The call for entries for the 8th edition of the Design Educates Awards – the awards for design and architecture with social impact – is now open. The Awards invite architects, designers, studios, students, and creative practitioners from around the world to submit projects that go beyond aesthetic excellence. The 8th edition will recognize works in two categories: Architecture and Design for Impact – projects that demonstrate meaningful social, environmental, cultural, or educational value. The awards ceremony will take place during the Architecture in Foyer 2026 conference in Warsaw in October 2026. The event will be hosted by the Warsaw University of Technology and will form part of a two-day international conference featuring lectures and discussions led by renowned architects, designers, and innovators from around the world.

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Laka Foundation has opened the 7th edition of the Design Educates Awards (DEAwards) and is calling for projects, for 2025 that impact society. Design Educates Awards (DEAwards) recognize, showcase, and promote globally the best ideas and implementations of architecture and design. The competition also brings together a community of creatives who emphasize the meaning of the true added value of their projects. Laureates of the main prizes and honorable mentions will receive: certificates and winning labels, inclusion in the yearbook, participation in the exhibition with confirmation by certificates, Awards Ceremony in Germany with photo documentation, press kits, as well as promotion by the media sponsors and partners.

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Laka Foundation is accepting entries to the Design Educates Awards (DEAwards) 2024 — international competition which recognizes the best ideas and implementations of architecture and design that educate. The Awards are open for creative, innovative projects (completed or concepts from the last 5 years) of any scale that, in addition to excellent aesthetics, incorporate added value — such as educational potential, storytelling elements, the stimulation of critical thinking, the ability to influence users’ emotions or behavior, and an impact on perception or encompass other similar values. Laureates of the main prizes and honorable mentions will receive: certificates and winning labels, inclusion in the book “Design Educates”, invitation to participate in the Awards Ceremony and Exhibition in Germany.

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Laka Foundation is accepting entries to the Design Educates Awards (DEAwards) 2023 — international competition which recognizes the best ideas and implementations of architecture and design that educate. The theme of the awards is inspired by the research titled “Educating Buildings” (“Bildende Bauten”) by Dr. Peter Kuczia. The DEAwards recognize, showcase, and promote the best projects of architecture and design that provide an informative and educational layer that guides us through the increasing complexity of our environment. Such a layer can highlight specific possibilities and challenges, explain sociocultural factors and influences, or even outline new scenarios for future development.

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Laka Foundation is accepting entries to the Design Educates Awards (DEAwards) 2022 competition, to recognize the best educational ideas and implementations of architecture and design. Design itself may provide an informative and educational layer that guides us through the increasing complexity of our environment. It can highlight specific possibilities and challenges, explain sociocultural factors and influences, or even outline new scenarios for future development. Each year, the esteemed panel of judges selects outstanding ideas and implementations in the categories of architectural design, product design, universal design, and responsive design. Laureates of the awards join an elite group of 116 members from 35 countries to date, are invited to present their designs during the awards ceremony in Germany, and are included in the book Design Educates. (So far, three editions of the ceremony have taken place, and three volumes of the book have been published.) The winners, laureates of prizes, honorable mentions, and nominations will be selected in each competition category. In addition to the general evaluation, the student project with the highest score will be awarded the label of Emerging Designers.

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Laka Foundation is accepting entries for the Design Educates Awards (DtEA) 2021 competition, that recognizes the best ideas and implementations of architecture and design that can educate. The Design Educates Awards showcase and promote the awarded designs globally. The design itself may provide an informative and educational layer that guides us through the increasing complexity of our environment. The objects in our surroundings can communicate important values and guide us through desirable, positive practices. Each year, the esteemed panel of judges selects the outstanding ideas and implementations in the categories of architectural design, product design, universal design, and responsive design.

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Laka Foundation has opened registration for the 2021 Laka Competition, themed “Architecture Reacts”. The subject of the competition is architectural, urban, technological, or product design that is capable of dynamic interaction with its social, natural, or built surroundings. Main prizes and honorable mentions will be selected. The 3 winning entries (main prizes) of each phase will be nominated for the Design that Educates Awards (in the category of Responsive Design), presented on the website of the Laka Competition, mentioned on the social media channels of the Design that Educates Awards, and invited to present their designs during the online meeting with editors of the Laka Perspectives. Laureates of main prizes and honorable mentions will receive the certificates and banners for online promotion. Nominations are an additional channel of access to the awards.

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Laka Foundation is accepting entries for the Design that Educates Awards (DtEA) 2020 — international competition which recognizes the best ideas and implementations of architecture and design that can educate. The design itself may provide an informative and educational layer that guides us through the increasing complexity of our environment. It can showcase specific possibilities and challenges, explain sociocultural factors and influences, or even outline new scenarios for future development. The best projects in each competition category will be awarded with $1,250. In addition the best Emerging designer (student) will receive $625 and the winner of the Solarlux Choice award will receive $1,000. The projects of the winners and laureates of honorable mentions will be exhibited during the ‘Architecture in Foyer 2020’ conference at the Solarlux Campus in Germany on 23–24 April, 2020. The laureates will be invited to present their designs during the ceremony.

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Laka invites designers from around the world to submit their ideas of “architecture that reacts” and enter the 2020 competition. Its main focus is on the solutions that develop through a process of changes and adjustments. The subject of the competition is architectural, urban, technological, or product design that is capable of dynamic interaction with its social, natural, or built surroundings. Main prizes and honorable mentions will be selected. The winner for the year 2020 and the laureates of the main prizes will be awarded additional cash prizes and invited to present their projects during the ‘Architecture in Foyer 2020’ conference at the Solarlux Campus (Melle, Germany) on 23–24 April, 2020. Laureates of all recognitions will be presented on Laka’s websites, promoted via Laka’s network of partners, and included in future publications related to the competition ‘Architecture that Reacts.’ Moreover, the best projects will be exhibited during ‘Architecture in Foyer 2020.’

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To investigate the educational potential of architecture and design, Laka Foundation launches the inaugural Design that Educates Awards (DtEA) competition. The ability to communicate the implemented solutions and features is the main theme of the awards. Such an informational layer of design and architecture provides an important (yet not fully explored) opportunity for a dialog between the user and the designer. The result—a new type of learning environment—provides a space for the exploration of both the design itself and its relation to the vaster context. The best projects in each competition category will be awarded with $1,500. In addition the best Emerging designer (student) will receive $500. The projects of the winners and laureates of honorable mentions will be exhibited during the Design Forum on the Solarlux campus in Germany in 2019. The authors will be invited to present their designs during the ceremony.

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