Competition rules

Art. 1 – Organisers

The competition is organised by the town of Apolda, the district of Weimarer Land and the Apolda-Weimarer Land Economic Development Association. The initiative is sponsored by the Thuringian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Rural Areas, and the Minister's patronage has been requested. The Weimarer Land district is the contact for the registration process and compliance with data protection regulations in accordance with the agreement on joint responsibility under Art. 26 of the General Data Protection Regulation.

Für die Veranstalter handeln: Olaf Müller (Bürgermeister der Kreisstadt Apolda), Christiane Schmidt-Rose (Landrätin des Kreises Weimarer Land) und Thomas Gottweiss (1. Vorsitzender der Wirtschaftsförder-Vereinigung Apolda-Weimarer Land e. V.)

Art. 2 – Conditions of participation

The APOLDA EUROPEAN DESIGN AWARD 2026 is exclusively aimed at European fashion colleges and universities selected by the organisers:

Czech Republic

Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design Prague

Estonia

Estonian Academy of Arts, Talinn

Finland

Aalto University
School of Arts, Design and Architecture Helsinki

France

École Duperré, École supérieure des arts appliqués Paris

Germany

Weißensee Kunsthochschule Berlin
Universität der Künste Berlin
Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle
Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften Hamburg
Hochschule Pforzheim
Hochschule Reutlingen
Hochschule für angewandte Künste Schneeberg
Hochschule Trier

Latvia

Art Academy of Latvia, Riga

Netherlands

ArtEZ University of the Arts, Arnhem

Poland

Academy of Fine Arts, Lodz

The colleges and universities select two of their most talented graduates from the fashion design department from the year 2025. Their final projects (bachelor's or master's thesis) will be submitted for evaluation.

 

Art. 3 – The following criteria will be used to determine the winners:

  • Independent and trend-setting design concept
  • Artistic and technical competence
  • Innovative value – visionary elements, engagement with new technologies
  • Quality of implementation and presentation
  • Contemporary functionality with reference to our modern lives

 

Art. 4 – Nomination for the competition

By 12 February 2026 (closing date for entries), participants in the competition must be nominated by their colleges and universities using the nomination form.

 

Art. 5 – Registration for the competition

The following documents must be submitted for registration by 12 February 2026 (registration deadline):

  • Registration form, completed in full and signed
  • Portrait photo (jpg, 300 dpi)
  • Copy of degree certificate, if already available, or confirmation of degree completion from the university
  • The following additional documents are required for the presentation of competition participants on the organiser's social media channels. Brief description of the bachelor's or master's thesis in German and English (max 1 page)
  • Theoretical work with sketches of ideas, colour and material concepts, collages, mood boards, photos, fashion graphics (if possible also in digital form, jpg, 300 dpi)

 

Art. 6 - Submission of final theses (bachelor's or master's thesis) for the competition and fashion clips (the fashion clips are optional)

By 13 March 2026 (submission deadline), all participants in the competition must submit their complete final thesis (bachelor's or master's thesis) with the following documents:

  • Submission form, completed in full and
  • Written final thesis (bachelor's or master's thesis, possibly a copy)
  • Original models from the thesis (bachelor's or master's thesis)
  • 4, max. 6 complete outfits, women's fashion or men's fashion, each labelled with the first and last name of the candidate and the school. If accessories are part of the collection, these may also be submitted.
  • To ensure that all presentations correctly match the collection pieces and show how they should be worn, each original outfit should be accompanied by a sketch bearing the candidate's first and last name and the name of the school, as well as a technical description and details of the colours and materials used.
  • One colour photo of each original outfit in at least A5 format, with the candidate's first and last name and school name written on the back.
  • Fashion clip (optional) with the following specifications
    • File format: mp4
    • 264 codec
    • 15-20 Mbit/s
    • Standard aspect ratio of 16:9
    • Audio codec of AAC-LC
    • 150 MB

The submission and use of the fashion clips are governed by a separate agreement between the organiser and the candidates. The jury reserves the right to select the outfits to be presented at the award ceremony.

For further use of the submitted image material, it is essential to submit Appendix 1 ‘Photo material APOLDA EUROPEAN DESIGN AWARD 2026’.

The registration documents referred to in Article 5 must be sent to the following address by 12 February 2026:

Wirtschaftsförder-Vereinigung Apolda-Weimarer Land e. V.
APOLDA EUROPEAN DESIGN AWARD
Am Brückenborn 5
D-99510 Apolda

Kontakt: Sylvia Frey
Tel.: + 49 (3644) 5 16 40 06
E-Mail: info@wifoe-ap.de

The collections and written final papers on Art. 6 must be sent to the following address by 13 March 2026:

Wirtschaftsförder-Vereinigung Apolda-Weimarer Land e. V.
APOLDA EUROPEAN DESIGN AWARD
Auenstraße 11
D-99510 Apolda

Kontakt: Sylvia Frey
Tel.: + 49 (3644) 5 16 40 06
E-Mail: info@wifoe-ap.de

Personal delivery to Art. 6 is possible by prior appointment. Any questions should be directed to the Apolda-Weimarer Land Economic Development Association or to the project coordinator for universities:

Project-coordination Universities
Anette Frankenberger
Baaderstraße 40
D-80469 München

Tel.: +49 (89) 5 14 12 92
Mobil: +49 (173) 2109 880
E-Mail: apolda.design.award@gmail.com

Art. 7 – Transport costs / insurance

The candidates shall bear the costs of sending all competition entries and insuring them for transport to Apolda.

The organisers shall bear the costs of returning all competition entries and insurance cover for the duration of the transfer and return transport. The organisers shall not be liable for any damage to the competition entries resulting from their presentation (jury work, award ceremony and other fashion events).

Art. 8 – Copyright

The submitted competition entries and the accompanying fashion clips remain the property of the designers. By registering to participate, the organisers receive the temporal and spatial unlimited and free publication rights for the image and film material within the framework of the APOLDA EUROPEAN DESIGN AWARD 2026.

The organisers shall have the right to use all submitted works, including the associated image rights, free of charge until 31 December 2027 for the following projects: Fashion shows, presentations for companies in the fashion industry, publications in the press, on television and on the internet, APOLDA DESIGNER NETWORK, exhibitions, articles about the competition or other activities necessary to promote the competition and the participating candidates. The submitted fashion clips may also be used on the website www.apolda-design-award.de and on the competition's social media channels until 31 December 2027 to market the project. In addition, individual image sections may be extracted from the submitted fashion clip for the award ceremony show and modified to ensure an appealing video sequence on the back wall of the catwalk. Only the respective clips of the respective student will be used for this purpose.

Art. 9 – Data protection

Personal data such as first and last name, address, telephone number, email address and account details will be collected, processed and used as part of the APOLDA EUROPEAN DESIGN AWARD 2026. The above-mentioned data will be used exclusively for the purpose of participating in the APOLDA EUROPEAN DESIGN AWARD 2026 and will be treated confidentially. The information will be stored in the association's own IT system. Personal data will only be passed on to third parties for the implementation of sub-projects (magazine, network, etc.). Personal data will be deleted in accordance with the statutory provisions. For this and further information on data processing within the framework of the competition, please refer to the information sheet in accordance with Art. 13 of the General Data Protection Regulation. Participants may exercise their right to access, correct, block and delete their data at any time without giving reasons. For further information, to revoke or object to the collection and processing of personal data, please write to info@wifoe-ap.de.

Art. 10 – Prizes and jury

The APOLDA EUROPEAN DESIGN AWARD 2026 is endowed with € 25,000. A jury of representative figures from the worlds of design, industry and media will select the winners and decide how the total prize money is to be distributed. The jury's decision is confidential and legally binding.

In addition, the 16 best candidates participating in the competition will be invited to the award ceremony in Apolda. They will be presented together with their work and the fashion clips they have submitted.

Art. 11 – Award ceremony and fashion show

The award ceremony will take place on Saturday, 9 May 2026 in Apolda with a fashion show of the original designs submitted by the candidates in the presence of the 16 best competition participants.

Art. 12 – APOLDA DESIGNER NETWORK

An essential part of the competition is the APOLDA DESIGNER NETWORK. To this end, candidates are asked to produce fashion clips of approx. 60 seconds for their submitted competition entries, which will be published online via a ‘digital showroom’ (Web.tv).

The production and submission of these fashion clips is voluntary. This makes use of digital forms of presentation and distribution, which enable project-related communication with interested fashion companies and even contacts for further career planning.

The three best fashion clips will be evaluated by a separate jury and awarded a total of € 3,000 in prize money. They will be presented to the public during the award ceremony.

In addition, all participants in the APOLDA EUROPEAN DESIGN AWARD 2026 will be presented on the organiser's channels.

Art. 13 – Personal attendance

All invited candidates undertake to attend the APOLDA EUROPEAN DESIGN AWARD 2026 ceremony in person on Saturday, 9 May 2026 in Apolda.

They will receive a detailed programme of their stay in Apolda for the award ceremony in good time. Any changes to the address/telephone number/email address of the candidates must be communicated immediately to the address specified in Art. 6 or via the registration portal at www.apolda-design-award.de.

Art. 14 – Arrival and departure

The candidates in the competition undertake to arrive in Apolda by 5 p.m. on Friday, 8 May 2026. Departure from Apolda is on Sunday, 10 May 2026.

Accommodation will be provided by the organisers. Guests (max. 2 persons) of the participants must be registered by email (info@wifoe-ap.de) by 10 April 2026 at the latest and are responsible for their own expenses.

Art. 15 – Travel expenses

Travel expenses, accommodation including breakfast, meals (1 x daily allowance of € 15.00, arrival/departure day € 15.00, total € 30.00) will be covered by the organisers.

  • from Germany: 2nd class train travel
  • for travel by car, a mileage allowance of € 0.15/km will be paid.
    Car rental costs will not be reimbursed.
  • from other European countries: train travel as per a) or economy class flight

Candidates shall pay their travel expenses in advance; their expenses (except for the mileage allowance) will be reimbursed upon arrival in Apolda upon presentation of receipts.

Art. 16 – Declaration of consent to these competition rules

By signing the registration form for the competition, the content of these rules (Art. 1-16) is accepted.