Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design

Frequently Asked Questions

You can find answers to the most frequently asked questions here, ranging from entry rules to registration and assessment.

University: SCAD Savannah College of Art and Design Design: SCAD Savannah College of Art and Design

The Award

What is the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design?

The Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design is an internationally recognised competition that has been honouring outstanding achievements in the field of communication design since 1993. In 2019, the competition was expanded to provide an even bigger stage for brands. An independent jury evaluates the entries and honours the best with the renowned Red Dot. Being awarded stands for the highest design quality, strengthens the market position and offers unique moments of success.

What is the “Red Dot”?

The Red Dot is a seal of quality for good design that is awarded in the three competitions of the Red Dot Design Award.

Entry Rules

What can I submit to the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design?

Works and projects that have been published after 1 July 2022 or will be published before 1 July 2025 and have not yet been entered in the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design in the past. Projects that have been realised exclusively for participation in the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design are not eligible.

You can find more detailed information in our terms and conditions.

How can I submit projects for the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design?

Depending on the category, projects can be submitted as originals or in digital form. The method of submission is precisely defined in our Guide to Success.

How many works can I enter in the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design?

A participant can register any number of works for the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design.

The Red Dot: Junior Award

What is the Red Dot: Junior Award?

The Red Dot: Junior Award is part of the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design. It is aimed at trainees, students and young professionals who have completed their studies or graduated within the last two years. Participants benefit from a reduced entry fee and, in the case of an award, a reduced price for the Winner Package. Everyone who participates in the Red Dot: Junior Award has the same chance as all other competition entrants of being honoured for their work with a Red Dot or Red Dot: Best of the Best. The participant with the most convincing project of the competition year will receive the “Red Dot: Junior Prize” and prize money of 10,000 euros.

Who can apply for the Red Dot: Junior Award?

The Red Dot: Junior Award is open to trainees, students and young professionals who have graduated no more than two years ago. A copy of a student or trainee card or a diploma - with an English translation if necessary - is accepted as proof. For more information, see our Guide to Success.

What can be submitted for the Red Dot: Junior Award?

Trainees and students can enter communication design works, regardless of when they were created or published. These projects must have been created either as part of the training or the studies.

Those who have been working in their profession for no longer than two years can enter projects that were published after 1 July 2022 or will be published before 1 July 2025 and have not yet been entered for the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design in the past. In this case, the projects must have been created as part of a commission. Projects that were realised solely for entry in the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design are not eligible.

Registration

How do I enter my project, work or campaign for the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design?
  1. Download the Guide to Success
  2. Register in the My Red Dot portal
  3. Select the category and provide information on the project
  4. Upload digital material
  5. Enter the designer and client
  6. Select the payment method and complete the registration
  7. Depending on the category: submit the original entry
Can I enter my work in more than one category of the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design?

Depending on the type of work, it can be entered in one or more categories. A separate registration must be completed for each entry. Each entry is independent and requires its own presentation material. Please note that an entry may not be submitted in more than one sub-category within the same category.

What information do I have to provide when registering for the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design?

The mandatory information includes:

  • Information about the project (project name, project type, publication date, choice of category and subcategory)
  • Form of entry (physical, digital or cross-media)
  • Project description (at least 500 – max. 1,200 characters)
  • Information about the client and the designer
  • Payment method

All information for registering a project must be provided in English. 

Detailed information on registration can be found in our Guide to Success.

What does “project type” refer to?

The project type is the shortest description of your work, or a rough classification, e.g. “annual report”.

Which category should I choose?

If you are unsure which category to choose, take a look at our Winners section. There you will find all the award-winning projects from past years, sorted by category.

If you need help choosing a category, please feel free to contact us.

Which subcategory should I select?

The subcategories serve to structure the main categories and provide an overview of which project types can be submitted. Please note that projects are evaluated and awarded in the main categories, not in the subcategories.

What should my project description contain?

As part of the judging process, the members of the Red Dot Jury will receive an information sheet containing the most important data of your project as well as the description you provided. The description should present your work briefly and objectively, explaining in a few sentences what makes it unique. The text should be kept simple, precise and informative. Figurative or advertising language should be avoided. Entering the description in German is optional.

Uploading digital material

What is the PI code and where can I find it?

The PI code is the project identification code of your submitted work.

Example: 16-01234-2025BC

As soon as you click on “Entry Status” in your My Red Dot account, you will find your PI code as the first part of the heading of each entry. Please refer to this code in all communications with us. It will help to speed up the processing of your request. 

By when do I have to upload digital material?

Digital material must be uploaded by the end of the registration process. Please note that you will no longer be able to edit your registration or upload digital material once you have completed the registration process by paying the participation fee.

What are the requirements for files to be uploaded?

Please name your files using Latin characters and do not use any special characters in the file name. All information about the file specifications can be found in the Guide to Success

Jury Session

When will the entries be evaluated?

The Jury Session for the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design will take place in July.

What happens during the Jury Session?

Every registration that is submitted by the deadline and meets the conditions of participation will be admitted to the judging process; there is no pre-selection. All entries will be evaluated by the Red Dot Jury in a process lasting several days. Based on this evaluation, some of the entries will receive a distinction

Costs and payment

What does it cost to participate in the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design?

The registration fee for taking part in the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design depends on the date of registration.

You can find an overview of the valid dates and costs here.

Please note: in order to enjoy all the benefits of being a winner of the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design, you must book a Winner Package, which is subject to a fee, in the event of being awarded. By participating in the Red Dot Design Award, you have already agreed in advance to this obligatory booking, which will be made in the event of a distinction.

You can read the terms and conditions here.

What costs can I expect if I win a distinction?

If you win a distinction, you are required to book the “Winner Package”. You can find an overview of the cost of booking and the services included here.

What payment options are available to me?

You can pay the participation fees and the Winner Package online by credit card (MasterCard, VISA, American Express), via PayPal, ALIPAY or WeChat Pay.

Is the competition service subject to tax?

The competition service is taxable and subject to VAT at a current rate of 8.1% for companies from Switzerland and Liechtenstein in accordance with the VAT Act. There is no VAT for companies outside Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

Winning an award and publication

What are the advantages of winning a Red Dot?

What are the advantages of winning a Red Dot?

A distinction in the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design offers designers the chance of international recognition, increased visibility, and valuable industry contacts.

We support you with effective measures that put you and your award-winning project in the spotlight – be it online, in the yearbook, or with internationally acclaimed exhibitions. In addition, you will receive a certificate officially confirming your distinction in the Red Dot Design Award as well as the right to use the well-known Red Dot Label.

Please note: In order to be able to use all the benefits without restriction as a winner of the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design, you must book your Winner Package. By entering the Red Dot Design Award, you have already agreed in advance to this obligatory booking, which will apply to you in the event of winning an award.

You can read the terms and conditions here.

 

When will I find out if my project has received a distinction?

You will receive an e-mail in July with your results in the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design. You can also download your notification under “My results” in your My Red Dot account.

What distinctions are there in the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design?

In the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design, there are three distinctions: the Red Dot: Grand Prix is the top individual distinction and is awarded to a maximum of one project in each category. Projects and brands that stand out for their excellent design quality and creative achievement are honoured with the Red Dot: Best of the Best. The Red Dot is the distinction for high design quality. The award-winners receive the respective Red Dot Label to match their distinction.

When can I start communicating my success?

You will be informed of the results in July 2025. If you receive a distinction, you then have two weeks to book the Winner Package. As soon as you have booked your Winner Package, you will receive your Red Dot Label and can publicly communicate your success and your distinction. At the beginning of November, all award-winning works will be published in the Winners Section on the Red Dot website and in the International Yearbook Brands & Communication Design.

When can I start using the Red Dot label?

You can download the label in your My Red Dot account once you have successfully booked the Winner Package.

Any further questions?

ContactDo you have questions?
Red Dot Team
Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design
We look forward to providing you with comprehensive advice.
E-Mail: bcd(at)red-dot.de
Tel.: +49 201 838885–48
 
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