvian designers, thereby fostering the development of the Latvian design sector. The competition was established in 2017 with the support of the Ministry of Culture, and from 2026 to 2028 it is organised by 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.